In August 2020, Mayor Styron-Sherrell’s salary was increased by the Milton City Council 400% –from $18,000 to $72,000 per year (Ordinance 1991-20).  I believe, based on statements made at the meetings, were it not for citizen comments, the original ordinance, which was drafted by her staff, would most definitely have passed for $93,700, with a sunset clause at the end of her current term.

I was one of the citizens who questioned the process.  Over last summer I watched political theater at its most absurd.  I listened to Chief Hernandez portray the Mayor as a victim who has sacrificed herself and her family for the good of Milton, as a martyr, because she had no choice, there was no one else who would do the job (July 20, 2020, 1:10:31)

At the same meeting, the Mayor says three times that she’s “not holding council hostage”, that she was “forced to do the role to make sure we succeed“, that her business has suffered greatly and she unenrolled from school “because the duties that were put onto me did not allow time for me to even do my schoolwork” (July 20, 2020, 54:55).

The mayor duties were not “put onto her”, they have always been the Mayor’s duties; however, the Mayor may hire a City Administrator to assist with the duties. When she first took office she promoted then-Public Works Director Peretti to Municipal Services Administrator. When then-Municipal Services Administrator Peretti resigned in June 2018, there were 59 applicants for the position, and the Mayor found none of them to be the “right fit”. There was no further discussion about filling the position after July, 2018, until January 2019, when the Mayor announced she had hired Courtney Black, who was working on a project for the city, as the new City Administrator.

I learned through public records requests that Courtney Black approached the Mayor about filling the City Administrator position (same as previous link). Ms. Black resigned 7 weeks later (LINK), and the Mayor next proposed removing the position from the budget and the City Council approved her request (additional LINK) (LINK).

Mayor Styron-Sherrell may have felt trapped, but she locked herself in and she is the only one who held the key.

Also during the July 20, 2020 Council Meeting, the Mayor stated

“I just want to make it clear that I did not, I was not involved in the data collection. I was not involved in the pre-discussions. I was not involved in any aspect of this. The first time I saw the agenda was when it came to my desk when I approved the overall package for that first July meeting.” (July 20, 2020; 56:12)

And at the July 6, 2020 meeting Chief Hernandez said “I have purposely kept the mayor out of this process so that it was, to protect the integrity of the mayor and the study.” (July 6, 2020; 30:00).

However, here are emails between the Mayor, Chief Hernandez, the City Clerk, and the Finance Director, in late June and early July that clearly show the Mayor was involved in the pre-discussion and involved in the data collection, and that Chief Hernandez knew it.

This email was sent on July 30 at 6:54pm, then an hour and a half later, at 8:33pm, there was an attempt to recall it.  The recall for Chief Hernandez failed at 8:34, and the same message was resent with the Mayor removed at 8:41pm.

This is just the beginning….lots more to cover in future posts.

Mayor Styron-Sherrell may think she’s a martyr. Chief Hernandez may think she’s a martyr, City Council may think she’s a martyr, and you may think she’s a martyr, but She’s Not My Martyr.