Jonesboro Hires Former Stone Mountain City Manager

Miller-Thornton replaces former City Manager Seddrick Hill, whom the City Council approved at its Feb. 5 meeting.

During a brief interview Thursday, July 11, Sartor said she was not at liberty to discuss Hill’s former employment with the city of Jonesboro.

The Clayton News also reached out to Hill, and he responded via text late Friday night.

“All matters relating to my employment will be litigated; therefore, I have no comment,” he wrote.

The Clayton News also filed an open records request Friday to obtain further information on Hill’s former employment with the city.

Miller-Thornton was a finalist for the position when Hill was hired and according to her resumé, she was most recently city manager of Pine Lake in DeKalb County.

Before that, she was Stone Mountain city manager from August 2016 to April 2022.

Some of her other work experience includes serving as city clerk, administrator and deputy CFO with the city of Stone Mountain and city clerk, administrator and treasurer with the city of Union Point.

She holds an MBA in business administration with a concentration in public administration and BBA in business administration from Belhaven University and an associate’s degree in accounting from Athens Technical College.

In a special called meeting June 14, the Jonesboro City Council voted against the hiring of Miller-Thornton.

According to the June 14 agenda minutes, Sartor said it was the fourth discussion they had about hiring a city manager.

Sartor then said the city owes it to staff to hire a city manager and the council failed as elected officials to provide the necessary employment that the city needs to run the city effectively.

In April 2023, former Jonesboro City Manager Ricky Clark resigned to accept the same position with the city of Forest Park.

In May 2023, the Jonesboro City Council named Community Development Director David Allen as interim city manager and he served in that capacity until the end of 2023.

Before being hired by Jonesboro, Hill served as Talladega city manager in Alabama from May 2021 to January 2024.

In January 2024, the Talladega City Council voted to terminate Hill’s contract, citing “insubordination and lack of communication,” as was reported by the Talladega Daily Home.

In a December Talladega City Council meeting, it was reported that Hill read a public statement about an amendment to his contract that would have required him to get prior approval to travel outside the city while on city business.

“The lives of Black people under slavery in the South was controlled by a web of customs, rules and laws known as the slave codes,” Hill said. “Slaves could not travel without a written pass. They were forbidden to learn how to read and write. They could be searched at any time, and they couldn’t buy or sell things without a permit. There were numerous restrictions to enforce social controls. Slaves could not be away from their owners’ premises without permission. So, I will read this to you again. All travel outside the city limits of the city of Talladega by the city manager for or on behalf of the city shall require council approval. Due to me declining this, I have been asked to resign immediately. Due to me not taking this clause in my contract or I will be terminated, I have taken the position not to resign. My last statement is this. One of the most outstanding accomplishments during my tenure as city manager was the hiring of the first female police chief in the city’s history. Her time has reduced the crime stats in the city in a tremendous manner. But, regretfully, the adage ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ is true. There are those who cannot accept the Black city manager and a Black police chief. I realize elections have consequences, but I am a firm believer in Deuteronomy 20:4: ‘For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’”

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The City Council’s July 8 vote about the new city manager is on City’s Facebook page video at https://www.facebook.com/CityofJonesboroGA/videos/409413174777550.