In split vote, Columbus Council appoints Anker to replace Thomas despite mayor’s objection

The same day Judy Thomas resigned from the Columbus Council, councilors appointed former mayoral candidate and former council candidate John Anker as her interim replacement in a split vote.

Councilor Byron Hickey of District 1 made the motion to appoint Anker to the District 9 seat, which is one of the 10-member council’s two citywide seats.

Mayor Skip Henderson, who votes only to break ties, asserted that it was too early to make such a decision.

“Historically, council has talked about the individual and made sure that they’re making a commitment that they’re not going to use that interim incumbent label to run for an office on council,” Henderson said. “I don’t know if anyone’s had a chance to offer that up to Mr. Anker.”

Henderson recommended waiting, stating that other qualified individuals also might be interested.

Hickey, however, continued his motion, and Councilor Charmaine Crabb of District 5 seconded it. Anker is an obvious choice because he has run two citywide races, Crabb said.

Anker lost to Henderson in the 2022 race for mayor. Then he lost to Travis Chambers in a 2024 runoff for the District 10 citywide council seat.

Henderson said he has nothing against Anker, but the mayor emphasized appointing him to this seat so quickly after Thomas resigned — and after Anker lost two citywide races in two years — is circumventing the electoral system.

“You’ve got a majority of people in this community that didn’t vote for an individual,” Henderson said, “and now this council is going to appoint them?”

Typically, before appointing someone, the incumbent is asked who they would like to be appointed as their interim replacement, he said.

Thomas wrote in her resignation letter that she expected the council to do its “due diligence” in appointing her replacement, Hickey told Henderson.

“And you think an hour later is due diligence?” Henderson asked Hickey.

Councilor Byron Huff of District 3 also brought up the fact that councilors hadn’t had a chance to speak to other candidates who may be interested in the position. He asked for two weeks to make a decision.

Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen of District 6 and Chambers also asked to wait at least two weeks to vet more candidates.

This situation was anticipated over the past few months, Councilor Glenn Davis of District 2 told his fellow councilors, and some of them had those discussions.

“What is concerning to me is that this council is going to tell the voting public that we know better than you do,” Henderson said.

The city charter doesn’t have a rule stating that the council must wait or have a public hearing to appoint an interim councilor, the city attorney told the council.

“It seems like you all have an agenda,” Huff said.

The council voted to 6-3 to appoint Anker.

Hickey, Crabb, Davis, Toyia Tucker of District 4, Joanne Cogle of District 7 and Walker Garrett of District 8 voted yes. Chambers, Huff and Allen voted no.

Muscogee County elections director Nancy Boren told the Ledger-Enquirer that voters will have two elections in May 2026 to decide who will fill the District 9 citywide council seat:

• One as a special election, with the winner to be immediately sworn in and serve the remainder of the term through the end of 2026.
• The other as the regular election, with the winner to be sworn in the following year, in January 2027, and serve a full four-year term.

Anker criticizes city manager

Earlier at the meeting, during the public agenda, Anker criticized city manager Isaiah Hugley while speaking to the council.

Anker said he wanted to implement “positive change” in the city, and he asked the mayor to take “immediate action” to terminate Hugley, who plans to retire Dec. 31 after 20 years in the position.

He accused Hugley of not performing his duties and lambasted Hugley’s performance in addressing problems with the landfill and business licenses.

Anker contended that four department directors “slipped into the dark, whether it was retirement, firing or any other method.”

Anker also lambasted an alleged appearance Hugley made at the Greater Beallwood Baptist Church. Anker quoted Hugley as saying that “by the next two elections, there will be an all-Black Council and a Black mayor.” He also alleged Hugley said whatever was said in that room stays in that room.

Anker complained that Hugley wasn’t performing his duties at that moment but instead was “influencing public perception of his own political agenda.”

Wane Hailes, publisher of the Columbus Courier Eco Latino and former president of the Columbus NAACP, and the Rev. Johnny Flakes III of Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, also spoke during the public agenda, voicing support for Hugley.

“There’s a difference between personal and professional,” Hailes said. “A lot of things that have been said today are not necessarily professional; it’s personal.”

Hailes stated that the management of the city couldn’t be incompetent when WalletHub has ranked Columbus as the 12th best-run city in the nation. Audits during the past 34 years have been clean, Hailes said, and the city has an impressive fund balance and reserve.

“It’s not racism,” Hailes said. “It’s personal versus professional. If you don’t like the man, you don’t like the man. But don’t come up here calling him incompetent. That is a lie.”

Hugley responds to Anker’s criticism

In response to Anker’s criticism, Hugley said he has seen highs and lows in his almost 41 years working for the Columbus Consolidated Government.

“I can tell you today, in 20 years as city manager, I’ve been able to build a good team,” Hugley said. “They work hard, they’re committed, and they’re dedicated to this city and this government.”

The city’s momentum is strong financially and otherwise, he said.

“We are a large government,” Hugley said. “We have 3,300 employees. We have a budget of $366M dollars. We have $1.2 billion in infrastructure projects that we’re doing right now.”

There are 150 cities on WalletHub’s best-run cities list, he said, and Columbus is 12th. The only other Georgia city on the list is Atlanta, Hugley said, and they’re ranked 102nd.

Another organization, Stacker, came out with its top 50 best-run cities in 2023, and Columbus is ranked 29th while no other Georgia cities are on the list.

In response to criticism about problems renewing business licenses, Hugley said, “there’s no such thing as $45 million missing.”

There are uncollected business licenses, he said, but they’re collectible.

“We’ve got challenges, yeah, but our momentum is strong,” he said

Quoting from the children’s book series The Berenstain Bears, Hugley said, “No matter how you hope, no matter how you try, you can’t make truth out of a lie.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 7:19 PM.