Former Columbus mayor shows support for Isaiah Hugley. Did city councilors violate law?
Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson disagreed with the Columbus Council’s swift decision to appoint John Anker to an interim citywide seat and opposed calls to terminate City Manager Isaiah Hugley during a news conference Friday at the Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center.
Tomlinson, a lawyer with the Hall Booth Smith firm who served two terms as Columbus mayor from 2011-19 and was a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020, also said any conversations about filling the seat held by former Councilor Judy Thomas of citywide District 9 before her resignation would have violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act.
“If they were complying with the law and not speaking about this plan, or any plan to appoint John Anker, then there was zero consideration of who should fill Councilor Thomas’ seat,” Tomlinson said.
Anker, who ran for mayor in 2022 and the citywide District 10 seat in 2024, confirmed to the Ledger-Enquirer that he was approached a few months ago by at least one councilor about the possibility of being appointed to the council.
“I did have conversations with a councilor, or two councilors, over time asking, ‘Would you be willing to put your name up?’” Anker said.
But as time went by and nothing happened, Anker didn’t think an appointment would occur, he said. Anker said he was shocked by the events that transpired in Tuesday’s council meeting.
Anker declined to name the councilor or councilors who asked if he’d be willing to fill the seat.
As councilors discussed Anker’s appointment during Tuesday’s meeting, Councilor Glenn Davis of District 2 also alluded to prior conversations.
“It was unfortunate that we’ve got to this point,” Davis said. “But I think in our hearts we knew it was going to happen, and many of us have already talked about this and deliberated on it.”
In response to Tomlinson’s remarks at the news conference, Davis provided a statement to the Ledger-Enquirer in an email.
“To my knowledge, there were no discussions that would violate Georgia’s Open Meetings law,” he said. “Any claims suggesting otherwise are incorrect. The council operates within legal guidelines, and any official decisions about filling a vacancy follow proper procedures.”
During the news conference, Tomlinson spoke against criticism of Hugley and lauded the city manager for his work during her time as mayor.
“The greatest intoxicant of elected leadership is to punch down, to blame appointed officials when the results the citizens expect fall short,” Tomlinson said.
She characterized the grievances against Hugley as “largely misguided and uninformed.”
Hugley was appointed city manager by former Mayor Bob Poydasheff in 2006.
“He should not be the city’s scapegoat,” Tomlinson said.
Council seat controversy: A timeline
The controversy began Tuesday after Thomas announced her resignation through a letter during the public agenda portion of the council meeting.
In the same portion of the meeting, Anker joined three other residents in criticizing the management of Columbus and called for Mayor Skip Henderson to terminate Hugley.
During Anker’s speech, he accused Hugley of being more focused on “public perception” rather than his duties. He also criticized the city manager about problems with the finance department and failing to be a “good leader” when city employees attended a council meeting with concerns about the new sports and entertainment authority.
At the end of the meeting, after the council emerged from a closed session, Councilor Byron Hickey of District 1 motioned to appoint Anker to Thomas’ seat. The move was seconded by Councilor Charmaine Crabb of District 5.
Despite Henderson cautioning about making such a quick decision, the council voted 6-3 to approve the motion. Councilors Davis, Toyia Tucker of District 4, Joanne Cogle of District 7 and Walker Garrett of District 8 joined Hickey and Crabb in voting to appoint Anker. Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen of District 6 and Councilors Bruce Huff of District 3 and Travis Chambers of citywide District 10 voted no.
Representatives from the Columbus branch of the NAACP and the Columbus Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance held a news conference Wednesday condemning the quick process to appoint Anker, demanding a recall of the vote and expressing concerns that the move was the first step in removing Hugley, who is Black, from his position.
Cogle said in a text message to the Ledger-Enquirer that her decision to appoint Anker didn’t come lightly and that it was not uncommon to fill seats immediately. Former Councilor Tyson Begly was sworn in the same day former Councilor John House resigned, Crabb told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email.
“John’s seat was probably still warm when Tyson sat down on it,” she said.
The Ledger-Enquirer reported House’s 2023 planned resignation five days before that council meeting.
The upcoming budget cycle put pressure on the council to fill Thomas’ seat, Cogle said in her statement.
“As we enter into the 2026 budget cycle, we will face some serious financial challenges,” she said. “And — as reflected in the challenges of attendance from last year — it is imperative that we have an individual who can step into this government with a low-barrier learning curve so our forward momentum is not disrupted.”
This is a developing story and may be updated with more information as it becomes available.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 12:25 PM.
