Columbus Council under scrutiny. NAACP seeks probe into whether state law was broken
The Columbus branch of the NAACP is calling for an investigation into whether members of the Columbus Council violated the Georgia Open Meetings Act after John Anker’s swift appointment to the Columbus Council.
If a quorum of councilors privately met to discuss city business, whether in-person, by text or email, then they broke a state law, says Wednesday’s news release from the NAACP.
The organization called for Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson to support a request for the Georgia Attorney General to conduct such an investigation.
“No elected official is above accountability,” Melvin Tanner Jr. president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP, said in the news release. “If laws designed to protect the public’s right to open government have been disregarded, it is the mayor’s responsibility to act and uphold the trust of the people.”
The Ledger-Enquirer asked Henderson for his reaction to the NAACP’s request, but the mayor did not respond before publication.
After former citywide Councilor Judy Thomas of District 9 resigned during a March 11 meeting, the council appointed Anker to replace her in a 6-3 vote during the same meeting.
The vote came after Anker criticized city manager Isaiah Hugley and called for his termination. Anker has been sworn-in, he told the Ledger-Enquirer.
At a news conference Friday, former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson voiced support for Hugley. She also said, if councilors privately discussed replacing Thomas, they would have violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act.
Councilors anticipated needing to replace Thomas, Councilor Glenn Davis of District 2 said during the March 11 meeting.
“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.”
In a March 13 interview, Anker told the L-E, “I did have conversations with a councilor or two over time, asking, ‘Would you be willing to put your name up?’”
Anker declined to identify with whom he had those conversations.
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 11:31 AM.
