Columbus Council appoints new city manager. Why 1 councilor voted no

The Columbus Council approved by a 7-1 vote at Tuesday morning’s meeting the appointment of Tyson Begly as the next city manager.

Councilor Simi Barnes of District cast the 10-member council’s lone opposing vote. Councilors Charmaine Crabb of District 5 and Toyia Tucker of District 4 were not present during the vote.

The council appointed Begly to the citywide District 10 seat in April 2023 to fill the remainder of John House’s four-year term until the May 2024 election after House resigned to spend more time with his ailing wife.

Following the custom for appointed councilors, Begly agreed to not run for the seat when it came up for election. The custom avoids having an unfair advantage as an unelected incumbent against other candidates.

In addition to chairing the Columbus Charter Review Commission and serving on the Development Authority of Columbus, Begly previously chaired the Columbus Safety Commission through the merger of the marshal’s and sheriff’s offices.

Outside his involvement in local government, Begly was CFO and COO of Delta Data before TAP Software Holdings acquired the company in 2021. Now, he is CFO of Highline, a rural fiber broadband company based in West Point, Georgia.

After a months-long pause in the search for a candidate to fill the vacant city manager position, Mayor Skip Henderson recommended Begly as the new city manager at a council meeting last month. Begly replaces Isaiah Hugley, the longest-serving and first Black city manager in Columbus history.

Hugley was city manager for two decades. The council fired Hugley on May 27, 2025, in a 7-3 vote. The firing occurred amid an investigation into the city’s finance department and councilors inquiring about the awarding of a $29,000 American Rescue Plan grant to Hugley’s wife, state Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), the Georgia House of Representatives minority leader, for her State Farm Insurance agency.

Hugley declared his mayoral campaign two months after he was fired. He faces Councilor Joanne Cogle of District 7 in a runoff election for mayor June 16.

During the council meeting Tuesday, Councilor Travis Chambers of District 10 voiced his support of Begly’s capabilities to serve in the role, citing his previous experience as a councilor. However, due to the close working relationship the city manager has with the mayor and the council, Chambers warned that appointing Begly as city manager one week before the runoff elections risks “creating a mismatch from day one.”

“In exactly seven days, our citizens will choose our next mayor,” Chambers said. “Moving forward with a permanent administrative appointment just one week before the election, I feel it risks disconnecting the choice from the incoming administration.”

Barnes echoed similar criticism of Begly’s appointment. During the council meeting, Barnes asked Henderson to withdraw Begly’s name from consideration for city manager to avoid appointing him under a “lame duck council or mayor.”

“Under these circumstances, I cannot support this debated candidacy,” Barnes said. “I ask my fellow council members to join me in supporting a more transparent and credible process that gives citizens hope for better governance.”

Following Begly’s appointment, Councilor John Anker of citywide District 9 acknowledged the concerns Barnes and Chambers raised, but he praised Begly’s skills as an effective organizer and communicator.

“What I wanted in a (city manager) was a transformational leader, somebody who did it differently, somebody who brought culture, recognized the goodness of our citizens, that could lead them and direct them effectively with open communication,” Anker said to Begly at the council meeting. “I think you bring some of those things.”

Having served on the council for 14 months, Begly said at the council meeting after his appointment that he believes he is a “great fit” for the role because he can balance various concerns and be transparent.

“We’ve got so many amazing things going for the city,” Begly said. “We’ve seen crime going down, we see new employers in the town, we see tourism up, and so I feel like a city government that is executing at a high level is what we deserve, and I plan to bring that with you.”

Begly will begin work as the next city manager in July.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:26 PM.