Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s former city manager is the finalist for a city-county manager job in northeast Georgia, according to a news announcement.
Bob Cowell is the sole finalist to become the government manager in Athens-Clarke County, . The mayor will formally recommend his hiring and the approval of an employment agreement July 15 at a special meeting of the city-county commission. Once approved, Cowell would start July 28.
Cowell arrived in 2017 as Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø city manager, hailing from Texas. He resigned in June 2024, and was paid more than $250,000 in severance, amid allegations by city staff of a toxic workplace environment.
Cowell
Courtesy City of Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø
Cowell, through legal counsel, has since denied allegations contained in a whistleblower lawsuit that seeks damages of $5 million, according to court filings.
Before Georgia, Cowell was named as a finalist in at least six localities: Springfield, Illinois; Davenport, Iowa; the Texas cities of Wichita Falls and Odessa; and the Colorado cities of Loveland and Arvada.
Athens-Clarke County’s previous manager, Blaine Williams, resigned in July 2024. The locality has had three interim managers since then.
It’s a similar-sized government to Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø’s, both with about 1,800 employees, according to online data. Athens has a slightly larger population, about 130,000, including students at the University of Georgia.
