The Ledger

By The Ledger Staff

The position of city manager carries enormous responsibility. It requires the trust of the mayor and council, city employees and, ultimately, the citizens whose government that manager administers.

That trust cannot simply be assumed. It must be earned through transparency, accountability and a record that can withstand public scrutiny.

Over the past several days, The Ledger has published a three-part investigative series examining Interim City Manager Angela H. Redding’s employment history, the circumstances surrounding her arrival in Cochran and concerns that have surfaced during her interim tenure.

Our reporting has not been based simply on rumor or social media commentary. The Ledger sought public records, contacted officials in municipalities where Redding previously worked, examined available documentation and reviewed the timeline surrounding her arrival in Cochran. Redding also was given an opportunity to address questions raised through that reporting.

Questions remain.

There are unresolved issues concerning Redding’s previous municipal employment. There are questions about the process used to bring her to Cochran and the timeline surrounding that decision. Concerns also have been raised locally involving communication, transparency and management practices.

Any one question might be explainable.

Taken together, however, they deserve serious examination.

Cochran citizens are entitled to know what their elected officials knew before Redding was selected as interim city manager, what vetting was conducted, who participated in that process and what additional evaluation has taken place during the approximately six months she has served in the position.

Those are not personal questions.

They are questions about government.

And they matter because a permanent city manager is entrusted with significant authority over municipal employees, finances, operations and the day-to-day administration of city government. A permanent appointment is much more than removing the word “interim” from someone’s title.

It is a consequential decision about Cochran’s government and its future.

Based on the documented concerns uncovered in our reporting, the unresolved questions surrounding Mrs. Redding’s prior employment and the concerns raised during her interim tenure, The Ledger does not believe a permanent position should be offered to Angela H. Redding.

Serious questions remain about her employment history, the process that brought her to Cochran and issues that have arisen during her six months as interim city manager.

Those concerns are too significant to overlook when considering who should lead the city on a permanent basis.

That is where this newspaper stands today.

Additional information could provide context, explanations or answers that are not presently part of the public record. If it does, The Ledger has an obligation to report that information just as thoroughly.

But unanswered questions cannot simply be treated as answered ones.

Citizens should not be expected to accept “trust us” when they are asking legitimate questions about how their government operates and how one of its most important positions is filled.

Transparency does not damage public trust.

Avoiding difficult questions does.

The Ledger will continue seeking records, asking questions and providing those involved an opportunity to respond. That is not an attack on City Hall or on any individual.

It is journalism.

And when decisions this important are being made on behalf of Cochran’s citizens, the public deserves the fullest possible account of the facts.