Part Two of a Three-Part Ledger Special Report
By Becky Holland
Publisher/Editor
COCHRAN, Ga. — Before Angela H. Redding became Cochran’s interim city manager, she had spent years working in municipal government in Georgia, including service in Forest Park, Monticello and, most recently, Cordele.
As questions developed locally about Redding’s management and her appointment in Cochran, The Ledger began examining that employment history through public records and contacts with the cities where she previously worked.
The records show three different departures.
In Forest Park, Redding was removed as city manager by a 3-2 vote of the City Council following an extensive public discussion about her working relationship with elected officials.
In Monticello, records show she voluntarily resigned after accepting another position.
In Cordele, her most recent position before Cochran, her tenure ended after the city decided not to continue her contract.
Those distinctions matter. A resignation is not a termination, and the circumstances surrounding one city’s decision should not automatically be applied to another.
What the records do provide is a documented look at Redding’s professional history before she arrived in Cochran.
Forest Park: Council votes to remove Redding
Redding had a lengthy history with the City of Forest Park before becoming its city manager.
At the Jan. 6, 2020, Forest Park City Council meeting, discussion concerning Redding’s position followed an executive session. Council amended its agenda to discuss removing the city manager under the city charter.
The discussion that followed was unusually detailed.
Councilwoman Kimberly James strongly opposed removing Redding, telling the council that Redding had done an “outstanding job” and worked hard for the city.
Other council members described a different working relationship.
Councilwoman Latresa Wells said she cared for Redding personally but believed the city needed a manager who would consistently work with the mayor and council and respond to their requests. Wells said she had approximately two-and-a-half pages detailing the reasons behind her position.
Councilman Dabouze Antoine likewise distinguished between Redding personally and the professional relationship, saying the city needed someone who could work better with the mayor and council and be available to hear their concerns.
Wells also raised concerns about communication surrounding personnel decisions.
According to the minutes, she cited the firing of a finance director as an example, saying members of the governing body did not know about the decision until afterward. She also complained about delays in handling requests from her ward and said concerns with Redding had existed for months.
Redding defended her record during the same meeting.
She said she had done the job to the best of her ability and pushed back on some of the issues raised by council members. Regarding concerns involving the police department, Redding said certain matters were affected by an ongoing investigation and legal considerations beyond her control.
Redding also told the council that she had been with Forest Park for approximately 20 years and expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve as city manager.
The council ultimately voted 3-2 to remove Redding as city manager. Antoine, Hector Gutierrez and Wells voted for the motion, while James and Allan Mears voted against it.
The division in the vote is significant: the records show criticism of Redding’s management relationship with some elected officials, but they also document members of the council who defended her performance.
Monticello: A voluntary resignation
Redding later became city manager for the City of Monticello.
Employment records obtained by The Ledger show she was hired there on July 7, 2020. Her employment record lists a Jan. 11, 2022, status change with the reason identified as “Voluntary – Personal.”
An email included in the records provides additional context.
On Dec. 20, 2021, Redding wrote to a Georgia Municipal Association representative that she had been offered a position with another city and had submitted her resignation in Monticello.
“My last day is January 11th,” Redding wrote, adding that she had been with Monticello for approximately one year and five months.
The records obtained by The Ledger therefore do not support describing Redding as having been fired or forced out of Monticello.
They show that she resigned to accept another position.
Monticello’s city manager job description also illustrates the scope of the role Redding held. The position oversaw daily city operations, supervised employees and department heads, served as personnel officer and chief budget officer, worked as a liaison between elected officials and employees, and was responsible for implementing decisions of the mayor and council.
Cordele: Redding’s next stop
The position Redding left Monticello to accept was in Cordele.
She began serving as Cordele’s city manager in January 2022 and remained there until early 2026.
The Ledger’s review found that Redding’s departure from Cordele differed from both Forest Park and Monticello.
Information obtained by The Ledger indicates that the city chose not to continue Redding’s contract, bringing her tenure as city manager to an end earlier this year.
That distinction is important as well. The end of a contract is not necessarily the same process as an employee being terminated for misconduct, and The Ledger has sought to describe each employment separation according to the records and information provided by the respective municipality.
Redding subsequently came to Cochran, where she began working in April before the City Council publicly voted to appoint her interim city manager.
Records, not rumors
The Ledger began examining Redding’s employment history after receiving concerns from people in Cochran about her management practices.
Those concerns led to questions.
They did not provide the answers.
The answers had to come, whenever possible, from public documents, meeting minutes, personnel records and the municipalities themselves.
The records show that Redding has extensive experience in municipal government. They also show documented conflict between her and some elected officials during her time as Forest Park city manager; a voluntary resignation from Monticello to take another job; and the conclusion of her Cordele tenure when that city did not continue her contract.
Those facts should be considered separately from allegations currently being made in Cochran.
The next question is what, if anything, Redding’s previous employment history has in common with concerns now being raised here.
That is where Part Three turns.
This is Part Two of a three-part Ledger special report examining Angela H. Redding’s appointment as Cochran’s interim city manager and her municipal employment history.
Part One examined the timeline surrounding her arrival in Cochran.
Part Three examines concerns raised since Redding came to Cochran, The Ledger’s efforts to obtain answers and the questions that remain unresolved.
All three parts of the series are being published today.
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