Why was Richland County administrator fired? Council members speak out

Fired Richland County Administrator Gerald Seals was not transparent with information about county projects and clashed with elected officials, county employees and citizens, some Richland County Council members said a day after Seals' surprise firing.

"There's a lot of things he has been doing wrong, and he constantly ignores council directives," said Councilman Norman Jackson, who was one of six council members who voted late Tuesday night to immediately terminate Seals' $184,000-a-year contract as county administrator. "A majority of council decided they didn't like the direction he was taking the county. There was a lack of transparency to council members."

Jackson's complaints about Seals ranged from the administrator’s treatment of county employees to hiring friends as contractors to appearing to fall asleep in council meetings, he said.

"He doesn't care," Jackson said. "He has his own agenda. He doesn't care what (council) has to say."

Reached by The State on Wednesday, Seals said he would not be speaking with the media until Thursday, when he is considering holding a news conference.

Seals' firing came just a few months after county leaders unveiled an ambitious development plan, guided by Seals, called Richland Renaissance. The sweeping plan includes projects to move county administrative offices from downtown to Columbia Place Mall, construct a new judicial center and open a business incubator, aquatics center, transit hub and medical center in various parts of the county.

Jackson and Councilman Jim Manning said that Seals' handling of the Renaissance plan contributed to their decision to fire him.

"For me, it was the way he would go about getting input and involvement from the council members and the community," Manning said. "It's the citizens' county, it's the citizens' money, and they ought to have input into things we're doing."

Manning noted that next week, the county will host a public input meeting about Richland Renaissance at a property the county already has bought and intends to use as a business incubator center. The property was purchased before the public's opinion was received.

That process is "backward," he said.

"The county administrator is the lead staff of the county," Manning said. "So if it didn't come down from him, then he shouldn't have let whoever did it do it."

Since taking over the day-to-day operations of Richland County government a year and a half ago, Seals has criticized past county management, seen several high-ranking employees quit and overhauled the county's budget from an annual process to a two-year schedule.

Seals has done "some things I agree with and some things I don't agree with," said Councilman Paul Livingston, who was one of the six who voted to fire Seals.

A number of council members on Tuesday night criticized the council majority for their handling of Seals' firing.

"This is beyond an embarrassment," said Councilwoman Dalhi Myers, speaking to her council colleagues. Myers has been one of Seals' staunchest defenders for months. "Never have I thought to do something this undignified and disrespectful."

Council Chairwoman Joyce Dickerson said the firing was a "pathetic" move and that the council had "basically created a hostile environment for Mr. Seals."

Some council members who voted to fire Seals would not elaborate Wednesday on specific issues that led to their vote.

Councilwoman Gwen Kennedy said she believed firing Seals was "in the best interest of the county" and that her decision "was not a spur of the moment thing."

Livingston echoed that he thought firing Seals was "in the best interest of the county as a whole," saying he had heard "concerns expressed by current and former employees, concerns expressed by community persons and other elected officials."

Those voting on Tuesday night to fire Seals were Jackson, Manning, Kennedy, Livingston, Greg Pearce and Seth Rose.

Those against firing Seals were Dickerson, Myers, Yvonne McBride, Bill Malinowski and Chip Jackson.

According to the terms of Seals' contract, he could be owed 12 months' salary — $184,000 — for being terminated before the end of his contract, which does not expire until Jan. 31, 2020.

Seals was officially hired as county administrator in December 2016, after serving five months as interim administrator. At the time, County Council gave him a three-year contract, though council members have the right to vote to terminate the contract at any time before its end.

The county would not have to pay severance to Seals if it is determined that Seals was fired "for cause." According to the contract, "cause" would include any criminal conviction of the employee, insubordination by failing to carry out County Council directives or other misconduct deemed a violation of professional or ethical standards.

It is not clear whether any of those situations apply to Seals' firing.

This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Why was Richland County administrator fired? Council members speak out."