Former Toccoa City Manager Fired Again for Discrimmination

A former Toccoa City Manager finds himself again out of a job.

According to published reports, Mike Jackson was terminated as the interim City Manager in Villa Ricca on March 31 for alleged discrimination.

A Fox 5 Atlanta I-team investigation reports that Jackson was hired by Villa Ricca officials in late February with the primary duty of helping the city find a permanent City Manager.

During the course of interviewing candidates, Jackson, who is white, allegedly dismissed any potential candidate who was African-American or had a military background.

In hand-written notes sent to Villa Ricca mayor Jeff Reese, the City’s Human Resources Director Stephanie Rooks said Jackson told her the town was, “not ready for an African-American City Manager.”

Jackson also reportedly told her he did not want to hire anyone with a military background because they were, “too abrupt and too stringent.”

Rooks told the mayor that as applications came to her she would forward them to Jackson.

In one instance she said that he returned one of the applications to her in person with a yellow sticky note on it with the word, “No!”

When asked why the applicant was rejected, Jackson allegedly told Rooks, “because he’s black.”

She then accused Jackson of researching each applicant’s resume online to determine if they were black or had a military background.

According to the I-team report, Mayor Reese confronted Jackson last week with the allegations, and he admitted that he was screening based on race and military background.

At that point, Jackson was let go.

Jackson first became interim Toccoa City Manager in August 2011. He was hired as the City Manager permanently on January 1, 2012.

In September, 2013, Jackson was fired and current City Manager Billy Morse was re-hired.