‘Moral terror’: Black community leaders condemn treatment of Columbus officials

Local black community leaders spoke out in support of Columbus Consolidated Government officials, saying black women faced “smear” and “baseless accusations” after a letter from the Chattahoochee District Attorney suggested they were the subject of a possible criminal investigation.

Chattahoochee District Attorney Don Kelly wrote a letter dated July 18 asking to be recused from an investigation involving “potential criminal wrongdoing” because the individuals in question made decisions about employment and budget matters for his office.

Although Kelly did not list the names of the CCG employees or describe the crimes, he identified the employees by their job titles: the chief financial officer, the human resources director and a deputy city manager.

Including job titles, Finance Director Angelica Alexander and Human Resources Director Reather Hollowell have been implicated as being investigated. Pam Hodge and Lisa Goodwin are the two assistant city managers.

The Ledger-Enquirer could not confirm that any of the four were involved in the investigation.

Hodge told the Ledger-Enquirer that to her knowledge, she is not under criminal investigation and that no one has informed her otherwise.

Last week, Hollowell’s attorney, Chuck Boring, released a statement denying the charges and saying his name would be cleared.

Alexander and Goodwin did not respond to messages from the Ledger-Enquirer.

Melvin Tanner, president of the Columbus branch of the NAACP, Rev. Dr. J.H. Flakes, representing the Interfaith Ministerial Alliance, and Jerome Williams of A Call To Action signed a letter to Mayor Skip Henderson and the City Council expressing concern about the publication of Kelly’s letter and the effect it had on Alexander and Hollowell.

“These esteemed professionals, well known for their dedication and service, are facing serious defamation through baseless accusations, lacking clarity and justification,” the letter reads.

According to the letter, the women were unfairly portrayed as criminals after Kelly’s recusal was reported by local media.

“We want to make sure it’s true,” Tanner told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Whether the information is true or not, just the fact that someone says it can hurt a person’s career or livelihood.”

The incident is an example of the systemic challenges facing African Americans in professional settings, Tanner, Flakes and Williams argued in their letter.

“We are often subjected to unfair double standards and scrutiny that our counterparts may never experience,” the letter reads. “Instances like these underscore the need for a fair and transparent process in addressing allegations that respects the rights and dignity of all involved.”

The letter implores local media to prioritize fairness and accuracy by highlighting the “lack of concrete evidence” and potential wrongdoing.

Tanner hasn’t had a chance to speak to the officials involved, he said, but other coalition members have had conversations with them. It’s already too late to stop the damage done to Alexander and Hollowell, Tanner said, but he hopes to avoid incidents like this in the future.

“It’s not about race,” he said. “It’s just about right or wrong, regardless of one’s ethnicity or even their goals. We will make sure that everyone is treated fairly.”

The Ledger-Enquirer did not reach out to Mayor Skip Henderson for comment before publication.