Yesterday, Mayor Ashton Hayward announced that his Chief Operations Officer, Tamara Fountain, had resigned.
Before the official announcement was sent to the media, Hayward sent a memo to the Pensacola City Council. His memo made it appear that Fountain’s resignation was planned and due to her completing her assignments:
“I named Ms. Fountain as my COO last August so that she could take responsibility for several important projects, many of which are now close to completion.”
Read 150810 MEMO – COO Resignation
Two hours later, Fountain sent a letter to council members. She blamed her departure on personal attacks from the local media and the toll such attacks were taking on her family.
Read Fountain Letter to Councilmembers.
Which is it? A planned termination or a reaction to media investigations into her qualifications?
I agree with Shannon Nickinson of the Studer Community Institute – governance by press releases and memos isn’t working. Read The price of keeping up appearances.