TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A group of Tallahassee citizens says City Manager Rick Fernandez should be fired immediately for allegedly soliciting football tickets and lying to the public about it.
The Citizens Responsible for Spending laid out their demands on Thursday.
They're are also calling for a national search of a new city manager and one for a new city attorney, as well. The group says the city's reputation has been "pummeled" and it's time to look outside of current staff to restore the public's faith in its local government.
The CRS says the city commission is making excuses and failing to, in their words, "do the right thing," which would be to fire Fernandez before the end of the year.
Currently, the city manager is on paid administrative leave, and the group says that's a waste of taxpayer dollars. Chairman Barney Bishop III says the city deserves better.
"He doesn't deserve to be our city manager, and we need to have a new city manager, and the fact that that hasn't happened, I think, is symptomatic of what our problem is, and we have a cabal," said Bishop. "We have a commission that's in bed with our city staff, and they protect each other, and it's wrong."
The city has scheduled an special meeting Jan. 3 to discuss appointing a new city attorney and city auditor.
WTXL has reached out to the city for comment about the CRS demands.
City Commissioner Scott Maddox says he stands by a statement he made last week about bringing Fernandez back to work until there is formal due process.
