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COLUMBUS, Ga. — In a rare public board hearing, city council members flexed their powers to remove a council-appointed member of the Columbus Golf Course Authority for cause after the discovery of an illegal conflict of interest.

The vote to remove the board member was unanimous by all council members present, though Mayor Henderson, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Allen (District 6), and City Attorney Clifton Fay were all conveniently “on vacation” at the same time and absent from the meeting. 

Councilor Judy Thomas (District 9) presided over the entire city council meeting as Madame Chair. 

According to an official letter to city council signed by every other member of the Golf Authority, Ms. Stephanie Callahan’s personal business dealings gave “the appearance of a conflict of interest due to business relationships that an entity controlled by Ms. Callahan has or will potentially have with the Columbus Golf Course Authority.”

That conflict, according to testimony given by Golf Authority Chairman Richard Wright on August 22, was discovered during the city’s budgeting process this past spring.

When the letter was received by Clerk of Council Sandra Davis, city council consulted with the city attorney’s office so the proper procedure could be followed.

That process, which is governed by  Section 4-103(4) of the City Charter, played out during the council meeting on August 22, 2023.

Thomas, presiding as Madame Chair, asked Assistant City Attorney Lucy Sheftall to follow the city’s legal process and conduct a public board hearing.

Sheftall then stated the following from what appeared to be a prepared statement to city council members:

“All remaining members have signed a letter requesting Ms. Callahan be removed from the board to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. You have that letter in a packet before you. Ms. Callahan had submitted an email in response to this request, and that has also been provided to each of you. I have also provided each councilor with a listing of legal authorities on the conflict of interest area. The way I’d like to proceed with the hearing is I will first call on Chairman of the Authority, Mr. Ricky Wright, to present the request. He may in turn ask others to speak in his support. After the presentation is complete, you will have the opportunity to ask questions about their presentation. After that, Ms. Callahan would normally be invited to respond, but she has indicated that she will not attend. We do have her letter of response, as I’ve mentioned. At that point, if you have no further questions, I will turn it back to our presiding officer for a vote to be taken. The charter section under which we are proceeding requires six votes for a board member to be removed for cause. If there aren’t any questions, I will now ask Authority Chairman Ricky Wright to proceed.”

Wright then approached the podium to make his opening presentation of the request to remove Ms. Callahan from the board for cause, stating the following:

“During the budget process this year, we realized that Ms. Callahan’s involvement of being on the board and the Fore Kids nonprofit that actually ran Godwin Creek was in violation of our ordinance. Her first stance was, ‘well I’ve been doing it for four years.’ But being wrong for four years doesn’t make it right. So we’re just asking that this be corrected. She’s in violation. Lucy (Sheftall) and Clifton (Fay) are the ones who told us about it. So we just ask that she be removed.”

Councilor Toyia Tucker (District 4)  then asked Director of Golf Operations Jim Arendt to provide his input on the situation.

Arendt approached the podium and made the following brief statement:

“I think Chairman Wright basically said it. I mean, he presented it, and it's up to you guys.”

Sheftall then cited the city’s governing ordinance on the Golf Authority, Ordinance 82-29, which clearly prohibits conflicts of interest like the one Ms. Callahan had been sheltering for four years:

“I think the most relevant thing that you all need to consider is that the Authority’s own creating ordinance states that ‘no member of the Authority shall be interested directly, indirectly or remotely in any contract relating to the construction, operation or maintenance of the Bull Creek Golf Course, club house, or grounds.’ And then a later ordinance made it clear that that provision applies to Fountain City, Godwin Creek as well.”

Sheftall then further described the depths of Callahan’s conflict of interest and its effects on city business:

“As we know, there’s been a long history of direct involvement in both the nonprofit and the board. The board members have brought it to our attention that it has at least created the appearance of a conflict of interest and made it more difficult to negotiate matters for managing the golf course.”

With no further questions, a motion was made to remove Ms. Callahan for cause from the Columbus Golf Course Authority. The motion was seconded, brought to a vote, and passed unanimously by all members present. Councilor Allen was absent from the vote.

Perhaps city officials should ask the question of where else in those very council chambers there is also the ‘appearance of a conflict of interest that made it difficult for the city to negotiate.’

The world is watching. Integrity matters.

Facts are stubborn things — and we’ll keep publishing them, whether city officials like them or not.

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