The Canton Police Department has fired Assistant Chief Todd Vande Zande. Vande Zande was given the choice to resign or have his employment terminated by the end of the day.
The former assistant chief has hired legal counsel and threatened to file an injunction in Cherokee County Superior Court if he was terminated.
Check back with the Tribune on Wednesday for more details.
Resigning in lieu of termination would place his POST certification in jeopardy and is not always the best option even though termination does the same thing. At least he can receive unemployment benefits while he pursues litigation which the taxpayers will be on the hook for. Asking him to resign is the cowardly way to seek and end his employment. This was more than likely orchestrated by a city manager who is on probation and a disgrace to his profession. The Mayor and City Council should have possessed the fortitude to terminate the manager's contract months ago. Instead, they gave him a free pass. The person who should resign is the city manager. He has not led by example nor has he conducted himself in a professional or ethical manner throughout his tenure. Wake up Mayor Hobgood and City Council and pay attention. You just lost one of your most educated and qualified assets. The Charter may allow the city manager to make these personnel decisions, but this was clearly a retaliatory and vindictive action that you allowed to happen.
You should have resigned when asked. When you get into a Command Position.. especially in Georgia you are an at will employee with no guaranteed rights. Other areas of the country have contracts and usually they are still at will employees when you reach staff level. Move on and get hired some where else. Canton needs to move on and change is necessary!
Columbo, I don't disagree with you. Canton DOES need to CHANGE. All the same, the City Manager should move on and get hired somewhere else as well. He is a big part of this fiasco, and it will wind up costing the city a lot of time, resources and legal fees that we can simply not afford. Canton does need to move on and change, and the Council should "man up" and remove the City Manager. Can anyone state truthfully that our city is being "managed" with good results? Water, Fire, Police, etc...
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