City faces new claims of mismanagement

Ex-director of parks and recreation files whistleblower suit.

The beleaguered city of Stonecrest is facing fresh allegations of mismanagement by its former parks and recreation director, who claims he was fired by the city manager for reporting her failures.

Benjamin Dillard sued the city Tuesday, asserting civil claims of defamation and violation of the Georgia Whistleblower Act. He alleged that City Manager Gia Scruggs wrongly fired him in early June, blaming him for the very problems he had reported her as causing during a late April conversation with Mayor Jazzmin Cobble.

Dillard said he was hired by Stonecrest in July 2022 to overhaul the city’s parks and recreation department, which at the time lacked structure and order. He said he brought 25 years of experience to the role, having created successful new city departments in Brookhaven, Jefferson and Carroll County.

“Everything needed to create a base and solid foundation to normalize operations in Stonecrest was put in place by Mr. Dillard,” his lawsuit states. “However, the ability to function on all levels became strained as Gia Scruggs continued to ignore, rework, or add to necessities.”

Scruggs, Cobble and the city’s communications director did not respond to requests for comment.

Dillard alleged, among other things, that Scruggs and Cobble had unnecessarily caused the city to spend tens of thousands of dollars on security, vehicles, furniture and shoddy contractors while ignoring critical budget requests. He claimed in part that Scruggs had inexplicably delayed his department’s projects and hiring, thwarted payments and purchases, and overruled a decision to replace an aquatic center contractor that was overcharging for services and owed the city $80,000.

The city’s justification for ending Dillard’s employment was “the result of indecision and corrupt decision making by Gia Scruggs,” he alleged. He said he had been warned by an assistant human resources director at the city to watch his back “for asking too many questions.”

Since its incorporation as a city in 2016, Stonecrest has been plagued by allegations of mismanagement.

Keedra Jackson, a former senior planner for Stonecrest, filed a federal lawsuit against the city in August, claiming in part she’d been unlawfully fired after questioning whether city officials had been improperly influenced by a real estate developer. Jackson’s allegations, which the city denied, are still being litigated.

The city’s founding mayor, Jason Lary, was sentenced in July 2022 to almost five years in prison for pocketing COVID19 relief money meant for the businesses, churches and people of the city he helped create.

Stonecrest’s former senior economic development manager, Clarence Boone, was also prosecuted by the federal government in relation to the pandemic relief spending scandal, as was his wife, Lania Boone. Clarence Boone was sentenced in July to 12 months in prison, after Lania Boone received a six-month prison sentence in September 2022.

In his complaint, Dillard alleged he ran into problems soon after the sudden departure of former City Manager Janice Allen Jackson in September 2022. He suggested that Cobble then promoted Scruggs, who was the finance director, as the acting city manager because the two were friends.

City records show Cobble later nominated Scruggs to become city manager, which was narrowly supported by city council members in a May meeting.

Dillard alleged he repeatedly raised concerns with Scruggs and Cobble about the various ways in which his efforts to improve the parks and recreation department were being hindered. He said he was met with false promises, and Scruggs continued to assign him work from other departments.

Dillard said several weeks after he requested a meeting with Cobble and Scruggs to further address his concerns, he was blindsided in May with a suspension. He said he was falsely accused, among other things, of authorizing city business with his father-in-law, which he denies.

The suspension and Dillard’s subsequent firing came without any warning, reprimand or request to correct his methods, he said.