Five months after getting 'full support,' former Petersburg deputy city manager out in Georgia

PETERSBURG — Five months after she was hired to lead the government of a city in the Atlanta suburbs, a former Petersburg deputy city manager has been fired.

The College Park, Georgia, City Council voted unanimously Monday to relieve Darnetta Tyus of her job as city manager. In a statement emailed to The Progress-Index, city leadership offered no reason for the dismissal, nor would it say anything more about it.

"As this is a personnel matter, the City has not and will not comment on the circumstances of Ms. Tyus’ departure," the statement read. "The City of College Park thanks Ms. Tyus for her service to the city and its residents. We wish her well in her future endeavors.”

A message left for Tyus seeking comment has not yet been returned.

The firing comes five months after Tyus, who worked as DCM for community affairs in Petersburg for four years, was hired by College Park after a nationwide search. In an announcement about the hiring, the city spoke glowingly of Tyus' "distinguished career" in government and how the city's mayor and council were looking forward to "the great strides College Park will make under her leadership."

"She has the full support of the mayor and council," the January statement from College Park read.

Related: Former Petersburg deputy city manager tapped to lead government in Atlanta suburb

Between 2017 and 2021, Tyus was one of two deputies, along with Lionel Lyons, under then-City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides who oversaw community affairs and development. When Ferrell-Benavides left for a city manager's job in Texas, she said she hoped either Tyus or Lyons would be tapped to succeed her, but City Council opted to go with former Petersburg Police Chief Kenneth Miller on an interim basis while the search for a permanent replacement was conducted.

Petersburg eventually chose Stuart Turille Jr. as the next city manager, but both Tyus and Lyons left Petersburg before Turille was hired. Turille resigned last March and was succeeded by Miller once again on an interim basis.

Tyus, a Chicago native, came to Petersburg in 2017 from Washington, where she was a longtime D.C. city employee.

More from The Progress-Index: Bedbugs, urine, disrepair: Elderly, disabled people live in squalid Petersburg group home

More from The Progress-Index: Petersburg votes to close on a $1.25 million purchase agreement for the old Ramada Inn

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist and daily news coach for USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region which includes Virginia. He is based in Petersburg, Virginia. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Former Petersburg official out after five months as Georgia city manager