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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Move to fire Wilson unprecedented according to former city manager

A former city manager and 27-year veteran of the United States Army says what happened during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Ocala City council was unprecedented. 

“I’ve been to two county’s fairs and two world’s fairs, but I’ve never been to a city council meeting like this in my life before,” said Gorham Black during the meeting, which lasted over five hours. 

During the meeting, a motion to terminate the contract of Ocala City Manager Sandra Wilson was narrowly defeated 3-2.

That was preceded by a tense discussion and the surprise motion made by Ocala City Council President Justin Grabelle, who said he lost confidence in the city manager after she terminated former Ocala Fire Rescue Chief Shane Alexander. 

Citing personal experience, Black questioned why a city manager’s human resource decisions would be the topic of public discussion.

“I don’t understand what we’re talking about here tonight. I have heard people come up here and talk tonight about what a great guy [Chief Shane Alexander] is. I do too, I think you’re the greatest thing to ever walk since sliced bread,” said Black while staring at Alexander. “But that isn’t what this is about. This is about a meeting over what a person in charge of another person did.”

Black, who lives in the Bent Tree subdivision in southwest Ocala, says he was previously city manager of Fort Meade, Maryland for three years, and was perplexed as to how the issue was even a topic of discussion.

Despite multiple citizens referring to “due process” during their comments regarding Alexander, Black said the issue was not a legal proceeding, but rather, an instance of an employee being released because an employer lost confidence in his ability to lead. 

“This is what I put on officer’s efficiency reports, ‘I don’t have any more confidence in your ability to lead or succeed in the United States Army. You’re fired.’ They don’t get due process for that. I’m the one that made that decision,” said Black. 

Black, who was one of the last public speakers on record, took issue with the classification that many made regarding Wilson or Alexander’s races playing a part in the termination.  

“And I hate to say this to everybody here, race is not playing an issue here.  And we in Ocala have got to stop this. My last name is Black. How do you think I felt going through 78 years of being Gorham Black,” said Black. 

“This isn’t a racial issue. This is an issue that this gentleman did not meet the expectations of his boss, and the boss said, ‘bye.’”

There was no item included on the agenda regarding the potential termination of Wilson. 

After public comments were closed, Grabelle, who will step down from the Ocala City Council in a few months, made the motion that was ultimately defeated 3-2, with Councilman Matthew Wardell offering the other vote in favor of termination.