A former College Park code enforcement supervisor has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging retaliatory termination and misconduct by an elected official.
Last Friday, Attorney J. Matthew Maquire filed the lawsuit under the Georgia Whistleblower Act on behalf of Jerry Silver in Fulton County Superior Court. The act protects public employees from retaliation if they refuse to participate in something unlawful or if they disclose conduct that they believe is unlawful.
The lawsuit states that Silver was fired last May for refusing to write illegal code enforcement citations that he alleges were ordered by Councilman Roderick Gay.
Gay did not return a phone call to SaportaReport. His reply to a text message requesting comment was a press release for a new dog park ribbon-cutting ceremony in his Ward 4 district.
The lawsuit details alleged directives from Gay described as serving his “unlawful, private agendas and vendettas.” It lists 12 properties where Silver was allegedly told to issue code violations even if none existed.
“He would call me every week, every other day, demanding things to get done in his ward,” Silver said on Tuesday. “He told me that I was his personal code officer.”
One property cited in the lawsuit is Rogers Repair Shop on Riverdale Road. Owner Roderick Rogers is currently in a rezoning battle — also in Fulton County Superior Court — with the city to have his business license renewed. His business has been closed since February.
Silver’s complaint states that code enforcement was ordered to issue numerous citations to Rogers Repair Shop in early 2024.
SaportaReport previously reported that Rogers and his attorney, Erin Coleman, believe the city has sought to have the business permanently closed — first through city-issued violations and more recently by claiming that the longtime repair shop is operating illegally under current zoning.
The lawsuit contends that after the business closed, Gay directed Silver to issue additional citations against the shop for operating without a license, but there was no evidence that repairs were taking place. Silver said he refused to comply.
“When I refused to write things up the way he wanted me to, that’s when the problems started,” Silver told SaportaReport.
The lawsuit also describes other properties that Gay allegedly wanted boarded up despite Silver reporting they were structurally sound. A prospective buyer was interested in purchasing some of the properties. Silver claims in the suit that Gay had attempted to purchase those same properties in June 2023, but the deal collapsed when the city’s economic development department told the original prospective buyer that rezoning would “never be approved by council.”
Silver was among five former employees terminated this spring without warning or explanation. Others included Rose Stewart, former director of Human Resources and Risk Management; Veronica Brown, a purchasing employee; Sean Hightower, a code enforcement staffer; and former City Manager Dr. Emmanuel Adediran. All have told SaportaReport they believe Gay influenced their dismissals.
Phone calls requesting comment from the City Manager Lindell Miller’s Office and City Attorney Winston Denmark were not returned.
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