Special to the WJH
BLACKSHEAR —Former Waycross City Manager Raphel Maddox has again left the area, this time resigning as Pierce County Manager.
The administrator’s resignation was effective January 1 after being delivered December 2 at the conclusion of a regular Pierce County Commission meeting. Thomas Sauls, former Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court, has been named by the commission to replace Maddox on interim basis.
“I’ve enjoyed my tenure in Pierce County, but there comes a time when you have to make a change and now is that time,” Maddox said in tendering his resignation. Maddox said he had been offered another position that he could not turn down. He declined additional comment, saying the new position wouldn’t be official until January 1, and he may have more comment then. Maddox was dismissed by the Waycross City Commission August 7, 2018 for “inappropriate conduct in the workplace.” The firing followed his suspension with pay and a near month-long internal investigation after a harassment complaint by Peggy Grady, manager of the city’s Main Street program and a Maddox hire.
Before moving to the post in Pierce County in October, 2023, Maddox served as City Manager in Fort Valley, Ga. and Quitman, Ga., following his departure from Waycross.
Maddox received receive a severance payment in the amount of $29,378 per the terms of his contract.
Sauls served as clerk for 24 years before retiring in December 2024 after six terms in office. He assumed his new duties in the courthouse Monday, January 5, and hold them until a permanent replacement is hired.
“I’m excited to get started and help out. I’ve been trying to work some and familiarize myself with county operations,” Sauls said.
Pierce County Chairman Neal Bennett said there’s no time frame for selecting a permanent county manager.
Jason Deal of The Blackshear Times contributed to this report.
