Robert Cowell, who was selected as the sole finalist for the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government new manager position last month, is currently a defendant in two lawsuits alleging that he created a toxic work environment at his last job.
Cowell served as the city manager of Roanoke, Virginia for seven years before resigning in 2024 following several controversies within the city staff. Two Roanoke city finance staff members, Amelia Merchant and Yen Thuy Ha, filed lawsuits against Cowell, accusing him of mishandling personnel issues and retaliating against them when they reported alleged abuses within government leadership, according to reporting from the Roanoke Rambler.
The lawsuits were filed earlier this year following events of last spring, when Ha, a city budget analyst, accused Brent Robertson, then assistant city manager and finance director, of “verbally attacking” and “physically threatening” her so severely that she quit. After Ha reported the incident to the Roanoke City Council, Cowell demoted Robertson but kept him on staff until he retired and became vested in the city’s pension fund…