The Galesburg city council has approved an agreement to end the employment of City Manager Gerald Smith.
The severance of employment and compensation settlement agreement was approved on a 5-0 vote, with Dwight White abstaining and Sarah Davis absent.
The vote came after the council was in closed session for around an hour discussing the agreement, which was signed by Smith.
It also came after four council members called a special meeting last month to potentially fire him after a newly elected council was seated.
White was the only council member to speak before the vote.
“I was part of the group that hired Mr. Smith,” he said. “And I got a chance to speak to Mr. Smith and I apologized to Mr. Smith for getting him in this mess."
Smith was hired in September by the council on a 4-3 vote and began working on Nov. 7. He was the city’s first black city manager.
He had been on personal administrative leave since May 30 and asked to part ways with the city. Steve Gugliotta is serving as acting city manager.
No further details on the agreement reached were immediately available.
This is a developing story.
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