Monroe fired its city manager and attorney. They’ll still collect a combined $484,000

The Monroe City Council Tuesday voted to fire its city manager and attorney, effective immediately.

City Manager Brian Borne took on the role in June 2022 after working for the city for 14 years. City attorney S. Mujeeb Shah-Khan has served in the role since 2014.

The city didn’t provide a reason for their firings. Both Borne and Shah-khan will receive a year’s worth of severance pay, about $270,610 and $213,400, respectively, in salary and benefits, according to documents provided by the city. Those numbers both reflect a year of gross salary and benefits.

Borne is the sixth city manager to leave the position since the year 2000 and the second manager fired in a row. Larry Faison spent seven years in the job and was fired in August 2021. Borne served as interim manager from 2021 to June 2022.

Lisa Strickland will serve both as the interim city manager and her current role as finance director, the city said in an emailed news release.

Council members James Kerr, Lynn Keziah, Julie Thompson and Mayor Pro Tem Gary Anderson voted for the termination of the city manager and attorney. Monroe’s Mayor Marion Holloway and Council member Freddie Gordon voted in opposition.

The city of Monroe is in Union County, southeast of Charlotte.

Genna Contino

The Charlotte Observer

Genna Contino previously covered local government for the Observer, where she wrote about Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. She attended the University of South Carolina and grew up in Rock Hill.