Fayette

County commissioners said Tuesday they think very

highly of County Manager Billy Beckett, but

they're letting him go because of

"philosophical differences."

"I

have the utmost respect for Billy. He's done a

lot for this county in the 16 years he's been

here," said commission Chairman Harold Bost.

"We wish him well wherever his endeavors may

take him," he added.

Bost

declined to give any details of the reasons for

the dismissal. "I don't want to say a whole

lot more. There were differences of opinion about

how different things ought to be done," he

said.

Commissioner

Greg Dunn hastened to add, "There was

absolutely no misconduct whatsoever on the part

of Mr. Beckett."

Commissioners

unanimously terminated Beckett's five-year

contract in a called meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The contract, which was activated two years ago,

provides for payment of a year of severance pay

and benefits in the event of his termination.

During

the same meeting, the group appointed Chris

Cofty, Beckett's assistant, as acting county

administrator, and Carol Chandler, secretary to

the commissioners, as acting county clerk.

The

group discussed Beckett's employment in a closed

session following last Thursday's regular

commission meeting, and unanimously voted to

direct Bost to talk with Beckett about the

board's decision to terminate him.

Reporters

questioned whether the vote in closed session was

in violation of Georgia's Open Meetings Act, but

County Attorney Bill McNally said the vote was

proper because it was not a vote to terminate

Beckett, but to begin negotiating the terms of

termination.

"I

was given things to take to Billy and back to the

board," said Bost.

Bost

met with Beckett Monday morning, and Beckett

cleared out of his office by Monday afternoon.

Bost

said commissioners have not yet begun discussion

of the process of replacing Beckett, but probably

will do so at their next meeting, July 5.

Beckett

has served as Fayette county manager since 1985,

having previously served as county administrator

in Franklin County, Va., as county planner and

then county administrator in Raleigh County, W.

Va., and as a research associate and intern

coordinator for a regional planning and

development council in West Virginia.

He

holds a master of urban affairs degree from

Virginia Polytechnic Institute, among other

degrees.

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