Lang
5/15/26
A former Fairfax city administrator who resigned after posting a meme mocking the city council will be paid $30,000 in severance.
The council agreed to the settlement after a 4-1 vote earlier this week. Former city administrator Chris Phillip agreed to resign after a closed city council session last month.
Documents shared ahead of the meeting showed Phillip accusing Mayor Jo Ann Beer of creating a hostile work environment, and that, quote, “this inept attitude is now shared by several new council members.”
Phillip claimed fictitious complaints were being filed with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. The mayor said Phillip shared a popular cartoon meme showing a bike rider poking a stick into his own wheel spokes and falling down. The meme included the names of the mayor and other city council members, and Beer said she felt threatened by it.
As part of the settlement, both sides are barred from making disparaging remarks about the other. The search for a new Fairfax city administrator is now in the early stages.
