The Albany City Commission voted 7-0 today after an extended executive session to accept the resignation of City Manager James Taylor. Then, in a surprise move, commissioners voted 4-3 to name former interim Water, Gas & Light Commission General Manager Tom Berry interim city manager.

Reached after the meeting, Berry said he plans to meet with Mayor Dorothy Hubbard tonight to discuss the job.

“Yes, I’m a little surprised by the vote,” Berry, who criticized four city commissioners by name during his WG&L resignation announcement June 26, said. “But my concern is, I only need to be there if it’s beneficial to the city. If it increases the divisiveness of the City Commission, it’s not a good thing.”

There was much speculation surrounding Taylor’s future as the commission gathered for its lone work session of the month. He had been the center of a controversy surrounding the awarding of a $20,000 bonus to a risk management employee, which Taylor told The Albany Herald he’d done for “business reasons.”

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