Crowell v. City of Eastman

The city manager discharged Crowell in January 1985, giving as reason that the interest of the city demanded it. Crowell appeared before the city council for a determination as to whether he was properly discharged. The council heard from Crowell but did not know if it had jurisdiction of the matter, and if it did, what law to apply, so it made no decision but instead the action it took was to seek declaratory judgment, before it deliberated on the merits of Crowell’s complaint. The city manager joined in.

The Eastman city charter (Ga. Laws 1979, pp. 4538, 4619) § 34 gives the city manager the…