Cobb County Manager gets contract extended

Cobb County Manager, Dr. Jackie McMorris, has had her contract extended for an additional three years during the recent County Commission meeting. 

The decision to reappoint McMorris passed with a unanimous 5-0 vote, with no discussion among the commissioners, which is different from her initial appointment after she assumed the role of county manager in April 2020, taking over from her predecessor, Rob Hosack. 

McMorris’s  experience within Cobb County’s government extends back several years, having previously served as the county’s director of public services for nearly five years and as the deputy county manager for three years. 

Prior to her government career, McMorris was an academic, with a background in teaching public speaking and English, initially at what was then Georgia Perimeter College (now Georgia State University). 

Before joining Cobb County Government in 2013, McMorris held positions as the head of Cherokee County’s community relations department and as the chief of staff for former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. Her diverse experience brought a wealth of expertise to her role as county manager. 

McMorris’s journey to becoming the county manager had its share of initial challenges. When she was first nominated for the role, Lisa Cupid, who is now the current chair, voted against McMorris’s appointment, saying she preferred a national search for the position instead of McMorris. 

This appointment was historic in nature as it marked the potential for McMorris to become the first Black woman to serve in a senior government role in Cobb County.  

The four White commission members on the board offered McMorris their full support, knowing her extensive background and preparation to assume the leadership role for the county. 

Ultimately, McMorris secured the position with a 4 to 1 vote, with Cupid being the sole commissioner to vote against her appointment, denying her a unanimous vote.

In a somewhat paradoxical turn of events, Lisa Cupid later campaigned for Chair of the County with a message that she would become the first Black woman to serve in this role in Cobb. 

For many in the community, Cupid’s shift in her stance from opposing McMorris’s appointment to campaigning with a similar message about becoming the first Black person in Cobb in that role reflects a hypocritical and self-serving stance, which many say is the hallmark of Cupid as chair. 

In the dynamic and evolving political landscape within Cobb County and with a new election cycle on the horizon, Cupid’s mantra of being the first Black will fall short as citizens have seen her in action and do not like her leadership style, her lack of transparency, or her temperament, or her reliance on consultants to tell her how to do her job. 

Under the terms of the contract, McMorris’s renewed tenure is slated to begin on January 1, 2024, and will conclude on December 31, 2026. Along with her contract extension, her base salary has been adjusted to $350,000, marking an increase from her prior salary of $291,700.