The Fayette Board of Aldermen on Tuesday hired Downtown Fayette Board President Deanna Cooper for the position of city administrator. 

The action took place during the closed portion of the city council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, February 25.

Mrs. Cooper is expected to begin her duties on Tuesday, April 1. She is currently employed by Endeavor Agency in Columbia.

There is no contract between Mrs. Cooper and the city. She will be the third city administrator since March 2020, when longtime city administrator and clerk Robin Triplett was fired after she cost the city around $150,000 in fines from the state for not filing financial paperwork on time. The city’s next administrator, Tyler Griffith, quit less than halfway into his two-year commitment, and the city was forced to buy out the remainder of his contract at a cost to the taxpayers.

Former Main Street Executive Director Mike Dimond later served as a quasi-city administrator in a position called “Assistant to the Mayor” from September 2023 until April 2024. Since then, Mayor Greg Stidham has been fulfilling many of the duties of administrator as well as building inspector.

Mrs. Cooper is expected to resign her post as board president of Downtown Fayette due to a conflict of interest. The city contributes $10,000 annually toward the non-profit organization.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.