The Gun Barrel City Economic Development Corp., an organization plagued by two years of turmoil, has suffered yet another setback with the resignation of a new marketing director who stayed only one month on the job.

Laura Tillman resigned from the position of marketing director in a letter to Mayor Dennis Baade that included copies to all of the members of the City Council and the Athens Daily Review.

The Gun Barrel City Council recently named the Athens Daily Review as the city's official newspaper, ending its contract with Cedar Creek Lake's only newspaper, The Monitor.

Efforts by CedarCreekLake.com to obtain a copy of the letter failed. City Secretary/City Manager Christy Eckelmann said she never received a copy of the letter, and the EDC's receptionist said she had not seen a copy of it either.

ADR reporter Kathi Nailling, who is a resident of Gun Barrel City and covers the lake area for the newspaper, quoted Tillman from her letter as saying, "When I was hired, my responsibilities were to support local business through retention efforts in their expansion and workforce needs by utilizing resources available from the EDC. However, my job here has been anything but. I have been confined to the office and through unprofessional dictatorship from Steven Schiff, board president, and Gary Damiano, board vice president, I have recevied no training or direction in my actual resposibilities. Instead, I was treated as a glorified secretary for their personal agendas. The disrespect that these two members of the board have displayed to the staff of the EDC was less than tolerable. The conduct that they display is of extreme rudeness and unsupportive. I refuse to work in an atmosphere that exhibits such hostility."

An electronic message to Tillman by CedarCreekLake.com went unanswered.

In Nailling's story, EDC officials did not respond to Tillman's complaints. Mayor Dennis Baade was quoted as saying he remained confident in Schiff and Damiano and the other EDC board members.

It's hard to remember who is doing what at Gun Barrel City Hall these days as faces continue to change while the city enters the new fiscal year, but here is a recap.

GBC Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Sean Overeynder exited his office Oct. 9, according to an Athens Daily Review report. His departure followed the hiring of a new marketing director, Laura Tillman, during an executive session of the board of directors Oct. 8.

Tillman is the former marketing director of Cedarview Assisted Living in Gun Barrel City.

EDC President Steven Schiff told the Athens Daily Review, which became the city's official newspaper last month after the council ended its two-year association with The Monitor of Cedar Creek Lake, that the board screened 13 applicants for the new marketing director job.

Former EDC President David Skains, who resigned in July, recruited Overeynder to the job in June from Floydada in West Texas.

The departure of Overeynder and the hiring of Tillman follow other shake ups at City Hall. Longtime City Manager Gerry Boren, who held the job for eight years, resigned in September after presenting the new fiscal year budget to the council.

The council then appointed longtime City Secretary Christy Eckerman to serve dual roles as city secretary and interim city manager until the city conducts a search for a new city manager.

The day after Boren resigned, Councilwoman Carole Calkins resigned immediately, citing other responsibilities. The night Boren resigned, the council appointed Anne Mullins to fill a vacant council seat.

The seat Mullins took became vacant when the council appointed Mayor Dennis Baade in August to replace Mayor Jim Braswell, who resigned in the summer because of his wife's health problems.

The council appointed Rob Rea, a former EDC board member who resigned from the agency when he won a council seat, to be mayor pro tem.

Councilwoman Linda Rankin, who formerly served as EDC president before resigning under pressure, is serving her first term on the council.

 Laura Tillman is pictured below.