City of Stone Mountain, GA appoints Darnetta K.Tyus as its new city manager

Today, Mayor Beverly Jones announced that Darnetta K. Tyus will be the City of Stone Mountain’s new City Manager.

“We were looking for someone with passion, vision, energy, and experience who could communicate well, motivate people, become part of our community, and help us to move forward,” said Jones. “After consulting the Georgia Municipal Association and reviewing online applicants, we decided upon Darnetta K. Tyus. Ms. Tyus comes to us with a proven history of successful goal execution and impeccable references. We assessed her professional achievements and were very impressed with her ability to expediently initiate and execute projects in a timely and effective manner. We are very excited to have Darnetta Tyus join our team as City Manager.”

Tyus, who has more than 30 years of experience, comes to the City of Stone Mountain after serving for three months as the City of College Park’s City Manager. While there, she facilitated an $11.5 million bond issuance leveraging TSPLOST funds to complete the City’s Rhodes St. Bridge/6West Development Project; presented a $148 million balanced stabilization budget that included a 5% staff salary increase and a sustained 20% raise for sworn police personnel (without tax increases). She also secured financing for $4.9 million in capital equipment within the 2021 – 2022 budget.

Tyus previously served as the Deputy City Manager of Community Affairs for the City of Petersburg, Virginia. During her tenure with the city, she oversaw several departments including Economic Development, Social Services, Public Works, Community Corrections, Juvenile Crime Control, Library Services, Volunteerism, Special Events & Recreation Programs, Veterans Center, Dogwood Trace Golf Course, and Workforce Development. Tyus also was responsible for re-engineering the City of Petersburg’s social service delivery performance, re-establishing its defunct Office of Tourism, partnering with state officials as the City’s point of contact for COVID- 19 recovery activities and helping to elevate the city’s bond rating from
BBB- to A+.

Stone Mountain City Councilman, Gil Freeman said Tyus’ experience will be beneficial in moving the city forward.

“In our search considerations of who should be selected as our next City Manager, we sought someone who met the job qualifications, could envision our City’s potential, understand the constraints of our current budget, and take full advantage of future growth opportunities,” said Freeman. “A City Manager experienced with alternative resourcing strategies would help reduce the tax burden our citizens have been paying. Ms. Tyus’ record demonstrated she has that capability, knowledge, and experience.”

Tyus, a native of Chicago, has worked with federal, state, and local government programs. Prior to her engagement in Petersburg, Virginia, Tyus managed community outreach and engagement for the District of Columbia’s D.C.’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, playing a crucial role in garnering support for major redevelopment projects, including business development, neighborhood revitalization, and job creation in District of Columbia. Tyus led the efforts for the final negotiations for the St. Elizabeth’s East Campus 183-acre Redevelopment Master Plan, which was implemented and resulted in generating millions of dollars in revenue by construction of the Mystic Arena/Wizards training facility and the Gateway Pavilion, as well as repurposing historic facilities. Tyus also served as Washington D.C.’s Deputy Chief Operations Officer for the State Superintendent of Education.

Tyus said she is looking forward to serving the City of Stone Mountain.

“I am excited for the opportunity to work with her Honor the Mayor, Stone Mountain’s City Council, and city staff on maintaining the highest level of service to the City’s citizens and customers,” Tyus said. “I look forward to partnering with the community’s stakeholders in making the City of Stone Mountain an even better place to live.”