Former Clifton Police Officer Files Lawsuit Against City of Clifton, Former City Manager

Just weeks after the Clifton City Commission fired Doug Kibbey as Clifton City Manager, the news broke that on February 21, 2025, a former employee of the Clifton Police Department filed a lawsuit against the City of Clifton and Doug Kibbey for unlawful termination.

As it is a matter of public record, The Wayne County News was able to obtain court documents from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee regarding the lawsuit naming the plaintiff as Cody Jones and the defendants as the City of Clifton and Doug Kibbey in his individual and official capacity. Jones was formerly a patrol officer for the Clifton City Police Department, but was fired by Kibbey on February 21, 2024, one year prior to the filing of the lawsuit.

Jones’ complaint in the lawsuit alleges that the reasons behind his termination and the manner in which it took place were illegal. The complaint states that on the evening of February 20, 2024, Jones went to the home of Mark Staggs, Mayor of the City of Clifton. During a conversation with the Mayor, Jones complained that the Clifton Chief of Police, Steve Wilson, had committed illegal acts and conducted himself in a manner unbefitting the Chief of Police. The complaint states that Jones was terminated from his own employment with the City of Clifton the next day, February 21, 2024, by Clifton City Manager Doug Kibbey. Jones stated in his complaint that he felt his termination was retaliation for his allegations against Chief Wilson.

The defense’s response states that Jones was not terminated because of the allegations he made to the Mayor about the Chief; he was terminated for poor job performance and giving both the Mayor and Lt. Timmy Harris an ultimatum that either he or the Chief needed to be terminated.

In the lawsuit, Jones is asking for back pay and damages for loss of benefits, compensatory damages for his stress and anxiety, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and other relief the Court may deem proper. The City of Clifton’s response is that the defendant(s) deny all allegations and did not engage in any illegal activity, therefore no damages should be awarded. It also states that the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, and it is barred by the applicable statute of limitations.

Upon learning of the lawsuit, The Wayne County News made contact with Doug Kibbey to investigate whether the lawsuit was related in any way to Kibbey’s own termination. Mr. Kibbey spoke willingly with our writer, stating the lawsuit filed by Cody Jones had no bearing on his termination and was irrelevant to his own situation with the City of Clifton.

Although he admitted there are many things he cannot speak freely on at this time, Mr. Kibbey said he reported some violations of the Tennessee Code Annotated being committed by some unnamed city employees back in January 2025. As he was appointed and hired by the Clifton City Commission to perform the job of City Manager, he had an obligation to report to the State any code violations or illegal activities of which he became aware. Although not stated, it can be inferred that Mr. Kibbey feels his termination may in some way be related to his reports to the State.

In the last meeting of the Clifton City Commission, two commissioners, Jeff Letson and Michael Francis, said they felt the city had been too hasty to terminate Kibbey at the time they did and in the manner it was carried out. Commissioner Letson made a motion (which ultimately failed) to reinstate Doug Kibbey as City Manager for the main reason of Kibbey’s extensive knowledge of the new water plant project. Mr. Kibbey explained to The News that although he had dealt extensively with the State and various contractors on the $30 million water plant project, now that he is no longer employed by the city, the State will undoubtedly take over control of the project. He explained that since 80% of the water produced at the new plant will go to South Central Correctional Facility (the prison in Clifton), the new plant will basically be a State project anyway, even though it is located in Clifton. It is yet to be known exactly how much money the City of Clifton will be out on the project, but millions of dollars in grants and other funding have already been secured. “It is going to be a state-of-the-art facility,” said Kibbey of the new water plant. “It will implement lots of new techniques and technologies, and the State will be eager to show it off.”

When talking with Mr. Kibbey about his responsibilities, job performance, and termination as Clifton City Manager, he responded, “I made it look too easy.”

We asked him to explain. “Prior to retiring from the military and accepting the position of Clifton City Manager, I worked 12-hour days at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. I made decisions and managed a $50 million budget for the division I was in charge of and oversaw dozens of employees. After all my years and experience in the military, managing the City of Clifton was not a difficult task. I know I can and will be replaced, but I believe it will be harder than the commission thinks to find the right person for the job.”

At the end of our interview with Mr. Kibbey, we asked a simple question to which we received a somewhat surprising answer. “If you had the opportunity, would you go back to the job of Clifton City Manager?”

Without hesitation, Doug Kibbey replied with one word: “Yes.”