THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996             TAG: 9602270293
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: FRANKLIN                           LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

FORMER CITY MANAGER SUES MAYOR, OTHERS COOKE ALLEGES HER FIRING WAS DUE TO DISCRIMINATION.

Dale R. Cooke, Franklin's former acting city manager, has filed a suit against the mayor, three council members and members of a citizen's group, alleging that discrimination was behind her termination.

Cooke, who wants $15 million in damages, named Mayor C. Franklin Jester, council members W. Norwood Boyd, Lynn E. Powell and Oscar W. Babb in the suit.

Three men - named as members of the ``white citizen's group'' called ``Citizens for Constructive Government'' - were identified as: Robert T. Edwards, James P. Councill III and Carlton Cutchins III. An Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint filed by Cooke against the city of Franklin late last year, also alleging discrimination, is pending in Norfolk.

L. Bruce Stewart, Franklin's city attorney, said the city councilmembers haven't been served and he could not comment. Councill and Cutchins couldn't be reached. Robert T. Edwards would not comment.

Allegations in the suit include:

White council members refused to acknowledge her authority and Jester informed Cooke that her position was ``merely a figurehead.''

Citizens for Constructive Government conspired with the white city council to have her terminated.

The suit also said that Cooke was the first black to hold a high-level management position in the city and that the city has long been divided by race.

Cooke was fired in late October after the Council met in executive session.

City officials said they ``had lost confidence'' in her and that other personnel reasons were involved.

Cooke could not be reached for comment. But her lawyer, L. Anne Coughenour, said: ``Lack of confidence is a pretext to an illegal discrimination reason.''

Cooke was hired as assistant to the city manager by former City Manager John J. Jackson in April 1994. When Jackson became ill last January, Cooke became acting city manager. by CNB