Former Gainesville city manager Bryan Shuler, who left the city amid an investigation of sexual harassment, has been hired as administrator for Colquitt County in South Georgia.

The Colquitt County Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to hire Shuler over about 35 other applicants, Commissioner Winfred Giddens said.

“We all felt that’s the way we needed to go,” Giddens said.

Giddens said Shuler seemed the best candidate for the position because of his experience. Shuler is an acquaintance of the county’s interim administrator, Marion Hay, Giddens said. Hay did not return a call seeking comment.

Shuler left his Gainesville post after an anonymous letter surfaced in November alleging he had sexually harassed city employees with late-night text messages and phone calls.

Soon after Gainesville’s Mayor Myrtle Figueras began an internal investigation of Shuler’s conduct, he resigned. The City Council voted to give him 11 weeks of severance pay, one week for every year of city service, a total of $28,520.80.

Of the investigation, Giddens said Shuler was up front with the Colquitt commission, and other commissioners made phone calls to find that the allegations were unfounded.

“He said ‘I don’t have anything to hide,’” Giddens said. “... We were satisfied.”

Shuler’s new job pays nearly $35,000 less than his one in Gainesville, according to a published report in the Moultrie Observer. The newspaper reported Thursday that the county would pay Shuler $100,000 and provide a car.

In Gainesville, Shuler’s salary topped $142,000, including a monthly car allowance.

The Observer reported that Shuler’s current salary is subject to review in June.