Yellow Springs residents packed Council Chambers on Friday, Aug. 21, when Village Manager Johnnie Burns, pictured at center, announced his resignation. To his left were Village Council members Stephanie Pearce, Senay Semere, Carmen Brown, Angie Hsu and Gavin DeVore Leonard. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Yellow Springs Village Manager Johnnie Burns resigns
- Published: August 21, 2026
At a special Village Council meeting on Friday morning, Aug. 21, Village Manager Johnnie Burns announced his resignation, ending his more than 12 years spent working for the Village of Yellow Springs.
“I am choosing, at my own free will, to resign from my position for the better of this community,” Burns told a capacity crowd in Council Chambers.
His announcement followed a two-hour-long, private executive session among Council members, and was delivered to an emotional crowd of around 75 Yellow Springs residents. In attendance were local leaders, business owners and around two dozen Village staffers — police officers, linemen, meter readers and others.
“I know the support is here,” Burns said. “Behind every great leader is a great staff. From the people underneath me to the custodians, you are all phenomenal.”
He continued: “I love you guys more than my own hometown. You are my village. The ship is heading in the right direction — we’ve set the right course — we’re just simply changing the caption.”
A Xenia resident, Burns has served as Yellow Springs’ manager since February 2024 — he was the Village’s 11th since the town voted to adopt the council-manager form of government in 1952. His employment with the Village began January 2014 as the electric superintendent; four years later, he rose to public works director.
Johnnie Burns was sworn in as Yellow Springs’ 11th full-time village manager in Feb. 2024. Since the previous August, when previous manager Josué Salmerón resigned, Burns had been acting as the interim manager, while at the same time, carrying out his duties as public works director — a position he’s held since 2018. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
The motivations behind Burns’ resignation as manager remain unclear, though he suggested that he and his family have broached the possibility since mid July.
Of note, public records show that over the last month, Village Council members have convened for three prior executive sessions to “consider the appointment and employment of public officials,” per Ohio Revised Code.
Burns’ resignation also follows that of Assistant Village Manager Elyse Giardullo who herself resigned earlier this month after working in Village administration for two years.
His decision to step down, Burns said, was one that he and his wife anguished over until the night before Friday’s meeting — but one they agreed would be best for their family.
“We decided: Today it’s Johnnie Burns and Yellow Springs. Tomorrow, Yellow Springs is Yellow Springs and Johnnie Burns is with his family. I will come back to support, but I will no longer be an employee here … at this capacity, I can’t. I apologize.”
A number of attendees at Friday’s meeting demanded answers for Burns’ departure, with some saying they believed the move to be sudden and influenced by the desires of some Village Council members.
At the podium, some individuals asked Council to consider the future of the town’s infrastructure in Burns’ absence; others expressed outrage and called for the immediate resignation of some Council members. Several threatened the possibility of instigating a recall election to forcibly remove them from office; a petition to amend the Village Charter to limit Council powers circulated at the meeting and netted dozens of signatures.
Despite all the admonitions, Council members remained largely silent at the dais.
After more than an hour of public remarks, the meeting was adjourned with little explanation from Council regarding next steps for the Village administration, a search process for Burns’ replacement or the specific terms of his resignation.
“This is a sensitive time for our community,” Village Council President Gavin DeVore Leonard told the News Friday afternoon. “We are doing the best to navigate a complex situation.”
“Given legal and contractual reasons, it has been difficult to share more information throughout the process,” he said. “Johnnie Burns dedicated 13 years of his career to Yellow Springs. We appreciate and honor the years he has invested in building and maintaining this community.”
Additional coverage of Burns’ resignation and the Village’s next steps will appear in next week’s issue of the Yellow Springs News.
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