CAIRO, Ga. (WCTV) - A Cairo city councilman has been fired from his day job as a correctional sergeant for Georgia’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

On Tuesday, WCTV obtained Demario Byrden’s termination letter, dated July 11, which stated that he was fired for “unprofessional conduct” and “inefficiency in performing assigned duties.”

The letter said Byrden hired DJJ employees to work a private event and had an “inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.”

In a text message Wednesday, the councilman elaborated on the reasons for his termination while noting that it was “due to a combination of factors none being criminal.”

He acknowledged that he had an “inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.”

“It was not a sexual relationship, but it was still a lapse in professional judgment, and I take full responsibility for that,” he wrote.

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He also wrote that another contributor was his “involvement in outside work organizing private security at events and serving on the Cairo City Council.”

Byrden has been on Cairo’s city council since 2017, and his term is set to expire on December 31. He represents the city’s second district.

The Cairo council member defended his work with the DJJ, for which he said he worked for nearly 10 years, most recently serving as a “Supervisor on the Special Operations unit.”

“I was on call 24/7 and drove to Atlanta 3-5 days a week so my commitment and dedication should never be question,” he wrote.

The commissioner ultimately called the termination a learning experience.

“Everything I’ve done has come from a place of wanting to serve, uplift, and protect my community. I’ve always believed in showing up whether through public office, mentoring young people, or stepping in where support is needed. But I also understand that leadership means holding yourself to a higher standard,” he wrote. “I’ve learned from this experience, and it’s made me even more committed to transparency, ethics, and growth.”

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