There it is. There it is. Yes, sir. I'm not usually accused of speaking softly, so everyone
can hear me?
No. You cannot hear me?
How's that? Okay. I could hear me. Okay. All right.
I'm Geno Brogdon. I'll be presiding over the investigative hearing, but I want to tell
you at first that the hearing is not going to happen today, and I'll tell you why in
moment. The Stockbridge Mayor Wynne's dispute, we were supposed to have an investigative hearing
this morning and we have some preliminary matters that I'm going to have the lawyers
address but you'll understand why we're not having the hearing this morning. Where are
the, is Mr. Kenner? Okay, good deal. Mr. Kenner, preliminary matters.
We
want to invoke our right pursuant to the resolution as well as the Charter for a hearing
on recusal.
We believe that one of the council members is biased and has already pre-judged this
case.
And so we're asking that we be allowed to have a hearing on that matter regarding Keisha
Gatch.
All right. Mr. Ash, any response to them? I'm going to tell you all what we're going to do.
I don't have.
The city of Stockbridge, we reserve our position as to the timeliness, forum, and merits of this motion,
but understand that the court has decided how we will proceed and we will proceed accordingly.
This issue of the mayor's challenge of one of the council member's objectivity was heard by Judge Holly Veal last week.
they had a long hearing. Judge Veal decided that that was a decision that I should make
as the hearing officer as to whether the motion to recuse one of the council members should
be granted or not. We are going to have the lawyers and I have already met and we're
going to have the lawyers exchange exhibits, witness lists and we're going to have a virtual
hearing on this motion to recuse on August 31st at 5 p.m. I will make a
decision that day as to whether the targeted council member stays on the
council for the investigative hearing because it's the council that makes the
decision. When I make that decision then we will have the final investigative
hearing on September 12th, Saturday September 12th at 9 a.m. So what was
going to happen here this morning is going to happen on September 12th at 9 a.m. So I
appreciate your patience. I want y'all to understand that fairness is the undergird of
anything we do. If the process is not fair and thoroughly fair, then we can't trust
the result. So I am pressed upon the lawyers that we need to dot every I and cross every
every T as we go along in this process together. That's why the separate hearing is necessary.
So I guess now the,
may
someone's going to call it in the session, right? Yes, sir.
Yeah,
it's a special session to go ahead and call us to order once it gets to order when it comes up to the matter of, that's the sickest doctor there's a mayor waiting at that point, mayor for team of disaster to get out of the regular call meeting.
Okay, it's now 1009, I'm going to officially call the special session to order. At this time, I will ask you all to join me for the Pledge of Allegiance immediately following my happy clerk through the roll call.
Thank
you so much madam clerk please call the roll.
Mayor Jaden L Williams.
Present.
Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander.
Present.
Councilmember Laquisha Gantt.
Present.
Councilmember Antoine Cloud.
Present.
Council Member Kyle Berry
Present
Council Member Yolanda Barber
Present
Mayor Williams, you have a quorum
Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, moving on to the subject, I'll now pass the floor to Mayor Pro-Tim Alexander
Thank you, Mayor Williams. I'm going to take a point of privilege and ask
Councilman Berry to issue a prayer
Let us pray
Eternal God our Father, we are so grateful today that you have blessed us again with life
Liberty and peace. We pray, Lord God, that you will continue to give us wisdom and
governance, Lord God, that you will lead us and guide us the way that you want us
to go. Allow us, Lord God, to not lean to our own understanding, but in all of our
ways acknowledge you so that you may direct our paths. We pray for this great
city. We pray for its elected officials. We pray for every resident, every
business owner, and every constituent and every visitor and guest that passes
through this great city of Starbridge. Lord God, we pray, Lord God, that this
meeting today, Lord God, that you will cover us and guide us, Lord God, and that you will
give us great confidence knowing that your hand is on everything that we do.
This is our prayer in the majestic name of your Son Jesus Christ.
We do pray, amen.
Amen.
Thank you so much, Mr. Berry.
I'm going to take another point of privilege if you all would allow me to and say none
of us wanted to be here, not one of us wanted to be here today.
I know you didn't want to be here today, and certainly we're going to operate and
And this is how we're going to operate.
We will not have anyone speaking out.
We will make sure that we exercise the right to make sure that this is running an orderly
fair manner and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion for even this portion
where we're talking about the processes.
So I will continue my comments and say this again.
Again, all of us took upon ourselves to look at this particular matter judiciously with
fair and open eyes without biases to make sure that we get through the process and as
Judge Brockton said, we want to make sure that we cross every T and dot every single
I to make sure that you all are comfortable with the process that we're transparent
With the process and no one up here or out there can say that you did not understand this
process and that you did not, that the outcome, you did not understand the decision that was
being made with the facts. You were received, in my opinion, you received every single piece
of fact that we received, and you need to understand one thing. Again, these decisions
were very tough for us being up here. And I think I, you know, I say and I've seen
it in the faces of our council members. I've seen it in the interactions out in the public.
You can't go to the grocery store. You can't go out, you can't go anywhere. The number of
phone calls that I've gotten even from my hometown, Elton, are you okay? What's going
on in Stockbridge? What's happening? What can we do? I ask as councilman Barry prayed
us in that each and every one of you all pray for us and that you pray for the
mayor and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion of this particular
matter. It's going to take time and it's going to require patience on all parties.
The professionals will lead the process and I come at this from a very unique
point of preference. I sat in the mayor's seat. I too was investigated by
the city. It was a long arduous process and it's hard to be in that seat
I know it is.
And in the end, the independent process played itself out and brought the results back to
the council.
You know, I can say in that time I was cleared, but certainly this is the process that we
tend to take.
This is the process that we undertake.
There was a full report done by the independent investigator in my position and the very
same thing will happen here where an independent process will play out.
We will not interfere in the independent process.
We will only do our part, which the Charter calls us to be, to act as jurors in an unbiased manner.
But I do, I ask for your prayers and I ask for your understanding and your patience.
Because as I said, I sat in Mayor Williams chair and it took months.
It wasn't several weeks, it took months for that to move through the processes.
And we will ask for your patience and we will try to dictate this in a manner that everybody each member of this council reviews the evidence.
And I just want to say this, this matter will be judged on the evidence that is brought before us.
Nothing else will matter outside these doors, not what you put on social media, not what we hear, not what we discuss.
the matter brought before us will be judged on the evidence that is brought
into us before each member up here and we will make that decision in the best
interest of the city of Stockbridge. I thank you for that in that point of
privilege and what I like to do now is I like to call for a motion to adjourn the
me into executive session.
All in favor?
Who made the motion? I make a motion that we
move to executive session to discuss legal real estate, cyber security, and personnel
matters. All in favor? We will adjourn to executive
session and we'll come back out. Thank you.
Mr. Edmondson.
Is the mayor in place? Is the judge brought in? You need to be in place or no?
He's over there.
Mr. Edmondson, is there a reason why this officer is standing right here in front of me?
He said he was instructed to stand there.
Do you mind, sir, standing in the back? Thank you, sir.
All right. Council, I need a motion to reconvene the meeting.
Second. Oh. Motion. You're making a motion?
Oh, you're going to make a motion.
So moved.
Second.
Okay. All in favor?
Okay. Following the following executive session, we have some announcements to make.
And it was a very productive session where both houses got to discuss.
And we have come to mutual agreement on what is about to be announced.
and I need the motion please.
Mayor Pro Tem, I move to amend the previously set schedule
from today for this matter to adopt
on to Monday, August the 31st at five o'clock p.m.
as the date for the virtual hearing
for the hearing officer to address
the Mayor Williams recusal petition.
And furthermore to adopt Saturday, September the 12th
at nine o'clock a.m. here at City Hall
as a date for the final investigative hearing.
Okay, certainly I just want to make sure that everything is clear and is transparent.
Mr. Kenner, is that what we agreed upon?
Yes.
Okay.
Thank you.
As you can see there was great discussion and agreement.
We want to make sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted and that you are
aware of what is going to happen.
And we'll move forward from there. Is there any further discussion?
Do we get a second?
I need a second.
Okay. Any further discussion?
Yes.
Go right ahead, Ms. Barbara.
Mayor Pro Tem, I just want to reiterate here publicly
that all information that our city's legal counsel
Obtains should be shared with the full governing body.
Every member of this governing body up to this point, I have not been provided with a lot
of information regarding this process, regarding who's contracted to even facilitate this process.
So I've requested contracts.
Contracts for the public hearing officer, for the judge, and the investigator.
I want us to be transparent, starting right here with this governing body.
That's all. Thank you, sir.
Thank you for your comments, Ms. Barbara.
Certainly we want to be 100% transparent in this particular matter
and that the public is confident and that everything not only that you see, that I see, that everyone gets to see.
And certainly Ms. Gantt.
I just, for the record, and I don't know if the other council members want to put on the record, but I haven't received the contracts either.
I don't want anyone to think that this council has received contracts.
We were just, none of us have received the contracts
and I want to be placed on the record
as saying none of us have received them.
Now, I haven't, maybe somebody else has,
but if you have, please say so now.
No, we have not, I have not received them, so.
Mr. Berry.
For the record.
I have not as well.
I have not received either,
but we did make that determination today
in executive session
that all of us would receive
the material starting today.
So it was a consensus.
Now, Ms. Barbra, this is your second time on this issue. Go right ahead.
With all my comment. Thank you, sir.
We have a motion and we have a proper second. All in favor.
Motion carries 5-0. I would like to do this as well if
and certainly as we are prepared to close the meeting, is there
you know, I took a point of personal privilege to be able to make a statement earlier.
is there if there was anyone else that would like to say something or to add a
comment certainly now would be appropriate before we close the meeting if
not we'll go ahead and close the meeting no no one has raised their hand so
we will call for a motion to adjourn second all in favor thank
you so much