[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[7:13] There it is. There it is. Yes, sir. I'm not usually accused of speaking softly, so everyone
[7:21] can hear me?
[7:24] No. You cannot hear me?
[7:29] How's that? Okay. I could hear me. Okay. All right.
[7:34] I'm Geno Brogdon. I'll be presiding over the investigative hearing, but I want to tell
[7:38] you at first that the hearing is not going to happen today, and I'll tell you why in
[7:44] moment. The Stockbridge Mayor Wynne's dispute, we were supposed to have an investigative hearing
[7:52] this morning and we have some preliminary matters that I'm going to have the lawyers
[7:56] address but you'll understand why we're not having the hearing this morning. Where are
[8:01] the, is Mr. Kenner? Okay, good deal. Mr. Kenner, preliminary matters.
[8:21] We
[8:25] want to invoke our right pursuant to the resolution as well as the Charter for a hearing
[8:32] on recusal.
[8:34] We believe that one of the council members is biased and has already pre-judged this
[8:40] case.
[8:41] And so we're asking that we be allowed to have a hearing on that matter regarding Keisha
[8:46] Gatch.
[8:47] All right. Mr. Ash, any response to them? I'm going to tell you all what we're going to do.
[8:52] I don't have.
[9:02] The city of Stockbridge, we reserve our position as to the timeliness, forum, and merits of this motion,
[9:10] but understand that the court has decided how we will proceed and we will proceed accordingly.
[9:16] This issue of the mayor's challenge of one of the council member's objectivity was heard by Judge Holly Veal last week.
[9:25] they had a long hearing. Judge Veal decided that that was a decision that I should make
[9:31] as the hearing officer as to whether the motion to recuse one of the council members should
[9:36] be granted or not. We are going to have the lawyers and I have already met and we're
[9:45] going to have the lawyers exchange exhibits, witness lists and we're going to have a virtual
[9:52] hearing on this motion to recuse on August 31st at 5 p.m. I will make a
[9:59] decision that day as to whether the targeted council member stays on the
[10:04] council for the investigative hearing because it's the council that makes the
[10:09] decision. When I make that decision then we will have the final investigative
[10:14] hearing on September 12th, Saturday September 12th at 9 a.m. So what was
[10:21] going to happen here this morning is going to happen on September 12th at 9 a.m. So I
[10:27] appreciate your patience. I want y'all to understand that fairness is the undergird of
[10:32] anything we do. If the process is not fair and thoroughly fair, then we can't trust
[10:38] the result. So I am pressed upon the lawyers that we need to dot every I and cross every
[10:44] every T as we go along in this process together. That's why the separate hearing is necessary.
[10:51] So I guess now the,
[11:16] may
[11:22] someone's going to call it in the session, right? Yes, sir.
[11:26] Yeah,
[11:42] 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.
[11:57] 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.
[12:25] Thank
[12:29] you so much madam clerk please call the roll.
[12:32] Mayor Jaden L Williams.
[12:34] Present.
[12:35] Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander.
[12:37] Present.
[12:38] Councilmember Laquisha Gantt.
[12:39] Present.
[12:40] Councilmember Antoine Cloud.
[12:42] Present.
[12:42] Council Member Kyle Berry
[12:45] Present
[12:46] Council Member Yolanda Barber
[12:47] Present
[12:48] Mayor Williams, you have a quorum
[12:50] Thank you, Madam Clerk. At this time, moving on to the subject, I'll now pass the floor to Mayor Pro-Tim Alexander
[12:56] Thank you, Mayor Williams. I'm going to take a point of privilege and ask
[13:01] Councilman Berry to issue a prayer
[13:05] Let us pray
[13:07] Eternal God our Father, we are so grateful today that you have blessed us again with life
[13:12] Liberty and peace. We pray, Lord God, that you will continue to give us wisdom and
[13:16] governance, Lord God, that you will lead us and guide us the way that you want us
[13:19] to go. Allow us, Lord God, to not lean to our own understanding, but in all of our
[13:24] ways acknowledge you so that you may direct our paths. We pray for this great
[13:28] city. We pray for its elected officials. We pray for every resident, every
[13:32] business owner, and every constituent and every visitor and guest that passes
[13:35] through this great city of Starbridge. Lord God, we pray, Lord God, that this
[13:39] meeting today, Lord God, that you will cover us and guide us, Lord God, and that you will
[13:42] give us great confidence knowing that your hand is on everything that we do.
[13:46] This is our prayer in the majestic name of your Son Jesus Christ.
[13:49] We do pray, amen.
[13:50] Amen.
[13:54] Thank you so much, Mr. Berry.
[13:56] I'm going to take another point of privilege if you all would allow me to and say none
[14:02] of us wanted to be here, not one of us wanted to be here today.
[14:08] I know you didn't want to be here today, and certainly we're going to operate and
[14:11] And this is how we're going to operate.
[14:14] We will not have anyone speaking out.
[14:18] We will make sure that we exercise the right to make sure that this is running an orderly
[14:23] fair manner and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion for even this portion
[14:28] where we're talking about the processes.
[14:31] So I will continue my comments and say this again.
[14:35] Again, all of us took upon ourselves to look at this particular matter judiciously with
[14:42] fair and open eyes without biases to make sure that we get through the process and as
[14:49] Judge Brockton said, we want to make sure that we cross every T and dot every single
[14:54] I to make sure that you all are comfortable with the process that we're transparent
[15:00] With the process and no one up here or out there can say that you did not understand this
[15:06] process and that you did not, that the outcome, you did not understand the decision that was
[15:11] being made with the facts. You were received, in my opinion, you received every single piece
[15:17] of fact that we received, and you need to understand one thing. Again, these decisions
[15:22] were very tough for us being up here. And I think I, you know, I say and I've seen
[15:29] it in the faces of our council members. I've seen it in the interactions out in the public.
[15:35] You can't go to the grocery store. You can't go out, you can't go anywhere. The number of
[15:39] phone calls that I've gotten even from my hometown, Elton, are you okay? What's going
[15:44] on in Stockbridge? What's happening? What can we do? I ask as councilman Barry prayed
[15:51] us in that each and every one of you all pray for us and that you pray for the
[15:55] mayor and that we come to a fair and equitable conclusion of this particular
[16:00] matter. It's going to take time and it's going to require patience on all parties.
[16:06] The professionals will lead the process and I come at this from a very unique
[16:11] point of preference. I sat in the mayor's seat. I too was investigated by
[16:17] the city. It was a long arduous process and it's hard to be in that seat
[16:21] I know it is.
[16:23] And in the end, the independent process played itself out and brought the results back to
[16:30] the council.
[16:31] You know, I can say in that time I was cleared, but certainly this is the process that we
[16:36] tend to take.
[16:38] This is the process that we undertake.
[16:40] There was a full report done by the independent investigator in my position and the very
[16:47] same thing will happen here where an independent process will play out.
[16:51] We will not interfere in the independent process.
[16:54] We will only do our part, which the Charter calls us to be, to act as jurors in an unbiased manner.
[17:02] But I do, I ask for your prayers and I ask for your understanding and your patience.
[17:07] Because as I said, I sat in Mayor Williams chair and it took months.
[17:11] It wasn't several weeks, it took months for that to move through the processes.
[17:16] 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.
[17:26] And I just want to say this, this matter will be judged on the evidence that is brought before us.
[17:33] Nothing else will matter outside these doors, not what you put on social media, not what we hear, not what we discuss.
[17:40] the matter brought before us will be judged on the evidence that is brought
[17:45] into us before each member up here and we will make that decision in the best
[17:50] interest of the city of Stockbridge. I thank you for that in that point of
[17:55] privilege and what I like to do now is I like to call for a motion to adjourn the
[18:01] me into executive session.
[18:11] All in favor?
[18:15] Who made the motion? I make a motion that we
[18:21] move to executive session to discuss legal real estate, cyber security, and personnel
[18:27] matters. All in favor? We will adjourn to executive
[18:34] session and we'll come back out. Thank you.
[21:03] Mr. Edmondson.
[21:06] Is the mayor in place? Is the judge brought in? You need to be in place or no?
[21:10] He's over there.
[21:13] Mr. Edmondson, is there a reason why this officer is standing right here in front of me?
[21:20] He said he was instructed to stand there.
[21:24] Do you mind, sir, standing in the back? Thank you, sir.
[21:29] All right. Council, I need a motion to reconvene the meeting.
[21:33] Second. Oh. Motion. You're making a motion?
[21:38] Oh, you're going to make a motion.
[21:41] So moved.
[21:42] Second.
[21:43] Okay. All in favor?
[21:45] Okay. Following the following executive session, we have some announcements to make.
[21:53] And it was a very productive session where both houses got to discuss.
[21:57] And we have come to mutual agreement on what is about to be announced.
[22:02] and I need the motion please.
[22:04] Mayor Pro Tem, I move to amend the previously set schedule
[22:08] from today for this matter to adopt
[22:11] on to Monday, August the 31st at five o'clock p.m.
[22:15] as the date for the virtual hearing
[22:18] for the hearing officer to address
[22:20] the Mayor Williams recusal petition.
[22:23] And furthermore to adopt Saturday, September the 12th
[22:26] at nine o'clock a.m. here at City Hall
[22:29] as a date for the final investigative hearing.
[22:34] Okay, certainly I just want to make sure that everything is clear and is transparent.
[22:41] Mr. Kenner, is that what we agreed upon?
[22:44] Yes.
[22:45] Okay.
[22:45] Thank you.
[22:46] As you can see there was great discussion and agreement.
[22:49] We want to make sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted and that you are
[22:54] aware of what is going to happen.
[22:55] And we'll move forward from there. Is there any further discussion?
[23:00] Do we get a second?
[23:02] I need a second.
[23:04] Okay. Any further discussion?
[23:05] Yes.
[23:06] Go right ahead, Ms. Barbara.
[23:09] Mayor Pro Tem, I just want to reiterate here publicly
[23:14] that all information that our city's legal counsel
[23:21] Obtains should be shared with the full governing body.
[23:27] Every member of this governing body up to this point, I have not been provided with a lot
[23:35] of information regarding this process, regarding who's contracted to even facilitate this process.
[23:44] So I've requested contracts.
[23:47] Contracts for the public hearing officer, for the judge, and the investigator.
[23:55] I want us to be transparent, starting right here with this governing body.
[24:02] That's all. Thank you, sir.
[24:04] Thank you for your comments, Ms. Barbara.
[24:05] Certainly we want to be 100% transparent in this particular matter
[24:11] and that the public is confident and that everything not only that you see, that I see, that everyone gets to see.
[24:21] And certainly Ms. Gantt.
[24:23] 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.
[24:30] I don't want anyone to think that this council has received contracts.
[24:34] We were just, none of us have received the contracts
[24:39] and I want to be placed on the record
[24:41] as saying none of us have received them.
[24:43] Now, I haven't, maybe somebody else has,
[24:45] but if you have, please say so now.
[24:48] No, we have not, I have not received them, so.
[24:52] Mr. Berry.
[24:52] For the record.
[24:53] I have not as well.
[24:54] I have not received either,
[24:55] but we did make that determination today
[24:57] in executive session
[24:59] that all of us would receive
[25:00] the material starting today.
[25:02] So it was a consensus.
[25:03] Now, Ms. Barbra, this is your second time on this issue. Go right ahead.
[25:20] With all my comment. Thank you, sir.
[25:23] We have a motion and we have a proper second. All in favor.
[25:31] Motion carries 5-0. I would like to do this as well if
[25:38] and certainly as we are prepared to close the meeting, is there
[25:42] you know, I took a point of personal privilege to be able to make a statement earlier.
[25:46] is there if there was anyone else that would like to say something or to add a
[25:51] comment certainly now would be appropriate before we close the meeting if
[25:54] not we'll go ahead and close the meeting no no one has raised their hand so
[26:00] we will call for a motion to adjourn second all in favor thank
[26:09] you so much