Name: Investigative Hearing
Uploaded: 2026-08-22T00:00:00Z
Duration: 26 min 9 s
Description: 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.

[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

Investigative Hearing

Transcript