Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid and Commissioner Monique Sheffield will hold a town hall Feb. 16 to listen to and address concerns recently raised by the Mableton community about the new city.
Voters approved the Mableton referendum in November, and many residents have said the ballot question itself was unclear, with some not aware they were within the city boundaries. Residents have also referenced the ballot errors during early voting — one street did not have the cityhood question on the ballot, and the question was incorrectly duplicated on others, causing some confusion at the polls.
All of that has led some to call for a re-vote on the cityhood referendum. However, removing portions of the new city from its boundaries is the more likely option for lawmakers to address the growing movement of residents who want out.
This week, Cupid and Sheffield both attended the Cobb delegation meeting, where Mableton residents pushed state lawmakers at the Capitol to remove them from the city. Cupid told lawmakers they should change the cityhood process for the future to ensure residents have adequate notice and understand exactly what they are voting for.
“There was a lot of confusion around ballot language and what it meant,” she said to state lawmakers. “There’s an issue of lack of notice; there’s an issue of a lack of clarity, what some are perceiving to be just plain deceit.”
Cupid said her aim in hosting a town hall is to listen, answer questions and show the county’s support no matter what happens during the city’s transition.
“We want to give them assurance that we are willing to work with whoever is at the table, however things shake out,” she added.
County employees from various departments will also be present to answer questions about county services during the city of Mableton’s transition. The town hall meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Cobb County police training center.
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