More than 20 former Roswell elected leaders are blasting the current mayor and the City Council, expressing alarm at the direction of the city and demanding greater transparency.

In a letter made public Wednesday, 21 former elected officials call on Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson and City Council members to pause development at Mimosa Hall & Gardens until an independent review and a “formal historical impact assessment” can be done with input from preservation experts.

The removal of trees outside the antebellum property — which is the site of a redevelopment project meant to connect green spaces — prompted an outcry in June.

Among other demands, the letter calls for an “independent, transparent, third-party audit of recent consulting contracts, land purchases, and capital allocations to verify that voter-approved bond and T-SPLOST promises have been honored.”

“The destruction at Mimosa Hall is just the latest in a series of troubling decisions that you have made that are eroding public trust and putting Roswell’s future at risk,” the letter says.

Jere Wood, who was mayor of Roswell for two decades until 2017, said he was so angry about the tree removal that he reached out to former officials in hopes of spurring action. This led to the letter and a news conference set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in downtown Roswell.

The removal of trees outside Mimosa Hall — which is the site of a redevelopment project meant to connect green spaces — prompted an outcry in June. (Courtesy of the city of Roswell)

Credit: City of Roswell

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Credit: City of Roswell

“It was extraordinary, it was magical, and now it’s a parking lot,” Wood said Tuesday. “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot — that is what has been done. And they did it by surprise.”

A request to interview Wilson, who is up for reelection this year, was declined. The terms for three of the six City Council seats also expire this year.

Roswell officials pushed back at their critics, saying project designs were shared with “stakeholder groups” including the preservation group Friends of Mimosa Hall & Gardens. The project is part of the city’s Founders Park initiative to unify Roswell’s historic sites into a walkable corridor.

“Jere Wood is trying to exert his influence and power and make himself important and stir things up in an election season,” City Council member Allen Sells said Tuesday, adding that the city’s financial position is “unassailable.”

Roswell City Council member Allen Sells pushed back Tuesday against criticism from 21 former Roswell elected leaders. (Courtesy of Allen Sells)

Credit: Courtesy Allen Sells

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Credit: Courtesy Allen Sells

City of Roswell spokesperson Julie Brechbill acknowledged that city officials could have done more to inform the public about the tree removal before it happened.

“We could have done a better job,” she said.

Signatories of the letter also heaped criticism on the city’s current leaders for allowing only city residents to speak at open forum meetings and regular council meetings — not people who run businesses in the city but don’t live there.

They also criticized the city for laying off 20 employees late last year, though officials say they also have added positions.

Lori Henry, a former Roswell mayor and council member, said the city’s budget contained a “false revenue stream,” referring to an anticipated $2.2 million in “parking charges.”

“When they passed that budget, I knew immediately there was no way in hell they can create that kind of revenue from parking that doesn’t exist and parking that’s not currently in the stream of ‘paid parking,’” Henry said Tuesday.

Lori Henry, a former Roswell mayor and City Council member, said the city’s budget contained a “false revenue stream.” (Courtesy)
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Brechbill said Tuesday that the city has revised the projection, but as of Wednesday morning, she had not provided the new figure.

“Legally we are required to have a balanced budget, and we always have a balanced budget,” Brechbill said. “I think what they’re saying is unfounded.”

The critics also questioned the city’s payment of up to $2 million per year to its economic development consultant, Seer World, which was selected through a request for proposals process.

In 2023, however, City Council member Sarah Beeson criticized the city for a lack of transparency in hiring the firm through a no-bid contract for advice on real estate acquisitions and the development of a stadium and entertainment district.

Brechbill said Tuesday that Seer is helping the city locate and negotiate land for a United Soccer League stadium and entertainment district, under a $250,000 agreement. She said she could not elaborate because of ongoing negotiations.

City Attorney David Davidson said contracts “for real estate purposes” are “exempt from the purchasing process.”

“We are compliant with everything, ethically, legally, in everything that we’ve done,” Davidson said.

“If they think we have done something wrong, Jere Wood is an attorney and he’s free to sue the city,” Davidson added. “But he won’t because he knows we’ve done things correctly, that it would be a frivolous lawsuit and he would have to pay our attorney fees.”

This is a developing story. Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

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