Chattahoochee Hills councilman apologizes in face of fierce backlash

A Chattahoochee Hills city councilman publicly apologized for a second time during Tuesday’s council meeting, facing a fierce backlash from the community for his belligerent comments about two women.

Schmidt took the podium first during public comment and stood facing roughly 120 residents, conceding that his actions “disappointed a lot of people.”

“People that know me know that it’s not me,” he said, “and I disappointed my family, I disappointed my community. I said some things that were hurtful, and I probably disappointed some citizens. And I understand that. I do apologize for that.”

He added: “Sometimes we let emotions get the best of us.”

But several residents pointed to a pattern of bad behavior by the four-term councilman.

Laurie Searle said during the meeting that Schmidt verbally abused her when she was a city council member.

“While the council has done its best at the time not to antagonize Schmidt and consider options to prevent such outbursts, the end result is that Schmidt created a difficult working relationship which negatively impacted the council staff and citizens,” she said.

“I do not accept your apology,” Searle added.

In his recorded remarks about the city contractor, Schmidt threatened to “tear her feet off” during the phone call last month with City Manager Robbie Rokovitz. Schmidt also told Rokovitz to “get that dog under control,” among other disparaging comments.

The city has turned over the profanity-laced recording, along with a recent bodycam video of Schmidt talking to a city police officer, to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Rokovitz said he began recording conversations with Schmidt in June, after the councilman allegedly threatened to punch a fellow councilman during an unrecorded, in-person conversation.

In the nearly 15-minute phone call, which was obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Schmidt made what Rokovitz called “egregious” comments about contractor Judy Walker and two other people.

Walker compiles Chatt Hills City News, a city-funded newsletter. She told the AJC she had emailed Schmidt and other local candidates the same seven questions, aiming to publish the responses in the newsletter.

In the call with Rokovitz, Schmidt complains that Walker told him she “would hate to put in there that I refuse to answer the questions,” after he said he didn’t want to participate in the questionnaire.

“Tell her if she ever acts as if she has some authority over me again, I will ruin her in a public setting,” Schmidt told the city manager.

Schmidt, in both his phone call with Rokovitz and his recorded conversation with a police officer, mentioned Tiffanie Towns, an outspoken constituent who has posted unflattering remarks about Schmidt’s leadership on social media.

Calling her a derogatory word, Schmidt said on the phone call that he’s going to “make her famous before long” and added that “she’s running around running that mouth.”

On Tuesday, Towns confronted Schmidt during public comment. “Here I am running that mouth again,” she said.

“I am definitely not going to be intimidated by the likes of Richie Schmidt,” Towns added. “Unlike many people in this town, I’m not afraid of you, sir.”

Another resident, Steve Mapel, talked about why he loves Chattahoochee Hills.

“I love that when our neighbors, Judy Walker and Tiffanie Towns, are targeted by an elected official, people here don’t look the other way,” Mapel said. “We stand up, we show up, we speak up.”