Stockbridge mayor defends himself against claims of improper P-card spending
After the city of Stockbridge informed Mayor Jayden Williams he will face an investigation into allegations he misused city funds through city-issued credit cards, Williams defended his actions this week and fired back with his own call for a probe of the city’s finances — including a $32.9 million amendment to its fiscal 2024 budget.
In a nearly 90-minute livestream that can be viewed on YouTube, the 22-year-old mayor gave detailed explanations for several of the allegations against him. His legal team couched the City Council’s move to weaken the mayor’s authority and strip him of privileges as a petty effort to unseat the youngest mayor in the city’s history, and one who has questioned their leadership.
“I do feel like this is political,” Williams said in this week’s livestream, adding, “I’m willing to fight, 10 toes down, behind the city of Stockbridge.”
None of the city’s five council members responded to phone messages from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution seeking comment Tuesday.
The mayor’s attorney, Robert Kenner Jr., acknowledged to the AJC that Williams should not have used his city-issued purchasing card to buy some items, but added that no one from the city trained him on proper spending after he became mayor in January.
Kenner also blamed some of the purchases by Williams on his naivety.
The investigation includes a review of more than $4,000 spent on donations and purchases made by the mayor at restaurants, stores and elsewhere. The city attorney sent Williams a 21-page letter, dated July 17, on behalf of the City Council that lists allegations against the mayor and notifies him there will be an “independent investigation.”
The majority of the purchases are for amounts under $100.
One transaction line shows $35 paid to a barber. Kenner said the mayor meant to pay for a haircut with his personal card but accidentally used his P-card because they are the same color, and that he has reimbursed the city.
The allegations in the letter also include an April 5 charge to a sporting goods store for $161. The mayor submitted a form that said the charge was for a golf tournament. A receipt showed he bought clothes, including Nike pants.
The letter adds that the mayor spent $21.59 at a clothing store and submitted a form for the purchase that says it was for a “Move with the Mayor” event. But the receipt says the charge was for a clothing item.
Asked about the apparent spending on clothes, Kenner told the AJC his client bought pants to wear to an event because, as he was heading there, his pants had ripped.
Other allegations include the mayor had a city-owned vehicle checked out in his name for 183 days and “the Vehicle Assignment Log shows multiple entries of extended vehicle use without coinciding City business.”
The list also says a city vehicle was present at a nightclub while checked out by Williams, and a vehicle was damaged while checked out under Williams’ name. It is unclear if the damaged vehicle is the same one documented as being at the nightclub.
In the livestream, Williams said he did not receive a vehicle usage policy until two or three weeks ago. Regarding the letter’s mention of damage to a vehicle, he said two other city employees also had access to it.
Earlier this month, the City Council restricted Williams’ access to city property and suspended P-card and fuel card privileges, and his use of city-owned vehicles.
Kenner said Williams makes $22,000 per year as mayor and has his own consulting company. But because he essentially has no city employees assisting him, according to Kenner, the mayor uses his own money to pay for outside help with marketing, social media and organization.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in Henry County Superior Court, Williams seeks to void the council’s resolution and asks the court to restore his access to the mayor’s office, official email, records and other property to perform his duties.
A Tuesday news release stated Williams is asking the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to review the city’s finances and “the circumstances surrounding the $32.9 million budget discrepancy,” a reference to last summer’s budget amendment.
Kenner added the request is for a forensic audit of the city’s spending over the past five years.
Former Mayor Anthony Ford told the AJC in November that Williams likely beat him in that month’s election because of “misinformation” circulating about the budget amendment. He said there was a misconception in the community that he and the council mismanaged that money, or that it was stolen.
Instead, the amendment was to correct a mistake by city staff of transferring funds between accounts without council approval, according to Ford.
Council member LaKeisha Gantt acknowledged to the AJC at the time that some of the $32.9 million covered operational expenses for the city’s VyStar Amphitheater at The Bridge, a popular entertainment venue the city has repeatedly subsidized since its 2021 opening.