Stonecrest mayor faces possible censure after City Hall incident

The City of Stonecrest has asked the Georgia Municipal Association for help in investigating an incident involving Mayor Jazzmin Cobble and the city’s finance director that became so heated that police were called before a City Council meeting earlier this month.

The City Council, which is considering censuring the mayor, asked for assistance because the city’s Human Resources director wasn’t available at the time, according to Mayor Pro Tem Tara Graves.

The GMA has provided the city with contacts for audit and investigation resources, including contacts from the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government; recommendations for HR consultants and referral to other cities that have experience in addressing similar incidents, according to GMA spokesperson Latisha Gray.

Stonecrest officials have declined to comment on the status or scope of the investigation.

The incident under review happened June 25, and involves an allegation by city finance director Keisha Franklin that Cobble became “verbally aggressive” toward her during a dispute over a check for the mayor’s hotel accommodations for a conference in Savannah, according to a police report.

Franklin told police the mayor used an expletive when shouting at her: “Print me a check now or find another … job.” Franklin said she felt threatened during the encounter and attempted to lock herself in her office, but the mayor did not relent, blocked her door and continued yelling from the outside, the police report says.

The interaction ended, the police report says, after a brief shouting match between the two when Franklin came out of her office.

Franklin declined to comment to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Stonecrest City Manager Cathy Turner read a statement from Franklin during a July 2 meeting, at which the council discussed potentially censuring the mayor. The statement said Cobble told Franklin police couldn’t do anything to her because she was the mayor, and this is “her city.”

Cobble also read a statement during the meeting — from her attorney, Bryan Tyson. That statement said the city shouldn’t censure the mayor because the city charter requires a formal investigation before considering the action, or discussing the matter publicly.

Later in the meeting, the council asked GMA for help with an investigation.

Stonecrest City Hall. (Courtesy of City of Stonecrest)

In a statement provided to the AJC, the mayor said: “My attorney and I look forward to the City following its policies to ensure a fair process so that all facts are presented and considered. If and when that happens, we are prepared to speak publicly.”

Council member Alecia Washington told the AJC that discussing possible censure of the mayor “speaks to how we feel about what happened.”

“We just made it public that her actions were not something that we want to say that we agree with,” Washington said.

There have been other issues involving the mayor, including allegations that she refused to sign an employment agreement with the new city manager despite the city charter requiring her to do so.

Graves, the mayor pro tem, wrote on Facebook after the meeting that the city needs to be transparent in its actions.

“For this council, the goal is transparency, I think that’s what was missing in the city before,” Graves told the AJC.