Stockbridge mayor dustup delayed as council sorts process, bias

For some of the 50-plus attendees at a planned investigative hearing into a litany of misconduct allegations against Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams, Saturday was a disappointment.

Instead of immediately tackling questions of whether the mayor misused his city-issued purchasing card or if he committed sexual misconduct, the council must first consider whether one of its own is too biased to participate in the hearings, a judge told the crowd of observers on Saturday.

Retired Judge Gino Brogdon Sr., the hearing officer presiding over the City Council process that could lead to Williams’ removal, said Henry County Superior Court Chief Judge Holly Veal has asked him to decide whether council member LaKeisha Gantt can remain in the process.

Retired Judge Gino Brogdon Sr. is the hearing officer for the Stockbridge City Council process that could lead to the mayor's removal from office. He spoke during a proceeding on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

The 23-year-old Williams, the youngest mayor elected in the city’s history, faces an independent investigation of allegations including misusing city-issued purchasing cards, using a city vehicle for personal purposes, and sexual misconduct, among others.

The council voted unanimously to move the mayor’s hearing to Saturday, Sept. 12 at 9 a.m., at City Hall, and to schedule a virtual hearing Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. for Brogdon to decide whether Gantt should be disqualified.

Frank Turpin, a Stockbridge resident of three years who attended Saturday’s proceeding, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution city officials failed to tell the public in advance that the investigative hearing would be rescheduled.

“It seems like a decision was made prior to today,” Turpin said. “They should have gotten that information out to the community that the hearing actually wouldn’t take place.”

Turpin, 67, said he is concerned by the allegations against Williams and that the community has been buzzing about the entire situation.

“We’re talking about this at the cleaners, at the grocery stores, and so on and so forth,” he said.

Another city resident, Lisa Brevard, said she had hoped the hearing would happen Saturday. She said she supports Williams and believes the city’s allegations against him are trumped up.

Brevard, 62, who has lived in Stockbridge about eight years, said her theory is that the council simply wants to get rid of Williams, who took office in January, because he’s asking too many questions about how the elected leaders are running the city.

“He started investigating,” she said. “He wants transparency. That’s what he ran on, transparency.”