Stockbridge City Council votes to remove mayor from office

The Stockbridge City Council voted to remove Mayor Jayden Williams from office on Saturday, after a daylong hearing punctuated by allegations of sexual misconduct, unauthorized spending and mistreatment of city employees.

The mayor can now appeal that decision to Henry County Superior Court. It was not immediately clear Saturday night whether he will do so.

Williams, 23, took office in January after defeating incumbent Anthony Ford in the November election and became the youngest mayor ever in the city of roughly 30,000 people.

The city’s charter says three votes are needed for removal. Council members Kyle D. Berry Sr., Elton Alexander and Antwan Cloud voted to impeach Williams after deliberating in executive session. Yolanda Barber did not appear to vote either way and declined to comment afterward.

Council member LaKeisha Gantt did not vote because the hearing officer presiding over the proceeding removed her from the panel, saying Aug. 31 that she had shown bias against the mayor and “animus” toward him.

Williams’ attorney has couched the council’s move to weaken his authority, strip him of privileges and initiate an “independent investigation” of his conduct as a petty effort to unseat a young leader who questioned their leadership.

On Saturday morning, before the hearing began, city officials said they were uncertain how the mayor’s seat would be filled if the council voted to remove him. The charter, however, says a special election would fill such a vacancy for the remainder of a term that expires in six months or more, as is the case with Williams’ seat.

After the vote, the council returned to executive session. Attorney Robbie Ashe, who was one of the prosecutors for the hearing, said the council was discussing next steps.

Saturday marked the second time in recent memory that the Stockbridge City Council voted to remove the city’s mayor, though none of its current members was on the council at the time.