Clayton Commissioner Felicia Franklin, who made date-rape drug claims, stepping down

Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin is stepping down from her post representing District 3 of the south metro Atlanta community. (Chris Day/Christopher.Day)

Credit: Chris Day

Credit: Chris Day

Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin is stepping down from her post representing District 3 of the south metro Atlanta community. (Chris Day/Christopher.Day)

Clayton County Commissioner Felicia Franklin announced Monday that she is stepping down from her District 3 seat.

Franklin posted a resignation letter she sent to Gov. Brian Kemp informing him of her decision on her Facebook page. Her last day will be at the end of this month.

“I am resigning as a Clayton County Commissioner effective June 30, 2024 and wanted to give you ample notice in case you need to appoint someone to fulfill the remainder of my term,” Franklin wrote in the letter. “I have enjoyed serving the citizens of Clayton County and our beloved State of Georgia. However, I have been presented an opportunity I must take advantage of at this time.”

Franklin could not immediately be reached for comment.

Franklin recently came in third place in a race to replace Jeff Turner as chairman of the Clayton Commission. Fellow Commissioner Alieka Anderson and former Clayton County Tax Commissioner Terry Baskin are in a runoff for the position, which will be decided by voters during Tuesday’s election.

Franklin is in her second term on the commission and has been one of its most vocal members in recent years.

She came under intense scrutiny last year after she was found prone on the ground outside a bar at Southlake Mall in late September.

In an October Facebook post, Franklin alleged that someone at the establishment spiked her drink with a date rape drug and demanded an investigation.

Morrow Police found no evidence to back Franklin’s assertions. They said video of the eatery showed Franklin drinking heavily that night — she consumed parts of five drinks — and a toxicology report found cannabis in her system.

Her colleagues in late October voted to strip her of her role as vice chairwoman as a sanction related to the September incident.