The mayor of College Park is receiving both support and backlash from her decision to file a federal lawsuit against the city.
Anger and embarrassment were sentiments expressed by residents to Mayor Bianca Motley Broom and City Council during a regular meeting Monday.
During public comment, some urged the mayor to drop the federal lawsuit that she filed Friday. Others, such as resident Susan Coleman, spoke in support of the mayor and urged officials to focus on the needs of College Park as the city is falling behind the growth of nearby Hapeville, East Point and Fairburn.
Motley Broom, the first woman and Black mayor in the city’s history, alleges in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta that the city — and specifically her colleagues on the City Council — have prohibited her from participating in debate on city council agenda items during meetings. The lawsuit also alleges they are trying to “remove her duties and responsibilities as presiding officer of the city council.”
The day Motley Broom filed the litigation, she and city council members gathered at Lake Lanier for a weekend retreat to try to bridge the divide.
During a regular City Council meeting on Monday, Councilman Roderick Gay read a statement saying he and fellow councilmembers feel blindsided by the litigation. They learned about the lawsuit through news media reports, he said.
Hostility has brewed between the mayor and Gay, as well as Councilman Joe Carn, for more than a year. In January 2023, Gay considered a lawsuit against the city by filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission citing a hostile work environment for employees, and his being passed over for the role of Mayor Pro Tem.
Last June, Gay and Carn left a council meeting before it ended, taking issue with the mayor’s decision to deny Gay a second opportunity to comment on an agenda item before a vote. The exit left the council without a quorum.
Two new councilwomen elected in November, Jamelle McKenzie and Tracie Arnold, appear to be in step with their fellow councilmen on issues regarding the mayor. McKenzie has said that she follows the city charter.
During Monday’s meeting, residents speaking during the public comment period all seemed to agree that College Park’s reputation is at risk.
James Walker, chairman of The Real Change Foundation, said client developers intending to build 50 affordable townhome units in College Park backed out of their plans on Monday.
“They said they want nothing to do with College Park,” Walker said, “... What I am shining a light on is the hypocrisy that continues to flow from the head of this body. If you are truly interested in healing this city, Madam Mayor, I don’t think this is the way to go about it. Sadly enough, we will continue to be the laughing stock of the South and not the jewel that we can be.”
(Walker is a former mayoral candidate and challenged Motley Broom in last November’s mayoral race.)
Resident Althea Morris said she is ”embarrassed and appalled” after receiving calls from people in other cities inquiring about the actions of College Park officials.
“I think it is absurd to have (the mayor) sit in meetings where she is muted and cannot speak,” Morris said.
Resident Andy Gosch added: “It’s a sad day that one member of the government has to sue the rest for her right to speak ... It begs the question that if you don’t want her to speak — why not?”
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