Before a standing-room crowd, the Forest Park City Council took steps Monday night to oust one of its members accused of ethics abuses, but not before giving Karen-Brandee Williams a final chance next week to say why she should keep the office she was elected to 18 months ago.
The Council set a July 28 public hearing on the removal of Williams, who has been accused of using city money to buy T-shirts for her supporters and berating city employees. The council decided on the hearing after Williams' supporters and two of the three citizens who brought the original ethics charges against her addressed council.
"It's disappointing for any elected official to have to go through something like this when they feel they've been doing the best they can to serve the people, which is what I've done," Williams said after the meeting. "I'm always mindful to ask questions or inquire about a matter before I just step out and do something, and that's a practice that I brought into this position, not knowing that it was going to be twisted and conspired against me. All along this has been a waste of taxpayer dollars, the effort they've taken to remove me from office."
The city has spent more than $12,000 on the Williams ethics case. In May, a hearing officer found enough evidence to sustain 15 of the 25 ethics charges against Williams. The hearing officer concluded Williams violated city codes when she bought T-shirts for her supporters.
"She clearly violated section 2-1-49 of the ethics code and possible state campaign/election laws" according to a press release handed out after the meeting by city attorney Robert Mack.
The hearing officer also found that Williams violated the city's ethics code and charter by issuing orders to city employees and department heads in a "rude and disrespectful manner," which the city claimed in the release was "disruptive to the normal daily business of city government." Williams also attempted to use her position to take advantage of the city's discount with Office Depot, the release added.
Williams has filed an appeal against the rulings in Clayton County Superior Court.
Council members hurriedly left the building at the end of the meeting without making any comments. Mack noted that Williams does not face any criminal charges.
"She won't have a criminal record," he said, noting that the worst that can happen to Williams is that she is removed from office, fined or both. Williams could appeal the outcome of the 6 p.m. July 28 hearing and would remain in office pending that appeal.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Municipal Association, which represents more than 500 cities, said the organization has been observing the case.
GMA's Amy Henderson said efforts to remove elected officials over ethics violations are "not a usual occurrence. It's pretty rare when it happens."
She noted there are more than 200 cities in the state that are certified ethics cities, municipalities that pledge themselves to be ethical governments, going so far as to adopt ethics ordinances. Forest Park is not among those cities, Henderson said.
If Williams ultimately losses her Ward 2 seat, an election would be held to fill it. During Monday's meeting, the city distributed documents related to her case, including a copy of a receipt from Williams for a $1,990 chair for her to use during council meetings.
Williams suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder. She uses a motorized wheelchair to get around.
"It's funny they're not distributing the $200 or $400 chair selections I submitted, " Williams said. "That wasn't the first chair I asked for. The first chair I asked for was $200 and they ignored it."
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