A College Park councilman has filed an ethics complaint against the mayor following a contentious City Council meeting that ended abruptly when two councilmembers walked out.
Council members Joe Carn and Roderick Gay exited the City Council meeting on Monday, leaving Mayor Bianca Motley Broom without a quorum to complete the agenda. The officials were scheduled to vote on the proposed city budget among other items.
Accusations of racism were raised by the councilmen and the mayor.
“... This has turned disgustingly personal and racist,” Motley Broom said during the meeting.
Gay filed an ethics complaint against Motley Broom on Wednesday citing a “prejudiced environment.”
Motley Broom, Gay and Carn are Black. Their colleagues, Councilman Ambrose Clay and Ken Allen are white.
The mayor said she has been accused of having a bias against Black men during her tenure and describes it as a political tactic.
“... The insinuation that I would have any animus, any issues with anyone based upon their race or their gender is outside of any (realm),” Motley Broom said, “And I will tell you this for the record: this is politics at its ugliest.
“It’s a show to inflame people, to divide people and it’s disgusting.”
Heated exchanges surrounded the controversial renewal contract of College Park’s lobbying firm, Peachtree Government Relations. Carn took issue with the mayor denying Gay a second opportunity to comment before council voted, and said that minutes earlier Clay was permitted remarks in similar fashion.
“How can you expect to have a fair and equitable meeting ... if you’re going by double standards and two sets of rules,” Carn said. “And the only difference I can see with these four men up here is that two of us are men of color.”
The lobbying firm contract was approved in a split vote with Carn and Gay casting the opposing votes.
Gay says he is still disappointed in the firm’s handling of College Park legislation last year that was intended to give a tax exemption to low-income homeowners over age 65.
Channel 2 Action News reported last July that Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation but College Park officials did not put it on the November 2022 ballot because language in the bill stated the exemption would be for all homeowners over 65.
Phone calls to Carn and Motley Brooms’ office were not returned.
Gay’s ethics complaint lists five examples that he says show unfair treatment.
“She is allowing some members to speak without obstruction from her while other council members are not permitted to express themselves in the same manner,” Gay states in his complaint.
College Park is the subject of several lawsuits following complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission citing a hostile workplace. Gay who has a lawsuit against the city filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia says he’s witnessed harassment against employees by elected officials.
The city is also facing a joint federal discrimination lawsuit by Deputy Police Chief Sharis McCrary and former City Manager Darnetta Tyus; as well as a joint lawsuit by former Acting Communications Manager Mahersala Howard and former city engineer Loretta Washington.
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