The mayor of Milton is apologizing for holding a private meeting with a quorum of City Council members in September, in violation of the state’s open meetings law.
Mayor Peyton Jamison and all six City Council members attended the Sept. 18 private meeting at Avalon in Alpharetta. On the agenda was an election update with Milton City Manager Steve Krokoff urging officials to delay further investigation of an email Councilman Rick Mohrig accidentally sent to city officials trying to arrange a private meeting with two poll workers.
Mohrig denied sending the email and alleged that his email had been hacked. Jamison said that Krokoff warned council in the private meeting that further investigation into the matter could lead to inquiries from outside agencies — and be viewed negatively by residents.
“It was improper for us to have that discussion in that environment and that oversight falls on me,” Jamison said. “And although a lack of candor was not the intent, I regret that I did not have the proper protocol top of mind.”
Holding the meeting without public knowledge does not align with Milton’s transparency goals; he and other officials will receive training on the Georgia Open Meetings Act, Jamison said.
The private meeting took place at the North Fulton CID office at Avalon in Alpharetta, following a two-hour Milton City Council workshop that was advertised and open to the public. But shortly afterwards, the mayor and council met with Krokoff out of public view.
Following the private meeting, officials met later that day for a regular City Council meeting that was open to the public. The earlier meeting was not discussed and no information or related documents have appeared on the city website.
Jamison read an apology statement aloud during a recent City Council meeting.
Resident Laura Bentley said she sent an email last week to city attorney Ken Jarrard, Krokoff and Jamison requesting information about the private meeting, but received no response.
“I am here tonight to now demand that a full accounting this meeting be delivered to the citizens of Milton immediately,” Bentley said at the council meeting.
Resident Mary Cronk said the public has been left to speculate on what was discussed.
“Unadvertised, closed meetings — particularly in the politically charged atmosphere we are currently in — cannot happen,” Cronk said. " Please know that citizens lose trust in government when there is a lack of transparency.”
Milton’s IT department and a third party network security provider found that neither Mohrig’s email address nor the city’s computer system were hacked, Krokoff told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month.
At that time, the city manager said he was concerned that Mohrig’s meeting, which did take place, could be inappropriate considering the councilman is running for reelection.
