South Fulton Mayor khalid kamau, who has faced harsh criticism over his spending and his international travel on the taxpayer dime, announced he will not seek reelection in November and is “scaling back” his public schedule.
Reversing his previously stated plan to run for a second term as mayor, kamau (who does not capitalize his names) announced this week that the annual “State of the City” event on May 1 will be his “farewell address.”
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, kamau discussed how little he gets paid despite the many demands of the job. His annual city salary is about $47,000.
“Being mayor is more than just chairing these sometimes eight-hour meetings and the hours of conversation and negotiation that go into putting these agendas together,” he said from the dais.
“Being mayor is also about showing up for countless school programs, church anniversaries, parades, food giveaways and more, Mayor Mondays, meetings with constituents, and meeting all of them in their homes to hear about their HOA conflicts … their needs for speed bumps and desires not to be surrounded by warehouses and data centers.”
He said he has “been on food stamps” and turned down job offers so he could make being mayor his only priority.
“To do all of this for over 100,000 people, I am paid about $40,000 per year, about $20 an hour, the salary of a parks groundskeeper or sales associate at Target,” kamau said.
Earlier this year, the City Council called for a forensic audit of his public spending, temporarily barred him from city buildings and seized some items that council members allege he purchased improperly, including a pool table for the mayoral suite that cost $1,830.
The council also previously stripped kamau of access to the mayoral budget and determined that his wages will be garnished to pay back the city more than $5,000 for a large, vinyl mural installed in the mayoral suite in City Hall.
Credit: Courtesy of city of South Fulton
Credit: Courtesy of city of South Fulton
According to P-card statements obtained through Georgia’s Open Records Act, kamau spent $77,032 last year, an amount surpassed by only three other people with city-issued cards. Kamau’s spending included travel to Washington, D.C., for a conference; two trips to Colombia; Rwanda for a business trip; Paris, France, for the Olympics; D.C. again for a Pride event; Canada for the Toronto Film Festival; and Ghana, in western Africa, for a 21-day trip.
He has previously characterized visits to Colombia and Ghana as trade missions.
Kamau declined to comment for this story beyond his public statements. In a past interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the mayor described himself as frugal and characterized the criticism of his spending by council members as political mudslinging.
In a news release, kamau said that serving his hometown, first as a City Council member and then as mayor, has been one of his greatest joys and honors. He said he did not wish to fight for four more years “atop South Fulton’s Game of Thrones.”
“Only when we refuse to let our rivalries guide our policymaking will we recognize that injustice and inequity are our real enemies,” he said in the statement.
The qualification process for the city’s November elections takes place in August. In addition to the mayor’s seat, elections will be held for council seats in districts 2, 4 and 6.
South Fulton Council member Carmalitha Gumbs, who represents District 2, has announced her intention to run for mayor. South Fulton’s former mayor, William “Bill” Edwards, also has said he is running, along with Kelvin Davis, a Navy veteran who works as a systems architect and engineer for the federal government.
Davis said he would bring a fresh approach to the position while focusing on integrity and transparency. Edwards said the city needs his “maturity, expertise and relationships with other officials.” Gumbs said she will focus on integrity, accountability and leadership and moving the city out from a “cloud” of controversy.
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