Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is back from medical leave, but residents would be hard-pressed to notice based on Monday’s City Council meetings.
The five-member council hardly acknowledged Lary’s return aside from taking roll, and the number of words Lary said Monday evening could be counted on two hands. The meetings, which lasted roughly two and a half hours, took place virtually, but Lary was among the city leaders who did not turn on their video cameras.
Lary announced he would begin an indefinite paid medical leave April 15 at a news conference where he refuted the findings of a bombshell investigative report that alleged the city’s $6.2 million federal coronavirus relief program was mismanaged and misused. Lary was among those implicated in the report, which prompted several city employees to be fired and replaced this spring.
City Attorney Winston Denmark’s investigation found evidence of a kickback scheme baked into the city’s small business and nonprofit grant programs. The City Council gave Denmark approval to continue his investigation, but no updates have been provided since the end of April. In addition, a third-party audit into the city’s purchasing card program found widespread misuse, leading the council to revamp the program and revoke Lary’s card.
Acting City Manager Janice Allen Jackson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday that Lary ended his medical leave the week before. Neither Lary nor the city announced his return publicly. Lary did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the AJC.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
A city spokeswoman provided the AJC with a statement Wednesday morning that said: “We’re glad Mayor Jason Lary’s health has improved and that he feels well enough to return to his role as mayor. As he is the one who announced his medical leave, we respect his free agency to share updates as he sees fit.”
Lary began his leave shortly after the state Legislature approved an amended city charter for Stonecrest which shifted the city’s power structure away from the mayor to the city council and city manager. Under the new structure, the mayor no longer presides over meetings or votes except to break a tie. Lary, who called the charter change “a power grab,” rarely spoke at council meetings after the new charter went into effect.
That held true Monday during a special called meeting and a regularly scheduled work session. Lary only spoke to confirm his attendance.
The special called meetings primarily concerned appointments to various boards and the creation of a community improvement district committee. The work session included discussions on several topics, such as resurfacing projects, a partnership with the Stonecrest Housing Authority and when the city might return to in-person meetings.
The city has held its meetings virtually since the onset of the pandemic, but the council discussed returning to in-person meetings during the work session. Most cities in DeKalb County have returned to holding in-person meetings while simultaneously streaming them for the public.
There were some technical issues Monday during both meetings that prevented the participants from being heard. Lary was having issues saying he present at the beginning of both meetings, and Mayor Pro Tem George Turner and Denmark were also affected at points.
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