The city council of Stockbridge, Georgia, removed the city’s mayor from office over allegations that he exchanged nude photos with a teen and misused a city credit card.
Officials for the city, 17 miles southeast of Atlanta, said that former Mayor Jayden Williams, 23, who was not named in the release, would be removed from office following action by the city’s council on Saturday.
The council said in a news release Monday that municipal business and the activities of the city manager and departments would continue uninterrupted. Stockbridge operates under a council-manager system of government, in which the city manager has jurisdiction over much of the day-to-day administration of the city, according to WANF-TV.
Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander will serve as the city’s mayor though he does not plan to run in the eventual special election to replace Mr. Williams.
“For me to run for mayor means giving up my ability to vote, and I would never do that,” he said, according to WUPA-TV.
A probe conducted by a law firm hired by the city alleged that Mr. Williams exchanged explicit images with a male high school student who had just turned 18 after the two discussed the student possibly joining a mentorship program run by Mr. Williams, according to NBC News.
Robert Kenner, who is representing Mr. Williams, said that the communications took place in December, after Mr. Williams was elected but before he took office, according to NBC News.
“This whole process smells bad. They did not bring one shred of evidence that while he was in office he had any type of sexual misconduct,” Mr. Kenner told WSB-TV, adding that his client plans to seek legal options.
Mr. Kenner also alleged that Mr. Williams was targeted for his sexual orientation and young age.
In addition to the photo allegations, Stockbridge officials also accused Mr. Williams of abusing a city credit card by using it for $4,000 in personal expenses including food, clothing and a haircut, according to WAGA-TV.
Mr. Williams said that some of the purchases were an accident because his city card was the same color as his personal card, and that he reimbursed the city for the expenses, according to WXIA-TV.
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