Residents divided as rift between College Park mayor, city council grows

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - Tensions continue in College Park as the city’s mayor having filed a second lawsuit against her own city council, accusing them of breaking the law by voting to censure her behind closed doors. The controversy came as city leaders met Friday to discuss the hiring of a new city manager following the abrupt removal of the previous manager in January. 

In the most recent development, College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom sat face-to-face with the city council, just a day after filing the lawsuit, alleging that the council's closed-door vote to censure her violated the Georgia Open Meetings Act. 

"I feel like they’re not talking to each other. They’re not communicating," said College Park resident Elizabeth Lester. 

The city council had previously excluded the public from the meeting room last month, just before the controversial censure vote. On Thursday, the mayor responded with legal action, claiming the vote and the secrecy surrounding it undermined transparency in local government. 

"I really believe that some of the things could be handled by us just having communication with each other," said Jamelle McKenzie, a councilmember representing Ward 1, who expressed surprise at the lawsuit. 

Mayor Motley Broom said the legal move was necessary "to protect the integrity of our local government." However, the focus of Friday’s town hall meeting shifted to the city’s search for a new city manager, following the council’s decision in January to oust the previous manager, costing taxpayers $139,000 in severance and damages. 

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Among the three finalists for the position is interim city manager Dr. Emmanuel Adediran, whose tenure has sparked concern from some city residents due to an exodus of city employees since he took over. 

"I have some concerns about our interim manager and how he has interacted with many of our employees, allowing residents to harass the employees," Lester said. 

Despite the turmoil, other residents, such as Rex Willis, who has lived in College Park for 45 years, praised Adediran’s efforts during a challenging period. "He’s done a great job. There’s been a lot of turmoil, so there’s been a lot of navigating," Willis said. 

Willis also emphasized the need for city leaders to come together. "College Park is a great city. But it don’t look like it the way it’s been looking lately, OK? I had admit that. So, we have to turn it around." 

Lester, a supporter of the mayor, expressed her distrust in the council. "We feel like the council doesn’t necessarily have our best interest at heart," she said. 

With the list of city manager candidates narrowed down, McKenzie indicated that a final decision could be made in the coming days.