South Fulton mayor makes personal, pro-Palestine statements on city time, leaders complain

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - A South Fulton city council member has accused the mayor of using a swearing-in ceremony to make an unauthorized personal, political statement.

Over the weekend, Mayor Khalid Kamau reasserted his solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza as several city council members were sworn in. Council member Linda Pritchett said he had no authority to do so.

"I stand here in solidarity with the people of Palestine," the mayor said. "This conflict has been heavy on my heart these past few months." 

Pritchett says the problem isn’t with what he said, but rather the role in which he said it. Pritchett says the mayor is supposed to represent South Fulton at official, public events.

"Where he chose … the timing … it was just inappropriate," Pritchett said.

Pritchett says the city charter requires city leaders to clearly state ahead of time when they’re expressing their own personal opinions when acting in an official capacity and make it clear those views are not those of the city. 

"He must disclose that those comments are his," Pritchett said. "Council members, including the mayor, shall state that and do not represent the governing body of the city." 

Pritchett says the mayor did not have council’s approval to voice his personal opinions at an official event.

"We have to understand the difference between our personal opinions and our roles as the governing body for City of South Fulton," she said. 

This latest controversy comes nearly a month after the mayor sent out a release saying he was closing his office in solidarity with the Palestinian people. FOX 5 tried to reach the mayor to get his side of the story. He would not speak on camera.

State Rep. Roger Bruce, (D) District-61, represents South Fulton. He was at the ceremony. He calls the mayor’s action inappropriate. 

"He has the right to say what he wants to say, but he is not allowed to say those things in the role of the mayor," Bruce said. "He should have prefaced it with these are my personal views, I’m not speaking on behalf of the city. He should not have said what he said in that environment without authorization from the city council to speak on behalf of the city."

Pritchett says she’ll introduce a measure to censure the mayor at Tuesday night’s first council meeting of the new year.