Lawmakers in an Atlanta suburb removed the city’s young mayor, accusing him of misusing a municipal credit card and engaging in inappropriate, sexually explicit communications with a teenager, officials said Sunday.
asserted
officials → remove → teenager
The City Council of Stockbridge, Georgia, voted 3-0 to remove Jayden Williams, 23, from office about 10 months after he was elected.
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he → vote → office
“The City of Stockbridge confirms that the City Council has taken formal action concerning the Office of Mayor following proceedings conducted pursuant to applicable City processes,” according to a city statement on Sunday.
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Council → confirm → Sunday
“As a result of that action, the Mayor has been removed from office.
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Mayor → remove → office
The city hired a law firm to investigate allegations against the youngest mayor in Stockbridge history.
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city → hire → history
The probe found that, late last year, Williams flirted with and exchanged explicit images of himself with a high school student who had just turned 18.
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who → find → student
The two had been chatting electronically, via text and Instagram instant messages, about the student joining Williams’ mentorship program.
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student → chat → program
When presented with text messages and evidence of these photos, Williams confirmed he had exchanged nude pictures.
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he → present → pictures
Williams had earlier told a local reporter that he didn’t remember whether he had ever exchanged illicit images with this young man.
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he → tell → man
“Is getting nude photographs via text message so unremarkable to you that you don’t remember when you get them?” lawyer Robbie Ashe, representing investigators, asked then-Mayor Williams during a marathon council meeting on Saturday.
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Ashe → get → Saturday
Williams insisted that sharing such material is commonplace for younger Americans.
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sharing → insist → Americans
“It’s not memorable nor is it abnormal for somebody my age,” he said.
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he → ’ → somebody
“That’s not abnormal for somebody my age.”
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That → ’ → somebody
The city now has six months to schedule a special election for the position, according to acting Mayor Elton Alexander.
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city → have → Alexander
“Removing Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams from office was a tough decision; it brings a fair and equitable close to multiple troubling accusations,” Alexander said in a statement.
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Alexander → remove → statement
Williams could not be immediately reached by NBC News for comment on Monday.
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Williams → reach → Monday
But a lawyer for Williams said the allegations against his client didn’t warrant removal from office.
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allegations → say → office
Attorney Robert Kenner also noted that any illicit communications with that young man happened in December last year, before his client took office.
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client → note → office
The former mayor also admitted to making improper purchases on his city-issued credit card, but claimed it was an accident — because the municipal card is the same color and looks similar to his personal card.
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card → admit → card
The city has been reimbursed for those purchases, Williams said, and no criminal charges have been filed against him.
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charges → reimburse → him
“Tonight was very disappointing,” Kenner told reporters after the council meeting on Saturday night.
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Kenner → tell → night
“I don’t believe that it was based on any evidence.”
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it → believe → evidence
Williams defeated incumbent Anthony Ford, 2,909 votes to 2,489 votes, or about 54.8% to 45.1% in November last year.
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Williams → defeat → November
Stockbridge operates under a city manager form of government so the mayor’s role is largely ceremonial.
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role → operate → government
The mayor only votes on council business to break ties.
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mayor → vote → ties
“The City will continue to conduct municipal business and provide services to residents, businesses, and the community without interruption,” according to the city.
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City → continue → city
“The City Manager, department leadership, and City employees will continue performing their respective duties in accordance with applicable law and City policies.”
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Manager → continue → law
Alexander, the interim mayor, said he will not run for the job.
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he → say → job
“I have no desire to be mayor,” he told reporters on Saturday.
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he → have → Saturday
“We have a council-manager form of government.
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We → have → government
What that means is the mayor’s position has very few powers in the city of Stockbridge.
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position → mean → Stockbridge
For me to run for mayor means giving up my ability to vote and I would never do that.”
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I → run → that
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