SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — There were tense moments inside the South Fulton City Council meeting on Tuesday night.
There were harsh critiques and the mayor walked out before the meeting ended when his use of a city credit card was set to be questioned.
The South Fulton City Manager said there will now be an inquiry into the use of p-cards or city credit cards by the firm Baker Tilly. It’s not clear how long the review will take.
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At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Khalid Kamau, who is now known as Mayor Kobi wasn’t thrilled about efforts to discuss his use of city-issued credit cards on the agenda.
“I am so distressed and disappointed that the blackest city in one of the blackest states in the United States of America heading into Black History Month, we are tearing each other down,” Kobi said.
“We’re not tearing you down you took your Black behind over to Africa for 20 days and didn’t tell anybody,” responded Councilwoman Helen Willis.
This all stems from expenses made by the mayor. Channel 2 Action News reported that Kobi used his city-issued credit card to pay for a more than $1,800 table for his office that converts into a pool table.
In September he spent more than $9,000 on travel including flight upgrades despite that being against city policy.
In October he spent more than $13,000. Some of his purchases included high-end electronics and international travel.
The mayor canceled an interview with Channel 2 Action News earlier this week. But at the council meeting, some expressed their frustration.
“You guys got to do better, you guys really do got to do better,” resident Patricia Wise said.
Eventually at Tuesday’s meeting when it was time to discuss new policies, the mayor walked out of the meeting before giving an explanation about his travel and expenses.
The city manager announced there are new policies in place on how those city-issued credit cards will be used.
They’re also putting in more oversight. Previously each person signed a policy on how each card would be used but there was no one checking.
There was also an effort to take the mayor’s electric vehicle during the meeting until additional policies were in place, but that failed.
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