MAYOR AND COUNCIL SHAFTED RESIDENTS AND LOCAL BUSINESS AT MONDAY’S, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 COUNCIL MEETING
What is wrong with our Mayor and Council? At Monday’s Council Meeting, they voted to form a questionable Partnership with Watchmen Service & Veterans Molding Minds. It was never made clear what the direct relationship is between the two organizations. In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), WATCHMEN PROTECTIVE SERVICES, LLC is to provide security guard training at the East Point City Annex Auditorium. The City will provide the following:
- Free rent for five weeks (25 days) from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
- The $100 per hour rental will be waived by the City. (The City does not have a Rental Waiver Policy.)
- The total amount of the free, waived rent is $15,000.
- Public access to the City’s publications; and social media (facebook, website)
- Tables, chairs and parking
- Access to the office copier plus a certain (unknown) number of copies
- The City was not given any liability insurance from the Watchmen Protective Services, LLC. The Mayor was working on a liability insurance structure with the City Attorney during the Meeting. I have no idea what the outcome was.
This item, along with another Partnership MOU with the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia, was originally placed on the Consent Agenda then moved to the regular Agenda. Mayor and Council were clearly not prepared to move forward on the hastily drawn MOUs. Residents were not given an opportunity to read or research the three organizations involved in the Partnerships because the information in the Agenda Packet was not posted on the City’s website until sometime Friday. CM Saucier and Gordon raised important questions concerning the City’s lack of liability insurance from the organizations.
The Mayor and I believe two other Council Members stated that the security training would be “free” to the trainees; however, there was nothing contained in the MOUs certifying this. Since credible and needed information was not provided by Mayor and Council, I had some research done and this is what was found.
WATCHMEN PROTECTIVE SERVICES, LLC
The following information was obtained from an online search of the State of Georgia Secretary of State Corporations records and are attached.
- Watchmen Protective Services was initially formed on July 4, 2016 as a domestic limited company (LLC) with a Certificate of Organization.
- At the time of its formation, there were two (2) organizers, Ryan Anthony Marchman and Morris Varney Kandakai. The organization’s principal address was 6927 Roswell Road, Apt A, Sandy Springs, GA (See attached)
- On August 24, 2017, Watchmen Protective Services, LLC Certificate of Organization was REVOKED (administratively dissolved) by the State of Georgia. (See attached)
- Watchmen Protective Services LLC was reinstated on May 23, 2018 as a limited liability company with a principal address as 1198 Chris Lane, Mableton, GA. However, the only organizer was Morris Varney Kandakai. Ryan Anthony Marchman was not listed or shown.
- The last annual registration was filed on March 29, 2019 by owner Kandakai.
The following information was obtained from a search of the online records of the Georgia Secretary of State Composite Board for licensing.
- The Composite Board of the State of Georgia issues licenses for security guard companies. Trainers also must be licensed by the State.
- A check of Watchmen Protective Services LLC shows that the professional License for the company to be a detective/security agency-company expired on June 30, 2019. The current status is LAPSED. The owner was listed as Morris Varney Kandakai. Only two (2) persons were listed as being associated with the company (Morris Kandakai and Christopher L Chandler). Ryan Marchman was not shown.
- A check of the database did not show any license information for Ryan Marchman.
Summary
Watchmen Protective Services LLC is not a valid entity- not currently licensed as a limited liability company nor licensed as a security guard firm with licensed trainers. There is no information on the reported CEO Ryan Marchman license.
This Mayor and Council do not seem to understand that the physical and financial resources of the City belong to the residents; and do not qualify as their piggy bank for supporting unknown entities from outside of the City while neglecting long-termed businesses within the City that are of financial benefit to the City.
During the same Meeting, Mayor Holiday Ingraham broke the four -four tie to not approve the “Alcohol Appeal Board Decision Regarding Alcohol Application for 2024 Headland Drive”. This is the proposed site for a Sports Bar Restaurant owned by East Point Downtown Q’s Restaurant owners and former CM Steve Bennett. Q’s is a mainstay in Downtown East Point. When I was Mayor, I usually ate there before Council Meetings. I met many visitors with lay overs from the airport eating what they called real “southern cuisine”. This was a terrible slap in the face to the two owners and the residents of the City. They rather give money to outsiders than support a long-time business owner and a resident and former Council Member.
How could the Mayor and the other four Council Members vote against the alcohol license for the restaurant; when they welcomed with open arms the food trucks and one selling alcohol beverages at the last $41,400 Wednesday Winddown event? No permits or license fees were required for them; another give-a-way. There were 39 police officers at the event for traffic and crowd control; so, none was checking IDs for alcohol beverages. Shame! Shame! Shame!
Mayor Holiday Ingraham needs to understand that she was elected to serve the residents, and not to dictate or provoke them. She is not a Queen! After Attorney Dingle spoke concerning his clients’ application for an alcohol license, I along with several other residents clapped in approval and support. Then the Mayor made the condescending remark that this was not a sports event. The residents who clapped were not interfering with any speaker or slowing down the Meeting. The clapping was appropriate in sound and duration. City Hall is the residents’ house and not her kingdom. If her provoking conduct does not change, there will be an unfortunate incident between the police and residents. I will continue to clap when I want to. Residents are not trained monkeys.
Likewise, Council Members should not make negative personal references to or about residents during the Meeting. In my ten years on the Council, I never made a single negative personal remark to or about a resident during the Meeting. I do not support any resident making personal negative remarks about Mayor and Council in a Council Meeting. However, I strongly support all residents’ rights to characterize the actions of Mayor and Council relating to City business in any unoffensive and derogatory manner. It is hard not to call a fool, a fool especially when the shoe fits.
Mayor and Council also passed an Ordinance concerning attendance by Board Members. I cannot comment on the content of the proposed Ordinance because no copy has been posted in the Agenda Packet as of today, September 18, 2013 at 5:42 pm.
All attached records from the Secretary of State Website can be found here. CLICK HERE: GA Corp. Div. 1
