This post is about Equal Protection Under the Law for all Americans whether they are dealing with National, State or Local issues or elected officials. East Point City Council has a great problem when it comes to supporting their sworn Oaths of Office an abiding by the laws that the residents have to abide by according to the City Charter and adopted legal Ordinances and Resolutions. Equal Protection Under the Law means equitable treatment for Everyone, elected officials and residents. Sadly, the majority Black population is to willing to give a pass to Black elected officials when they fail to uphold their sworn Oaths of Office and to abide by the laws on the books. This is a failing that must be addressed. East Point’s majority Black residents must hold the City’s majority Black elected officials accountable for their violations of National, State and Local Laws.
This is the first post of many to come highlighting the many Lies that are being fostered by our Mayor and Council and abetted by SILENCE in the Black community. Since the City’s Black population make up more than ninety percent of the total population, it is imperative that they speak up and out about the abuses of the majority Black Mayor and Council.
EAST POINT CITY COUNCIL’S BIG LIES!
LIE # 1: USE OF PUBLIC PROPERTY
Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham, and Council Members Sharon Shropshire, Karen Rene’, Thomas Calloway and Joshua Butler, IV. Are having a TOWNHALL ON THE LAWN meeting on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The topics to be discussed are: Equitable Growth, Development, Community Concerns & More. This is the latest LIE coming from five members of the City Council. There is nothing Equitable about five Council Members having a Campaign Meeting on public property under the guise of a Town Hall Meeting.
Until this Mayor and Council begin to follow Federal and State laws, the City Charter, City Ordinances and Resolutions that they require all the residents and businesses to follow, there cannot be any Equitable representation or leadership from them. The location of this TOWNHALL MEETING is a violation of the City’s Charter as well as Federal and State laws. Sec. 2-504.- Use of public property.: states “No elected official, appointed officer, or employee of the city or any agency or entity to which this charter applies shall use property owned by such governmental entity for personal benefit, convenience, or profit except in accordance with policies promulgated by the city council or the governing of such agency or entity.”
This TOWNHALL MEETING is not (1) A Special Call Council Town Hall Meeting. There is no record of three Council Members or the Mayor and two Council Members calling for this Meeting forty-eight hours prior to the Meeting. (2) The Mayor and four Council Members do not constitute a quorum. Residents, the Mayor and all Council Members must be treated equitably concerning any meeting/event on public property that is not a Council Meeting or sanctioned by an Ordinance, Resolution or part of a City’s Department Program. I was given a citation for having a Protest on the sidewalk in front of City Hall with twelve residents without an Administrative Permit. This TOWNHALL meeting does not have an Administrative Permit. This is a CAMPAIGN RALLY for the Mayor Holiday Ingraham, Council Members Shropshire, Rene’ and Butler.
LIE # 2: USE OF EXCESS ELECTRIC UTILIT FUNDS
There cannot be any Equitable Growth in East Point without Mayor and Council accounting for the excessive $5 million charges for the Electric Utility. Instead of using a fraction of this money to reduce or eliminate the PCA and ECCR FEES the electric bill, Mayor and Council have kept those additional fees intact throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic and funding projects through an illegally created Council Department that allocated funding for Mayor and Council Assistants, Mayor’s initiatives, Wednesday Wind Down, and a host of other expenditures that violated the Georgia Gratuity Stature. The City has spent almost $400,000 on Wednesday Wind Down Party Events. This money could have been used to help residents by:
- Waiving late Utility fees, extending the cutoff date, or reducing or eliminating the PCA and ECCR fees.
- Providing grants to homeowners to cut down trees that threaten their homes and the homes of their neighbors.
- Providing grants to children to attend the Park’s summer activities.
- Providing transportation to children to attend the Park’s summer events/activities.
LIE # 3: COUNCIL DEPARTMENT BUDGET
The City’s adopted Budget contained budgetary expenditures for Mayor and Council Members in a section under Council Department that was never created by Ordinance(Legislation) and therefore could not be granted any funding in the Budget for:
- Mayor and Council Members Assistants.
- Mayor’s initiatives that exceeded $50,000.
- Wednesday Wind Down Events by CM Shropshire.
- Trip to South Africa by CM Butler.
All expenditures identified in the Council Department that were not made according to Mayor and Council Members Ward Expense Ordinance were illegal and violated the City Charter that states in Sec. 2-401.-Role delineation. (4) … However, once the city council has appropriated funds in the budget and encumbered such funds through subsequent legislative action, the city manager shall have the power to administer such budget including contract administration and account payables as part of the management function.” The phrase, “through subsequent legislative action” means by Ordinance. This phrase is in keeping with a Georgia Attorney General Formal Opinion that no legislative action can be adopted in a budget.
LIE # 4: EQUITABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH
Equitable Economic Growth should apply to existing businesses as well as new businesses. The Georgia gratuity clause clearly states that no public funds can be spent for any event that does not provide a tangible benefit to the City and residents. According to the City’s open records, Wednesday Wind Down EVENTS have not provided ANY economic growth to the City via of:
- Increased income to local businesses.
- New businesses to the City.
- Permit fees (The City pays for everything including entertainers’ fees; set-up; auxiliary support from outside of the City; food and refreshment; overtime for police and sanitation workers as well as other City staff.)
CM Shrosphire and the Economic Development Department claim that the Wednesday Wind Down events are for economic development. After five planned events and expenditures of almost $400,000, without any new businesses created and no income generated by these events, it appears that Wednesday Wind Down events violates only Georgia gratuity clause but the City Charter as well. According to Sec. 1-103. – Powers (3) of the City Charter: “Attracting commerce and industry. To make appropriations and authorize the expenditure of money in advertising and public relations for the purpose of causing commerce and industry to locate and remain in the city.” Residents should ask the Mayor and Council Members about the economic impact of Wednesday Wind Down on the City’s bottom line.
LIE # 5: MAYOR’S INITATIVES
The most glaring and worthless initiative that the City made was to hire a firm for $202,700 who had no experience with what the City was asking for by the Mayor and her voting bloc. This firm was hired to promote equitable growth and development. However, the Economic Development Department nor any other City Department was in charge of the oversight and direction of this firm, Mayor Holiday Ingraham was in charge. Open records requests failed to turn up any Minutes or Agendas for the many Meetings that the Mayor announced that would take place between the firm and residents. It is clear that the role of the Mayor’s dominance with this firm was a clear Charter violation. According to the City Charter, Sec. 2 -401. – Role delineation (3): “The mayor shall have no management authority or responsibility with respect to the operations and administration of city government;”. This simply means that the oversight and management of the consulting firm should have been under a City Department with no interference by Mayor and Council until a draft product was given to them.
LIE # 6: THE FOOD BANK
East Point Mayor and some Council Members had no problem using the Food Bank and local Churches to further their ambitions. By constantly saying, “the City of East Point and the Food Bank” implied that money from East Point was being used to help provide food from the Food Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth. Federal money paid for all the food that came from the Food Bank regardless of the distribution location unless donations were requested by religious groups. However, CM Sharon Shropshire made sure that her name became a household robo staple. The City used Federal funds to pay for the robo calls by CM Shropshire instead of using the City’s well paid Public Information Officer to make the recordings; publish guidelines and an Emergency number in the Utility bill that goes to all Residents where to call when they needed Food Bank, Rent or Utility assistance. Ask CM Shropshire whether or not the robo recording provider is also the one she used before the Covid-19 Pandemic?
I am encouraging all Residents to attend this Campaign Rally and demand answers to the questions that you have. Hopefully, you will be told how much of the $11 to $13 million in the RESUCE PLAN is being used to help East Point residents with their RENT and UTILITY bills.
Residents are encouraged to visit my website and to view the credit card expenditures of the Mayor and Council Members. They are supposed to provide the City Clerk with their credit card invoices so that Residents can see how the money was actually spent. There are no invoices.
Respectfully,
