Meeting held to determine fate of Stockbridge mayor

The ongoing saga surrounding Stockbridge Mayor Lee Stuart might finally come to an end on Monday. The City Council is holding a special meeting to determine whether or not the mayor should be removed from office.

The special meeting began around 9 a.m. with witnesses from each side and the mayor himself taking the stand with a larger-than-usual police presence in attendance.

The issue centers around a power struggle between Mayor Stuart and the City Council, which has included shouting matches and punches thrown at city council meetings. The council hired an Atlanta attorney, who has alleged seven violations against Stuart, which he says constitutes grounds for his removal from office. Those against the mayor say Stuart has a created a hostile work environment.

"He just, once some kind of issue is settled, he will create another one. I know for a fact that he has done some harassment of one commissioner. I think that was totally unnecessary. And this is harassment at her home," said Peggy Malcolm.
　
On the other side, however, there are those who say that it's the City Council, not Mayor Stuart, that has created the dissension.

"I believe it's all a set up. It's the good old boy network, cronyism that we have been ruled by here in Stockbridge for at least 34 years. And they want to perpetuate it," said Marilyn Flynn.

The mayor's attorney, Joseph Cloud, says a decision probably won't be made on Stuart's fate until the City Council meeting, which begins at 7p.m.. He says they are certain the City Council will vote to remove Stuart from office. If that is the case, they will then make and appeal to the Georgia Superior Court.