Youngest mayor in Georgia ousted following misconduct claims

City leaders in Georgia have ousted the state's youngest-ever Black mayor after officials alleged he misused thousands in city funds and had "concerning" contact with a teenager.

The Stockbridge City Council, in a 3-0 vote, impeached Jayden Williams, who campaigned for the position while still a student at Clark Atlanta University. He was elected to the seat in Henry County about 10 months ago.

The removal took place in the city about 20 miles southeast of Atlanta, and was formally announced in a Sept. 14 news release on Sept. 14.

"Removing Stockbridge Mayor Jayden William from office was a tough decision," the city's interim Mayor Elton Alexander said in a post on Facebook.

According to an independent investigation, Alexander said Williams allegedly lied about gift cards he said he bought for staff at a restaurant in McDonough, 10 miles south of the city of about 10,000 residents.

Williams later turned in a missing receipt form saying he had lost the receipt, according to Alexander.

The investigation, according to Alexander, found the original receipt, which showed the mayor never purchased the gift cards. Instead, the original receipt showed the mayor's city-issued credit card bought beverages and food totaling more than $322.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/