South Fulton mayor faces ethics complaint over campaign mailers
Resident accuses South Fulton mayor of misusing funds
City of South Fulton Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs is defending herself against a State Ethics Commission complaint filed by resident Rashad Snelling. The complaint alleges Gumbs spent $17,000 in city funds on campaign mailers while serving as a city council member.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The South Fulton mayor is accusing a resident of trying to defame her character with a bogus ethics complaint over election campaign spending.
South Fulton ethics dispute
What we know:
City of South Fulton Mayor Carmalitha Gumbs denies using city funds to run for office. She said the allegations come from resident Reshard Snellings, who she claims has a political ax to grind after his candidate lost the mayoral election last November.
Snellings filed an ethics complaint alleging Gumbs spent $17,000 in city money across three vendors — Snag Enterprises, Chism Strategies and Blue Enclave Industries — for campaign items. Snellings pointed to two mailers sent citywide when Gumbs was a District 2 council member, arguing they were sent citywide while she was on the ballot for mayor.
Gumbs vehemently denies using public money for campaign expenses. She noted that elected officials represent the entire city and that the mailer was for a citywide event.
Mayor and resident statements
What they're saying:
Mayor Carmalethia Gumbs addressed the origins of the ethics complaint, pointing directly to political motivations behind the filing.
"The filer of this frivolous ethics complaint, Reshard Snelling, also in part, responsible for the publishing of an unlawful defamatory website against me by my opponent during the mayoral campaign last November," Gumbs said. "Snelling continues to defame me because I defeated his candidate."
Resident Reshard Snellings detailed his primary concern regarding the timing and distribution of the citywide mailers.
"If this was a traditional mailer that she sent out annually, then I would not have had an issue with it," Snellings said. "But I live in district one, I'm not in her district. She sent this mailer citywide at the time that she was on the ballot, running for a citywide Mayor position."
Gumbs maintained that the mailers served a legitimate municipal purpose and did not violate any laws.
"As elected officials, we are able to represent the city of South Fulton — not just one specific district, so that was an event that was a city-wide event," Gumbs said. "I have not broken the law."
State commission options
What we don't know:
It remains unknown how the State Ethics Commission will ultimately rule on the case.
The City of South Fulton previously dismissed the ethics complaint against Gumbs. The State Board of Ethics can either dismiss the complaint, schedule a hearing for December, or reach a consent agreement.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 5 reporter Aungelique Proctor, who reported from South Fulton City Hall, as well as statements and ethics filings provided by Mayor Carmalethia Gumbs and resident Reshard Snellings.