South Fulton mayor announces he will not seek re-election
The Brief
South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau announced at a recent city council meeting that he will no longer seek re-election.
The city's top official claimed that the salary for the job was too low and had forced him to sell his mother's house and go on food stamps.
The mayor and city councilmembers have clashed in the last few months after they accused Kamau of making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenditures with his city purchase card.
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau is no longer seeking re-election.
The controversial public figure made the announcement during a presentation to the South Fulton City Council at a meeting this week.
What they're saying
The mayor told council members and the public that the upcoming State of the City address in May will be his "farewell address."
Discussing his time as mayor, Kamau highlighted his work interacting with the community, saying that he has spent his time in office showing up at local events and meeting with constituents to hear about their issues.
Kamau claimed that the salary of "about $40,000 per year," which he compared to "the salary of a parks' groundskeeper or sales associate at Target."
"As a full-time mayor, I also represent about 2 out of 3 Americans for whom a $1,000 bill can mean a financial disaster," he said.
He claimed that the salary forced him to sell his mother's house and temporarily be on food stamps.
For the remainder of his term, Kamau says he will be scaling down his work, spending the last seven months as a "part-time mayor."
According to South Fulton records, the salary of the mayor of South Fulton is $47,000. Kamau had proposed last year to raise the salary to $85,000.
The backstory
Kamau became mayor in 2021 after beating former Mayor Bill Edwards.
In January, city council members accused Kamau of making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenditures with his city purchase card.
Officials accused Kamau of using his city-issued purchase card to make unauthorized purchases, including a 20-day trip to Ghana, spending approximately $26,000 without the city's approval.
The mayor has defended his trips, stating that they were business-related and part of his economic development plans.
As a response to the allegations, the city council limited Kamau's access to his office at South Fulton City Hall and put restrictions on his city-issued vehicle and card. His access to facilities has since been restored after conversations with the city's attorney.
Last month, the City Council said that Kamau had used city funds to commission a mural for his office without proper authorization, taking the funds to pay the finish the work directly from the mayor's salary.
At a meeting earlier in April, the city council adopted a new policy requiring all international travel be pre-approved by a majority of its members.
What's next
With Kamau out of the race, Edwards, Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs, and Navy veteran Kelvin J. Davis are now in the race for South Fulton's top job.
The Source
Information for this story came from a presentation given by South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau at a city council meeting and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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