College Park City Council · April 20, 2026
18 findings
Share Facebook X Email Text Copied
Financial Scandal · 28:45

McKenzie Explodes at Mayor Over 'Black Woman' Vendor Treatment

“I will never sit here and allow any person who has rolled up their sleeves, gives her their time... to be disrespected by the head of this meeting, the chair of this meeting.”

— Councilwoman Dr. Jamelle McKenzie

Councilwoman accuses mayor of 'continuously disrespecting' black women contractors and vendors

Meeting Briefing

What started as routine presentations turned into a public meltdown when Mayor Motley Broom aggressively questioned tourism contractor Karen Jeremy about a $24,000 bonus payment. Councilwoman McKenzie exploded, accusing the mayor of 'continuously disrespecting' black women vendors and moved to override the chair for being 'out of order.' The confrontation exposed deep personal animosity between McKenzie and the mayor, with McKenzie challenging the mayor to a face-to-face meeting to 'iron out differences.' Meanwhile, the city approved unbudgeted communication boards and entertained a $95,000 request for a 'love and reverence' program across all four wards.

All Findings
Financial Scandal

City Commits to Unbudgeted $4,500 Communication Boards

“This is an unbudgeted item. So, do we know where the funds are going to come from? We'll find you.”

Council unanimously supports expensive playground equipment with no funding source identified

19:35
Financial Scandal

$95,000 'Love and Reverence' Program Request

“We are requesting from Ward One up to $21,583 for our next 12 month programs in Ward One... Therefore, we are requesting funding for a part-time coordinator to support both...”

Organization seeks nearly $100K to expand Dr. King-inspired 'model city' initiative citywide

35:53
Financial Scandal

McKenzie Moves to Override Mayor as Chair

“I'd like to make a motion to override the chair at this time and end this discussion until the chair can learn how to respect Miss Jeremy. The chair is continuously...”

Explosive motion to strip mayor's authority for 'disrespecting' tourism contractor

28:15
Power Plays & Dysfunction

$24,000 Bonus Payment Under Scrutiny

“There were three criteria in in the contract regarding the bonuses. Exceeding 10% of local tourism, exceeding the initial target visitor center engagement by 10%, and that all...”

Mayor demands proof tourism contractor met benchmarks for performance bonus

19:54
Power Plays & Dysfunction

McKenzie Challenges Mayor to Face-to-Face Meeting

“I invite the mayor of this city and the chair of this meeting to have a sitdown conversation with me face to face, not on Zoom. It can be in a room just like this... to try to...”

Councilwoman publicly calls out mayor for refusing to communicate directly

31:57
Power Plays & Dysfunction

Jeremy Fires Back at Mayor's '$400K' Spending

“I could be asking as a resident and I will what you did with the $400,000 for a capital campaign to improve the city. You've not spent a dime.”

Tourism contractor accuses mayor of not spending community enhancement money

27:11
Power Plays & Dysfunction

Council Misses FIFA World Cup Marketing Opportunity

“It pains me to walk through that airport and you know how I feel too, Margaret, and I see other cities. I see Douglas County. I see Clayton County... Why are we not there?”

Only 55 days left for airport advertising as other cities dominate Atlanta terminals

1:12:38
Power Plays & Dysfunction

Bereavement Leave Expansion to Five Days

“We're people first and, uh, you know, at the end of the day, this is a family, uh, you know, local communities as small as us, uh, where all the workers know each other.”

HR proposes increasing employee funeral leave from three to five consecutive days

1:45:05
Power Plays & Dysfunction

Consent Agenda Policy Restricts Item Removal

“We need to do the right thing. We need to look out for every single dollar... This puts us in a position that may compromise that and could have us doing things that aren't...”

Carn proposes requiring council vote to pull items from consent agenda

1:49:24
Public Comment

Gate C Airport Territory Dispute

Gay corrects tourism presentation about College Park airport boundaries

1:18:52
Public Comment

Historical Museum Opening Set for June

Visitor center refurbishment complete with documents from 1840s-50s

54:54
Public Comment

Restaurant Menu Translation Initiative

Destination College Park funding menus in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole

56:28
Public Comment

McKenzie's Ward 1 Book Publication

Councilwoman reveals upcoming book about city's post-election turmoil

43:18
Public Comment

AARP Senior Worker Program Partnership

Visitor center exploring program where AARP pays portion of senior wages

57:30
Public Comment

Council Data Tracking Claims Disputed

Jeremy claims city manager confirmed daily visitor traffic tracking exists

25:05
Public Comment

Ward 1 Election Trauma Acknowledgment

McKenzie blames 2023 election for dividing community and neighbors

41:43
Public Comment

Clear Media's Million-Dollar Airport Demographics

Airport travelers average $250K household income with $1M net worth

59:36