College Park City Council — June 15, 2026 | Council Watch

College Park City Council · June 15, 2026

23 findings

Financial Scandal · 0:32:24

$2M to Gay's Garden Via His Own Ordinance

“Emergency 11 p.m. meetings, no data, no clarity on what's broken, personal attacks on folks that are involved. Sounds like a conflict of personalities versus a reasoned deliberate change.”
— Randy Godfrey, College Park Resident

Resident exposes that a resolution co-authored by Gay pre-allocates $2M in tourism funds to an entity bearing his name.

Meeting Briefing

The June 15th council meeting was dominated by an extraordinary parade of residents — including a neighboring city's council member — begging College Park not to blow up its proven tourism marketing partnership with the ATL Airport District in favor of a hastily assembled 501(c)(3) that multiple speakers called 'crudely homemade' and 'woefully underdeveloped.' Despite this, council pushed through two DMO ordinances co-sponsored by Councilwoman McKenzie and Councilman Gay — the same Gay whose Botanical Garden Conservancy stands to receive $2 million from the companion resolution's pre-allocated tourism funds. McKenzie then commandeered the meeting's final hour with a blistering monologue accusing Mayor Motley Broom of refusing to communicate with council, calling it a 'disservice to the city' — all while the governing body scrambled to figure out how to spend over $400,000 in mayoral community enhancement funds with just 15 days left in the fiscal year. A $100,000 invoice to the Roderick Gay Botanical Garden Conservancy was quietly removed from the agenda without explanation.

All Findings

Financial Scandal

DMO Ordinances Pass Over Massive Public Opposition

“Good governance doesn't happen at 11:00 at night. It happens in the daylight with public uh deliberation and without council members steering the funds towards their own...”

Council passes two DMO takeover ordinances despite every single public speaker opposing the move.

1:28:29

Financial Scandal

$100K Gay Botanical Garden Invoice Quietly Removed

A $100,000 payment to Councilman Gay's botanical garden was silently pulled from the agenda with zero explanation.

0:12:03

Financial Scandal

Neighboring City's Councilman Calls Plan 'Crudely Homemade'

“I'm very concerned and quite honestly baffled why you're considering non-renewal with the ATL aort airport district in favor of a hastily organized 501c3 that so far appears to...”

Hapeville council member travels to College Park to warn them their DMO replacement plan could cause 'irreversible economic damage.'

0:34:29

Financial Scandal

McKenzie's 10-Minute Attack on Mayor Over Unspent Funds

“It is my hope and my prayer that that the presiding officer who is also the mayor will in the next year find it in her heart to have communication with her colleagues who are...”

McKenzie delivers blistering monologue accusing mayor of refusing to communicate, then mayor fires back calling it 'passive aggressive.'

2:25:20

Financial Scandal

Anonymous Smear Campaign Tied to City Contractors

“This weekend, residents watched an anominous social media page reportedly um connected to city contractors who administer that page, published smears targeting Miss Miller...”

Resident reveals anonymous social media page connected to city contractors published smears targeting ATL District CEO while promoting her replacement.

0:33:26

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Resident: 'Don't Kill the Golden Goose'

“Emergency 11 p.m. meetings, no data, no clarity on what's broken, personal attacks on folks that are involved. Sounds like a conflict of personalities versus a reasoned...”

Lifelong resident warns council the DMO switch sounds like 'a conflict of personalities versus a reasoned deliberate change.'

0:19:38

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Board Member Warns: '$20-30M Deals Now at Risk'

“I have several agreements uh that are before me and College Park is not in consideration at this time although I I do my due diligence as a board member because I don't know...”

CVB board member says she can't recommend College Park for multi-million dollar conferences because of the DMO uncertainty.

0:46:35

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Coffee Shop Owner: ATL District Is 'One Constant Partner'

“Through all the turnover, resignations, and terminations that the city of College Park has faced, including multiple city managers, economic development vacancies, a short...”

Small business owner says ATL Airport District has been her only reliable partner through College Park's endless turnover and scandals.

0:53:21

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Branding Expert Questions Where Tourism Millions Go

“As of as it stands today, approximately half of our tourism funds discussed appear earmarked for conservies and organizations have direct ties to members of this council.”

Marketing agency owner who worked with the ATL District demands transparency on where millions in hotel tax funds will end up.

0:49:43

Power Plays & Dysfunction

$400K in Mayoral Funds Unspent at Fiscal Year End

“here we are now at the last minute. Now, I don't think that should stop anything because I think it's more of a travesty to not spend these funds for much needed services in...”

Council scrambles at the 12th hour to spend $400,000+ in mayoral enhancement funds about to expire, with no plan and no paperwork.

2:07:10

Power Plays & Dysfunction

FOA Heritage Group: 'Left Out of Our Own History'

“we only received one response. That was a response to hold an illconceived meeting with the dissenting factor of FOA and with the original group where boxing gloves were placed...”

Original African-American heritage group says they were excluded from preservation projects they initiated, and a city official put boxing gloves on the table.

0:22:46

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Business Owner Felt 'Targeted' by Councilman Carn

“he came order food. He sat down. I went to talk to them and court enforcement came in right after him and he asked what she was doing there. She was coming to give me a...”

Restaurant owner says code enforcement, city manager, and police all showed up to her business on consecutive days after she felt singled out.

0:39:43

Power Plays & Dysfunction

South Park Cottages: $40K in HOA Funds Missing

“Where is the money? South Park Cottages homeowners have identified nearly $40,000 that remains unaccounted for within our HOA and homeowners want answers.”

Homeowner demands answers about $40K in missing HOA funds and asks mayor why she sat silently in their meeting without introducing herself.

0:56:02

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Gay Recuses From Landscape Vote — No Reason Given

“I like to cruise myself in this vote.”

Councilman Gay recuses himself from a $465K GICC landscaping vote, refuses to give a reason, then changes his mind to 'abstain.'

1:30:41

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Canoe Construction Contract: Chaotic Live Rewrite

“we just received this uh contract this afternoon and I haven't had the opportunity. The first contract of course had several mistakes in it. uh several challenges with it and...”

Council rewrites a $100K contract on the fly, switching vendors and funding sources in real time with the contractor absent.

1:33:47

Power Plays & Dysfunction

McKenzie Racks Up $180K in Ward 1 Contractors

McKenzie approves two more $5,000/month consultant contracts for Ward 1, bringing her personal contractor spending to at least $180K/year.

1:32:15

Power Plays & Dysfunction

Mayor Defends ATL District CEO Against Smear Campaign

“when we operate in silos of wards to the exclusion of the whole, we all suffer. The day that we embrace that and recognize that we are stronger together is the day that College...”

Mayor delivers impassioned defense of Mercedes Miller, says people feel 'threatened' by her brilliance and work together in silos.

2:46:11

Public Comment

McKenzie Point-of-Order Gambit Fails

McKenzie tries to shut down mayor's participation in discussion by citing an ordinance, but there's no pending motion to restrict.

2:02:29

Public Comment

Global Source Contract Dies in Funding Confusion

McKenzie's $90K real estate consulting contract collapses when nobody can figure out where the money comes from.

1:45:45

Public Comment

Transient Lodging Ordinance Passes — Split Pads Excluded

Council passes short-term rental ordinance but deliberately excludes the 'split pads' that are actually destroying neighborhoods.

1:20:10

Public Comment

Consent Agenda: $1.4M Rubber-Stamped in 30 Seconds

Council approves $1.4 million across 10 consent agenda items without a single question or discussion.

0:59:44

Public Comment

Gay's Greatest Hits: Tourism Works Because of Us

Gay lists celebrities who visited College Park as evidence tourism works — while voting to dismantle the organization that brought them.

3:18:08