Politics & Government

Loganville Councilman Resigns Committee Appointment After Spat With Mayor

Councilman Mike Jones resigned his appointment as chair to the Public Works / Buildings and Grounds committees at Monday's City Council work session after a dispute with Mayor Ray Nunley.

Snellville City Council meetings have always been contentious - not so Loganville. However, that wasn’t the case on Monday. A dispute between Mayor Ray Nunley and Councilman Mike Jones ended with Jones resigning his appointments to chair the city's Public Works / Building and Grounds committee.

The issue began last week when Nunley called a meeting of Public Works / Building and Grounds committee to discuss how to use the $2 million from Walton County's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Although he chairs the committee, Jones was not in attendance. The item was put on Monday’s work session agenda, but was assigned to Public Safety, under Councilman Rey Marthinez.

“I called a meeting,” Nunley said. “Mr. Mike Jones was not present at the meeting. Therefore I utilized the power vested in me and appointed Mr. Rey Martinez to report to me.”

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Jones said he did not attend the SPLOST meeting because it was his committee and he did not call the meeting. Nunley said he called the meeting because Jones had not.

“In January of this year you were appointed and accepted the chairmanship. You have not had a meeting all year,” Nunley said.

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But Jones disputes that. He said his committee had met and some business had been conducted. He said he had requested a meeting with the city manager to go over the items under consideration for SPLOST funds.

“I said I would like to sit down and meet with the engineer, but no you butted in,” Jones said. “There were things I wanted to go over with him.”

He went on to ask the mayor to accept his resignation from the committee.

“You may have my resignation from those meetings,” Jones said. “Just accept my resignation. If you’re going to run everything, don’t appoint me.”

Nunley asked for the resignation in writing.

The $2 million has to be spent by the end of the year in order to remain earmarked for the city. Nunley said the items would be on the agenda for approval at Thursday’s City Council meeting. 

In other business, the city attorney asked each council member to appoint a person for for the city's ethics panel, and the mayor to appoint three, by Thursday. The appointments are necessary to bring the Ethics Board up to the required nine members. There is no compensation for the position and appointees must have lived in the city limits for a full year by the date of appointment, June 14. They cannot be an employee of the city nor have had any interest in, contract transaction or official business with the city. The appointments will be to serve on the Ethics Board for two years. 

The June City Council Meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 14, at City Hall.


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