Bill Edwards was elected the city of South Fulton’s first mayor in 2017, after a referendum where 59% of residents voted in favor of incorporation. He served until 2021. Now the former Fulton County Commissioner is running again.
That’s as current Mayor Khalid Kamau is embroiled in a controversy where he is accused of mishandling city funds, and allegedly spending taxpayer funds on luxury travel and other expenses. The City of South Fulton Council recently voted unanimously to garnish Kamau’s pay to cover the cost of a more than $5,000 mural he installed in his office.
Councilmember Carmalitha Gumbs, who is also running to be the city’s next mayor, said Kamau made an unauthorized purchase from small business owner AlphaGraphics. The council referred the case to the city’s ethics board for investigation.
Former Mayor Edwards’ time was not without controversy. But he joined WABE’s “Morning Edition” to hash out his future plans, and says he wants to restore faith in the office.
“There’ve been some cracks in the foundation,” Edwards said. “The issue is, is the right leadership there to help you overcome those problems? I think that I’m the man to do that.”
