Jayden Williams, who became mayor of Stockbridge, Georgia at age 22 in January, was removed from office after just 10 months following a string of scandals.
The Stockbridge City Council voted to remove Williams during a 10-hour hearing on allegations of misconduct. The council’s decision followed an independent investigation that found Williams misused city funds, damaged a city vehicle, and exchanged explicit messages and nude photos with a high school student.
Williams claimed he accidentally used a city credit card for a personal purchase because the cards looked similar and were both purple. He stated he had reimbursed the city when appropriate.
During his testimony, Williams admitted to exchanging text messages with an 18-year-old male high school student whom he met on Instagram. The conversations included phrases such as “Uu was rii[.] I prob can’t handle all dat” and “Yo py lookin good asf.” Williams maintained their relationship was limited to text-based communication, noting they had only kissed once.
The council voted 3-0 to remove Williams from office, with one council member not voting and another excluded.
Williams’ attorney, Robert Kenner, characterized the process as a “witch hunt” and asserted the case had been prejudged before it began.
Elton Alexander, who now serves as mayor pro tem, described the removal as a “tough decision” that brought “a fair and equitable close to multiple troubling accusations.”
Williams did not respond to requests for comment.
