SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — An elected official in the city of South Fulton says he’s using food stamps and missed a utility payment because he’s broke.
Khalid Kamau is wearing it as a badge of honor, telling constituents it gives him empathy with struggling residents. It also highlights how many public officials are paid poverty-level wages.
Distributing fliers at a city park, Councilman Kamau looks the part of an energetic elected official. But he revealed a startling fact about himself on social media last week. Showing his EBT card for what used to be called food stamps – and a notice cutting off his gas utility-- Kamau revealed he’s broke.
"I recently started telling people I make $13,000 a year. Lots of people assume we already make fifty or sixty" thousand, Kamau told 11Alive News Monday.
Kamau is a part-time elected official who’s supposed to support himself with other work. Kamau drives for Uber – another low paying job. He is also a political consultant.
He says he has since paid his past-due gas bill.
"Three, four days" the gas was off, he said. "I got into cold showers. They’re apparently very good for your skin," he laughed.
But he publicized it to make a point – that too often, the public gets what it pays for.
"And I think that that creates a lot of the problems that we see in terms of, you know, corruption
There are countless examples. Former state representative Tyrone Brooks got a prison sentence for fraud. Former DeKalb County commissioner Elaine Boyer went to federal prison for stealing from the county.
Like South Fulton council members, state lawmakers earn a modest wage for what’s considered part-time work. This year, a legislator proposed raising their $17,341 salary to $52,977. That proposed 322 percent raise got no traction at the Capitol this year.
It’s a tough sell.
Asked how he would feel about paying local politicians more money, South Fulton resident George McIntyre said "I would be totally against it."
Added South Fulton resident Jasmine Jones: "Politicians don’t need to be paid more. I need to be paid more. So I can pay the bills!"
"I think we have to re-frame the conversation," Kamau said. "When you’re really working on behalf of the people, they do want to see you be compensated."
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