SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Barbara Bender has been named the new mayor of Snellville. The move comes following the resignation of Mayor Tom Witts.
"As the new mayor, I would like to make a pledge to the city to represent the citizens of Snellville to the best of my abilities in a professional and respectful manner; to work with this council to keep them well-informed of anything going on with the city and with the staff; to listen with an open mind to all views; to engage in and require respectful debates on issues; and to help build consensus on issues important to the city," she said in a news release posted on the city's website.
Councilman Dave Emanuel was named mayor pro tem.
Her appointment was confirmed following a 3-1-1 vote, with Councilman Roger Marmol dissenting and Bender abstaining. She was sworn in Monday.
Witts, who was elected in 2015, was indicted in 2017. According to documents from that year from Gwinnett County District Attorney's office, Witts was accused of filing false tax returns from 2011 to 2015, then filing false amendments to them. The documents then alleged Witts lied about it under oath, stating he knew he owed taxes. Beyond that, the indictment alleged Witts used campaign funds for several years for personal use. He turned himself in to police and was later released on bond.
After the allegations came out, Witts suspended himself from his office.
In December 2018, 11Alive confirmed with Gwinnett officials that Witts pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to tax evasion, theft, lying under oath and other charges.
Witts also has some heath problems.
"Keep Tom and Carol Witts both in your thoughts and prayers as he’s still undergoing chemo treatment for his colon cancer and his wife just had surgery for her bladder cancer on Friday," said the news release that quoted Bender.
Bender had to step down from her position as city council member in order to fulfill the duties of mayor. Qualifying for the Post 5 seat will take place Jan. 22 through Jan. 24. The special election will be held on March 19 to fill the seat.
