COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Voters in the southern part of Cobb County chose to ratify the new city of Mableton in the 2022 midterm elections. However, not everyone is happy about it.
Nancy Webber said she was very disappointed when she learned of the majority vote in favor of Mableton cityhood.
"This isn't the right way to do it. Everyone who is directly involved in this situation should have a right to their say," she said.
Webber lives in unincorporated Austell. The new city would include her community and part of unincorporated Smyrna. Webber previously told 11Alive the option to vote for or against Mableton cityhood was not on her ballot.
On Wednesday she told 11Alive News she voted provisionally, along with several of her neighbors, until things could be cleared up. Webber said she would be fine with the cityhood vote if it didn't mean incorporating other communities who may not want to be involved.
"I don't have a problem with Mableton becoming its own city. But to pull those other small communities into it, I feel that's very unfair," she said.
Webber is now looking at what alternatives are there for her and others who do not want to be a part of the new city of Mableton.
About 54 percent of people voted in favor of Mableton cityhood. The proposed city structure would provide limited services like sanitation, code enforcement, planning and zoning.
Also, looking for an alternative is State Rep. David Wilkerson. Wilkerson represents Georgia's 38th district, which includes Powder Springs. Wilkerson said he's willing to back moves to de-annex from the new city.
"We as legislators elect officials should never for someone to take their most valuable commodity, which is their home, their family, the community they live in, and force them to be someone they don't want to be," Wilkerson said.
Mableton cityhood advocates like State Rep. Erica Thomas said the movement towards cityhood will ultimately benefit Mableton and other communities.
Thomas represents Georgia's 39th district. She told 11Alive's Karys Belger she began working with the community towards Mabelton cityhood after being approached by her constituents.
"My constituents came to me and said that this is something that they really would love to have. They want improvements to the city. They want zoning. They want to be closer to their government," she said.
Thomas says certain services like a police department and fire department were purposely left out of the plan to avoid raising taxes. She also said this was part of the reason for bringing in part of incorporated Austell and unincorporated Smyrna.
"We brought in Six Flags Over Georgia from unincorporated Austell. We brought in a lot of these different communities together. The bill, HB 839, was the bill that I passed in the House and in the Senate. That bill includes a couple of different services."
She also said economic development is part of the overall plan for improvement and the forming of a city would allow people to have access to more of the services that larger, nearby cities enjoy.
"We want improvements, and we want to better the lives of people in South Cobb. And that's just what it is. It's about bringing all of South Cobb together," Thomas said.
Mableton would not become a city for two years. Newly re-elected Gov. Brian Kemp will have to form a committee first. That committee would oversee the formation of a city council and the election of a mayor.