SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — The city of South Fulton is attempting to increase transparency by hosting a townhall this Friday. The event is expected to give residents a chance to speak directly with city leaders about various issues.
In a exclusive interview only on 11Alive, Mayor Khalid Kamau described what the city is hoping to accomplish with the event called "Courageous Conversations."
“Our citizens are telling us what’s most important to them -- blighted property, speed bumps, emergency response times,” said Kamau as he described the expectation for Fridays town hall.
And, in order to allow for a more transparent conversation, Mayor Khalid says Friday’s townhall won’t have the usual city council meeting restrictions -- like limits to the topics or how long you can speak.
One thing Kamau expects to discuss is Camelot, the dilapidated and crime-ridden condominium complex that’s been plagued by crime and blight and the city’s efforts to address it.
“We’re talking about how do we make affordable housing that is also clean and safe for people to live in? And if the market is saying that they can’t do it, then do we as a government have a responsibility to do that?” Kamau added.
The mayor said he is also prepared to touch on personal topics -- like his recent arrest for trespassing, but he hopes the focus will be on city issues.
“The townhall isn’t really about me," Kamau said. "It’s really about the city, right? It’s just really giving us the opportunity to introspect over these past several years and ask 'can we do this better?'"
Residents tell us one thing that’s been on their minds, is the recent fighting among city council members. So, we asked the mayor how its impacting efficiency.
“Were a brand new democracy. Every democracy starts with debates and fights. I'm hoping that we are moving past that now, our relations have been improving," the mayor said.
The meeting will be held at Southwest Art Center on Friday at 8 p.m. To encourage people to participate, they’ll also have some musical performances between topics. Residents are asked to RSVP at the below link, but it's not a requirement.