Mayor vows to fight removal from office

ROSWELL, Ga. — Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said he will appeal a Fulton County Superior Court judge's decision to oust him from office.

The ruling came from a lawsuit saying  that Wood was ineligible for re-election in 2013 because he violated a city charter on term limits. The charter, which became state law in 2010 states that no person who has served three or more four-year terms in the office of mayor should be eligible to run for the office of mayor.

Wood is currently serving his fifth term.

The Roswell resident who filed the lawsuit last year told Channel 2's Tom Regan he is thrilled by the decision.

"For me, this is poetic justice for the man who ran on term limits in 1997 to be hoisted on his own petard," said Michael Litten.

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Litten, who is a mayoral candidate, said he supported Wood in his first election. He said he became disappointed that the mayor didn't stick to a campaign promise to limit his terms in office.

"He didn't think the rule applied to him," said Litten.

Attorneys for Wood argued that the charter was "retroactively unconstitutional" and did not apply to terms served prior to the law's passage in 2010.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Craig L. Schwall Sr. disagreed. In his decision, he concluded, "Because Mayor Wood was ineligible to quality for office in 2013 under the City Charter, this court grants the requested writ of ouster, removing Mayor Wood from office effective immediately."

Several hours after the court ruling, Mayor Wood released a statement, saying, "I have decided to appeal the court's decision in this matter. However, I will not be seeking reelection this coming November. I will continue to serve the city until my current term comes to an end or the appellate court rules on Judge Schwall's decision."

Cox Media Group