ROSWELL, Ga. — Almost two dozen former elected leaders from Roswell are demanding that construction stop at a city-owned historic site.
They issued a letter to City Hall on Wednesday calling for an audit of all contracts and for the city to hold more public forums.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims learned that 19 former city councilmembers and two former mayors are angry about construction at Mimosa Hall.
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They say the public was left in the dark about the clearing of trees on the property.
In June, workers cut down dozens of trees, many of which are old and large, to make room for a parking lot and other amenities at the pre-Civil War house.
“The destruction of Mimosa Hall is just the latest in a series of troubling decisions that the city has made that are eroding public trust,” former councilman Ed Tate said.
Former Roswell Mayor Jere Wood says the city violated its own tree protection and historical preservation laws when clearing the land.
“They did it without telling anybody, and they said, ‘Now, it’s done. What are you gonna do?’” Wood said.
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Wood says the current mayor and city council have also hired expensive consulting firms while cutting services and forcing out longtime employees.
“They’re paying millions of dollars to consultants and laying off janitors,” Wood said.
City Administrator Randy Knighton says while the city did lose some jobs, it added others.
He also says Roswell followed its laws when leveling the trees at Mimosa Hall and the public had opportunities to comment on the plan.
“I will underscore the fact that the city has been operating in a very robust manner. Our fiscal health is strong. We operate with a great deal of integrity in our operations,” Knighton said.
He adds that the city has hosted multiple meetings to engage the public.
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