Lawmakers in a small Georgia town, including the Mayor and three council members, are facing fierce backlash after a hot mic picked up the vile comments they made in private about their own colleagues and a Muslim business owner.
Locals in Glennville are calling for the firing of Mayor Bernie Weaver and three councilmembers after the four were heard discussing city business after an April meeting had adjourned, which was littered with foul comments about colleagues and constituents.
Weaver and councilmembers, Tammy Waters, Marcus Nobles and Greg Janeczek, began the discussion as their colleague, councilwoman Cynthia Miller, left the room.
‘[Miller] was barking at me… being nasty to Ms Tammy,’ Nobles was heard stating on the video of the meeting.
Waters and Miller seemed to have clashed during the meeting , and the four said Miller may need to be escorted out of meetings in the future by a Glennville Police Department officer.
Weaver continued on to note that Miller was a pastor, and the conversation turned to discussing their belief that a Christian should not do business with those of differing faiths.
‘But, notice I’ve never asked her to pray,’ Weaver was heard commenting.
‘There are churches of Satan, you know,’ Janeczek later replied.
Locals in Glennville are calling for the firing of Mayor Bernie Weaver and three councilmembers after the four were heard discussing city business after a meeting had adjourned, which was littered with foul comments about colleagues and constituents
The mayor then turns the conversation to a local businessman, Zuber Malek, who Mayor Bernie Weaver, pictured, referred to as a ‘terrorist,’ the recording heard
Councilmember Greg Janeczek asked if Malek, pictured, would ‘melt a little’ if the councilmembers threw holy water on him
The mayor then turns the conversation to a local businessman, Zuber Malek, who Weaver referred to as a ‘terrorist,’ the recording heard.
‘You think if we hit him with holy water, he’d melt a little?’ Janeczek chimed in.
It was then that councilmember Waters joined the conversation, and Nobles asked GPD Chief Wes Kicklighter to leave the room for a private conversation.
‘I don’t think we can close the door, can we?’ Waters queried.
‘We’re going to have to put something on the wall, and give 24 hours notice,’ Weaver said.
As the conversation unraveled regarding the street department leadership position, the four turned to former City Attorney Hugh McCullough’s retirement.
‘I don’t think tar and feathers is quite enough,’ Weaver said after suggesting honoring McCullough for his work.
The four began to dissect why McCullough chose to stop representing the city, as Nobles said he was pleased to see the attorney go.
Councilmember Tammy Waters, pictured, and Pastor Cynthia Miller seemed to have clashed during the meeting , and the four said Miller may need to be escorted out of meetings in the future by a Glennville Police Department officer
Councilmember Marcus Nobles said he was happy to see former City Attorney Hugh McCullough retire, noting his political affiliation and alleging that it clashed with the council
Councilmember Janeczek, pictured, agreed with Nobles who said that Miller should resign: ‘I don’t want to put up with her,’ Nobles said
‘I think he’s been passive-aggressive for a long time,’ Nobles continued, before noting that McCullough, who Nobles said voted for former President Barack Obama, would potentially be replaced by a Republican.
‘At least ideologically, he won’t be opposed to us,’ Nobles added.
As the conversation continued, Weaver and Waters eventually left the room but Nobles and Janeczek carried on conversing.
The pair discussed councilwoman Miller once again, as Nobles said: ‘I think we need to ask for her damn resignation. I don’t want to put up with her.’
‘I’ll second it. That was showing some serious a** in front of the public,’ Janeczek responded.
The four have since been heavily criticized by community members, including Malek, who accused the officials of discriminating against those who do not align with their personal views.
‘All I see is pure hate and ignorance,’ Malek told WSAV. ‘They are just insulting people.’
Malek told the outlet that he believes all four should resign immediately and said elected officials should not be able to pick and choose who can and cannot work with the city or attend council meetings.
Despite the nasty commentary, the four officials discussing city business outside of a public meeting also directly violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act
Malek told the outlet that he believes all four should resign immediately and said elected officials should not be able to pick and choose who can and cannot work with the city or attend council meetings
‘This is not a country club. This is a city hall,’ he added.
‘This does not look good,’ Micah King, a hopeful political in town told WSAV. ‘I’ve always been told when people show you who they are, believe them. We see who they are behind closed doors, and this is just one 20-minute instance of this happening.’
‘We don’t know how long it’s been going on,’ he continued. ‘We don’t know what else has been said in these secret meetings.’
Despite the nasty commentary, the four officials discussing city business outside of a public meeting also directly violated Georgia’s Open Meetings Act.
A Glennville resident told WJCL: ‘I was very shocked and it was very hurtful to see that these people that I put trust in, would do that. Regardless if they knew they were being recorded or not, they should have never been talking about people like that.’
The group of four issued a statement to the Journal Sentinel and said they wished to express their regret for the ‘impromptu discussion.’
‘It was not our intent to do anything outside of the public or other city officials. There has always been a custom to remain at the end of every meeting, address citizens directly, and engage in polite conversation,’ the statement said in part.
‘We should have been more cognizant of the presence of a quorum [three or more councilmembers], even though no city business was conducted or decided.’
The statement further offered an apology ‘to anyone offended by the inappropriate and unprofessional comments’ made in the recording.
‘We are committed to full transparency and will endeavor to follow the letter and spirit of the rules. The people of Glennville placed their trust in us when they placed us in our position, and we will show that we are deserving of that trust going forward,’ it concluded.
Following the backlash of the incident, the City Hall is expected to hold another meeting on Thursday.
The Daily Mail reached out to the City of Glennville, Mayor Weaver, Councilmember Cynthia Miller and councilmembers Nobles, Waters and Janeczek for comment.
