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20 Pages, 2 Sections A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, May 10, 2023 Statham turmoil continues as city council seeks mayor’s resignation During the Tuesday, May 4, Statham city council work session, councilman Scott Penn read a resolution of council requesting May or Joe Piper’s resigna tion. This action follows months of controversy and infighting among the small city’s govern ing body. Should Piper agree to resign, council members have asked for a special-called election to replace the mayor. One of the grievances voiced by council and some citizens stems from a severance agreement Piper penned following the March resignation of city accountant April Stephens. The agree ment, in the amount of $8685.27, was neither legal nor ethical, accord ing to council and some citizens who addressed the governing body during the work session. According to Piper’s op ponents, the city attorney must read and approve any such agreement. Piper disagreed, say ing that he discussed the agreement with city attorney Jody Campbell before executing it. Also of note is the fact that Piper, as the city’s pur chasing agent, can spend up to $25,000 without council approval. Without the severance agreement, Stephens had promised legal action against the city, citing a hostile work environ ment. That legal action would have cost the city an immediate $25,000 deductible, no matter the eventual outcome. “When trust is broken, a city can’t prosper,” said councilman Lee Patterson. “The mayor’s actions over the past two months MAILING LABEL '0 4879 14541 7 have broken trust.” Rudy Krause, Statham resident and husband of councilwoman Debi Krause, addressed mayor Piper during Tuesday’s work session. “Mayor, you’ve painted us into a corner. I’m not sure it’s recoverable (finan cially).” Krause referred also to a June 2022 con troversy concerning a proposed truck stop/ warehouse development in Statham, which would have been the first of its kind along the GA 316 Corridor. Citizen oppo sition was so strong that council voted to deny the proposal. Janel Piper, the may or’s wife, also addressed council members during the May work session. “Meanness and bullying are the hallmark of this city,” she said, adding that nothing can be ac complished in an envi ronment of hostility. The mayor added that “The council doesn’t talk to me. They won’t work with me. They meet off site somewhere, like the Mexican restaurant, and discuss city business in groups of three and four. They walk in here during meetings and say, ‘Good evening, Mayor,’ and that’s about it.” COMPANY PROPOSES CAR CHARGING STATIONS IN CITY Rick Controy with En- viroSpark addressed the council during May’s work session, propos ing the installation of several car charging stations throughout the city. “Small communi ties are perfect places for chargers,” Controy said, adding that univer sities, public buildings and apartments are ideal locations. EnviroSpark recently won the bid to install chargers along interstate highways in Georgia. Piper advised that city leaders would consider the proposal. COUNCIL TO DECIDE CITY POLICY ON VACATION AND SICK TIME City leaders are con sidering an ordinance that will allow city em ployees to convert un used vacation and sick time to paid time off (PTO). The move would prevent forfeiture of these benefits for em ployees, and would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023. A spec-taco-lar Ginco de Mayo Winder’s first Jug Tavern Fiesta held Credit: City of Winder On Friday, May 5, the City of Winder celebrated Cinco de Mayo with its first ever Jug Tavern Fiesta. The city offered local families an evening of food, margaritas and a live Latin band. The event also featured a mechanical bull, a mobile game truck, a free fall jump, inflatables and more. Pictured above are food truck vendors serving up the staple of Friday’s event - tacos. The highlight of the evening was the taco eating contest (pictured), where nine contestants competed while being cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. Fairytales come to life at Auburn Ever After Credit: City of Auburn Crowns, capes and carriages filled Fourth Avenue at Auburn Ever After in downtown Auburn on Saturday, May 6, as over 25 characters visited local families for a day of whimsical fun. This year is the city’s sixth year hosting the popular springtime event, featuring Disney princesses, Marvel superheroes and other beloved characters, coupled with activities like horse-drawn carriage rides, airbrush tattoos, pixie dust wishes and vocal perfor mances. This year’s event ended with a showing of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” on the big screen at the library. Winder’s water named best tasting drinking water in Northeast Georgia The City of Winder’s water has been named the district champion in the 2023 Best of the Best Taste Test performed by the Georgia sec tion of the American Water Works Association. Winder’s assistant city adminis trator Roger Wilhelm presented the award-winning news to mayor and council during the city council’s May 2 meeting. According to Wilhelm, providing the best-tasting tap water to resi dents demonstrates the hard work from the operators and the strategic investments in the city’s infrastruc ture. “You have the experts who are doing an outstanding job working out in the held with our pipelines and in the plants themselves, so we have the team to do it, and we have the water plant that the coun cil has been so diligent in providing support for investments within the plant to maintain a great facility, and the result of that is what we de liver to the citizens every day,” said Wilhelm. The statewide tap water taste test competition, which is put on annu ally by the Georgia Section of the American Water Works Association (GAWWA), took place last week at the Spring Conference of the Geor- See Water, page 2A o