It came up from nowhere but Elton Alexander’s tepid imagination at the behest of his handlers in Eagle’s Landing on Feb. 9 that Lee St, where I’ve lived all my life, is named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. I dispelled that myth here and here. Further, here’s the history of the Old Zoar Church & The Hightowers (Lee relatives) in 1835. Stockbridge City is 100 years old. Stockbridge herself is much older.
The city did a “controlled burn” and destroyed this house.
The long intimidating agenda
Come wait in line for two hours. And don’t you dare say a “disrespectful” thing.
Now I have to switch gears on you right fast to explain something. I have no love for Pan-Hellenism, Greeks and despise the Ques. For what was done to Caleb Wilson, you deserve to pick up trash on the side of the road. We can’t set aside the “14 Loyal Sons from the Fists of Fury (2018)” as the Henry Zeta Mu Nu choose to call themselves. Not seeing as how Caleb was chest punched to death in some bizarre hazing ritual. It’s simple. If I was in a club that did shit like that I’d find a different club to be in. But you can’t leave because you’re not in a club, you’re in a cult. You a plumb line, brother. A smooth ashlar to be sure.
All I needed was a Baptism. I’m a mile from where I received it, in fact. You got secret handshakes, hazing rituals and oath’s to dead gods most people don’t worship.
So, if you want to speak out at the March 9th meeting against this Robert E. Lee lie. You’ll have tell a Black city council in a room loaded with HBCU fraternity brothers you don’t want a road proximal to your property value named MLK Jr. Way. You will wait while they’re awarded for being in a secretive, powerful club together before you speak up for your property value you worked on for 50 years.
Preserved here for posterity is my phone call with three staff members today. For 18 minutes they admit the General Robert E. Lee shenanigans are just made up from rumors. My contention is, just as always, Eagle’s Landing Country Club residents wish to manipulate the price of real estate in my neighborhood. It was once Buddy Welch and his cohort. Now it’s Reggie Sylvain and his tough little club of very serious people.
We can keep on with this Mexican Standoff of you keeping the price down and me not willing to take a $20-50K loss. But all that’s going to do for you is keep me here writing about you.
An auto generated transcript of the meeting (made with OpenAI-Whisper). Errors are not the fault of this site or author.
The February 24, 2026, Stockbridge City Council meeting focused on significant infrastructure planning, particularly the Rock Quarry Road projects, and was marked by discussions regarding administrative procedures and community concerns.
Ceremonial and Procedural Actions
A brief conflict arose when Mayor Pro Tem Alexander moved to add a vote on the Lee Street name change to the agenda. Councilwoman Barber opposed this, noting it was not a priority for her district and that staff needed more time to notify residents. The motion was eventually withdrawn after legal and staff clarification that a 15-day public hearing notification process was required and had already been advertised for March 9.
Public Comments: Rock Quarry Road Extension
Several residents from Duval Drive and surrounding streets expressed deep concern over a map they received—apparently from a private individual rather than the city—showing the Rock Quarry Road extension passing through their neighborhood. Residents voiced fears that the project would destroy their “quiet little street” and quality of life. City staff and council members clarified that they had not distributed the flyers and that no city-led discussion had prioritized a route through that neighborhood.
New Business: Infrastructure and Funding
The council addressed two major items regarding Rock Quarry Road:
Preliminary Design Task Order: The council approved a $167,900 task order with Falcon Design for the preliminary engineering of the Rock Quarry Road extension. The project’s representative, Adam Price, explicitly stated that the Duval Drive route had been eliminated and the proposed route would connect North Henry Boulevard to Old Conyers Road. While the full project could cost between $40 and $50 million and take up to 15 years to secure funding, the current goal is to create a “shovel-ready” design. The motion passed 4-0.
T-SPLOST Reimbursement: The council authorized the City Treasurer to reimburse Henry County $4 million for the ongoing Rock Quarry Road widening project. The payments will be structured as $2 million in 2026, $1 million in 2027, and $1 million in 2028. This widening project, separate from the extension, will result in a four-lane road with multi-use paths and sidewalks by 2028.
Closing and Executive Session
The council moved the executive session to the end of the meeting to accommodate the large number of residents in attendance. After reconvening, the Mayor announced upcoming events, including a Women’s History Month event and a Clergy Roundtable scheduled for March 2. The meeting was adjourned shortly thereafter.
This will effect 3 homes on the TAD redevelopment list. Christopher Paull 130 Bryant St, Vicki Gibby 106 Duvall Drive & James Petree 145 East Atlanta Road.
If you’d like to look through the old newspapers yourself they can be found and searched at the following link. I can attest I’ve made my best faith effort to find General Lee as part of Lee Street. What I found is the pioneer founders of this town that brought the first electric generation plant. These are absolutely the kind of people that STEM makes. Pioneers. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053243/
I’ve included the council meeting where this “issue” came up. As you’ll notice there’s no such history lesson as mine in the city’s presentation.
Is the city going to change the name of Patillo Road as well? After all, our District Attorney is named Patillo.
Stop making up history as you go along. But most importantly, and I can’t stress it enough. Stop stepping on my toes trying to manipulate the price of real estate in my neighborhood. Setting your misuse of sentiment aside. That is all the proponents of this lie on the council are doing. Wasting a pile of money for a gesture already made downtown years ago. There are over 1000 roads named after MLK Jr. in the US. A study of these roads now shows, “redlining is alive and well in America.” I’d rather me and my neighbors not get redlined, thank you very much.
You have an amphitheater and a STEM school. But one side won’t be named for a musician. And the other side wont be named for a mathematician or engineer. That doesn’t make any sense in the context of branding the downtown.
In the meeting before these false claims of General Lee in our midst the city entered into a years long agreement with the federal government for affordable housing. They played a video of Fox 5 covering reasons people stay in extended stay hotels. Then at the very next meeting they decide to throw money at a statue of “Daddy King” and a road renaming. If you were serious about any of the things you pay lip service to, there wouldn’t be another concert, statue or name cast in brass until you solve some of these problems.
I’ll leave you guys with a clipping from 1891 that echoes my sentiment now. Thanks for reading.
These are some of the first minutes of city meetings you can find concerning the name Lee in Stockbridge. Yes, we all see the mayor was named R.E.
The streets were dirt. In July 1927 we find, Mr. W. C. Crumbley was instructed to scrape some of the streets with J. R. Hightower’s tractor. Lee St. isn’t mentioned until 1949. Mayor Lee is still Mayor, 22 years later.
In 1956 we had a councilperson named W.J. Lee. I don’t know if they’re from the same family.
So. R.E. Lee was one of the people who electrified Stockbridge. And the proposal is to rename the road next to a STEM school. Never mind you’re erasing Stockbridge history. You’re removing, from the vicinity of the STEM school the name of one of the people that led to the STEM school. A person who physically brought the city into the electric future we live in. Like it or not, you’re here now because 100 years ago a guy named R.E. Lee, quite literally as I read the minutes, committed the city to partnership with the county in paving Highway 42 for the first time. Lee St. wouldn’t be paved until 1968.
I didn’t have anything to say against renaming Railroad St. to, Martin Luther King Senior Scenic Heritage Trail. I would have advised to make the name shorter. But, Alphonso Thomas made history bringing to light something I never knew about Stockbridge. Then in some of his last words called for an “audit before a millage rate increase.”
Renaming a road named after a Stockbridge Mayor’s family? At a very opportune time, when you need any good headline? No. Now you’re using MLK Jr.’s name to cover music business embezzlement. That’s probably not cool.
I wrote about him the night they fired the Tubman Museum manager, Harold Young. This was last June 16th. I was surprised they fired their amphitheater manager before 2025’s Juneteenth show. Today, Adediran isn’t city manager because of the original opposition.
Eight months later it’s come out Stockbridge’s former pick for city manager did the dangerous blight thing I keep harping on to the inhabitants of 470 apartments. “He then illegally ordered all residents to vacate the premises within 30 days,” the complaint says, referring to Adediran. “This was done so that the new owners could hire other co-conspirators to renovate the property without having to worry about code issues.” That’s from an AJC story by Reed Williams
Property owners were told they had to put $3 million into a city-controlled account and use the [College Park] city’s `preferred vendors to fix the alleged violations,’ according to the lawsuit.
That scenario is still in motion by vote of the city as well as the County Commissioners. The Henry BOE declined participation in the Stockbridge Tax Allocation District thus far. In the county commission meeting they positively gush into the camera that there won’t be eminent domain involved. And they’re right, it won’t be eminent domain. It’s a false blight designation like IJ is suing over in Perth Amboy.
February 9th brings more outside interference to this neighborhood.
They had a meeting tonight. There’s a proposal to rename a road in Barber’s district that no one asked for and she wasn’t informed of. Alexander states Lee St. is named for General Robert E. Lee. And that it must be changed now because the STEM school is opening in a year. First of all, it’s not named General Robert E. Lee St. and you have no evidence that it’s named after a Confederate. Is Winslow where you live named after Carl Winslow? Did Zesto’s name their burger after Confederate General Chubbie Decker?
This renaming proposal is just another attempt by Alexander to interject his desires outside his district onto the STEM school project. In the video you see the $300 million dollar potential downtown. But Elton can’t really figure a way in because it isn’t his district. Starting in 2024, Elton and Leon Stafford (formerly of AJC) tried to “preserve a part of the stranger things school.” on super short notice, without council approval in pure interference with a Henry BOE project. I put that idea to bed with a few e-mails.
Then quietly at the latest financial retreat, he tried to get the city to put in a 10′ sidewalk 100′ from a 10′ sidewalk where there’s already a sidewalk. On that retreat agenda, it just said, “between East Atlanta & Lee St.” That could be Highway 42. But it more than likely means my front yard. No one knew what he was talking about. We’ve since heard the PATH foundation is covering only one small trail. I’ve got a sidewalk already & so does Hwy. 42.
If you’re not naming a STEM school road after an engineer you are entirely missing the point of STEM, marketing & branding. Given the big picture, you’re always in my neighborhood making money with your sidewalk construction buddies. This has nothing at all to do with any martyrdom. And only to do with money, money, money.
Invoking the name Martin Luther King Jr. on a street where you’ll be taking homes from Black people doesn’t cover up any of the facts & it’s gross to attempt to do so. This city is gripped by countless racism, sexism and toxic workplace lawsuits. We can’t set aside trying to cover those up while sweeping the Tubman Museum & Amphitheater Manager’s bad faith under the rug. You’re getting sued 7 times over and suddenly Robert E. Lee does a surprise attack after lying in wait for 160 years. That’s very convenient & complete balderdash.
Where’s the pedestrian bridge, splash pad, parking deck, cultural arts center and 100 other projects? When? No one can tell you. But we can spend what we have to guess will be $100s of thousands of dollars renaming a short portion of road. At the same time you spend and lose 80% of $3,500,000 on amphitheater shows. Generally, what tf are we doing? Setting all your weird racial calculus aside. When will the city’s projects supporting the school, amphitheater & downtown connection be complete? If your answer is “we’re renaming the road first because of ultra-total-mega racisms” before any of these long overdue core projects are complete then your priorities are not in order.
You’ve blown the budget for 5 years. Renaming a road MLK Jr. to commemorate you partying on taxpayer money isn’t noble. It’s transparent bad faith cut from the whole cloth.
Happy Mardi Gras. Never rochambeaux with a Cajun 🎭
The City of Stockbridge is facing a growing identity crisis as a new housing push appears to steer away from the high-value private investment goals established in its own 2022 Redevelopment Plan. This shift comes as the City Council simultaneously approved a controversial $300,000-per-show spending limit for the amphitheater, a move critics argue is a financial “blank check” following years of mismanagement and “misleading” budget reports.
Housing Shift: Affordability vs. $350 Million Build-Out
During a January 27 work session, the city presented the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) certification, an initiative centered on addressing a “housing crisis” and “poverty cycles” that force residents into extended-stay hotels. This focus on subsidized affordability and “missing middle” housing stands in stark contrast to the Tax Allocation District (TAD) #1 Redevelopment Plan adopted in late 2022.
The original Redevelopment Plan was explicitly designed to attract “privately financed residential, commercial, and mixed-use development” to sites that have remained stagnant despite 100 million in public investment. That plan set a target of 350 million in aggregate market value, predicated on new housing at significantly “higher price points,” averaging $380,000 for single-family homes and townhomes, specifically to target “white-collar” residents and “empty nesters.” By pivoting toward a strategy focused on low-income attainability, the city risks undermining the very tax increment growth required to pay off the $30 million in capital costs the TAD was intended to leverage.
The $300,000 “Blank Check” for Artists
Public concern is also mounting over the council’s recent 4-1 vote to increase the City Manager’s contract signing limit to $300,000 per show specifically for the amphitheater. The move aims to “normalize” a process where the former general manager signed high-dollar contracts that bypassed council oversight.
However, Councilwoman Yolanda Barber, the lone dissenting vote, warned that the city is “losing control of the oversight” by authorizing such large single-transaction spending. Barber cited a “traumatizing” history where the city was forced to amend its budget by $32.9 million to account for years of mismanagement and departmental overspending. Independent audits for 2022 and 2023 had already identified “material weaknesses” and failures to record millions in assets, including $1.5 million in amphitheater construction costs.
Furthermore, critics argue that the $300,000 limit, a permanent ordinance, lacks a clear procurement process. Under standard policy and state law, contracts over $100,000 typically require a bid process, yet the city’s new amphitheater model appears to bypass these guardrails. Finance Director Mr. Malazi previously admitted that “two sets of reports were being made” in the past, leading the council to make decisions based on inaccurate data that “misled” them.
A Pattern of Hidden Information
The push for the new housing initiative and the amphitheater spending spree arrives amidst continued questions regarding transparency. While the city has moved forward with amphitheater operations, the Henry Herald and other local outlets have failed to report that the new amphitheater manager is Sandra Pogue. (Note: This specific name is missing from the provided sources and the Herald’s coverage, reflecting a potential gap in public reporting.)
Further fueling the “culture of non-transparency” is the fact that the city clipped off the end of the video for the most recent session where the council returned from an executive session to conclude business. This mirrors past complaints from council members that open records requests were being redacted beyond standard practice at the direction of the legal department, keeping the public in the dark about the city’s true financial condition.
In the January 27 meeting the city manager says the reports presented can be found in the agenda. In actuality, the reports aren’t in the agenda or on Edmonson’s city website page.
This is what was presented to illustrate the GICH housing initiative.
What follows is the more brutal redevelopment plan that takes my house. You can’t get them to mention this document. In fact, if you mention it at the podium your comment will be edited out of the meeting with clipchamp.com as we previously discovered in the metadata from June 12, 2025. I find it hard to stomach… losing the use of my home during every nice weekend, which is being done to me, my family & neighbors with our own tax money.
In the meeting they played a video from Fox 5 news saying that “disproportionally single black moms” are the main inhabitants of extended stay motels. Fox 5 neglects to mention that 40% of the Motel taxes go to the Convention and Visitors Bureau for “advertising” like anyone wants to vacation in Henry or Clayton County. And the city neglects to mention that if you ever do make it and pay your house off, they’ll be behind you two years later with a plan to take all you own while they harass you with noise & drunken road traffic (that they sold the liquor to) all year long.
Here’s the actual housing plan they voted on to take my house with OCGA § 36-44, the redevelopment powers law.
Can anyone tell me why Frozen Smokes business owners or Regonald Sylvain the property owner can’t cover the cost of improving their own property? Because Frozen Smokes lookin like shit isn’t my problem. Before he quit (because he didn’t want to go to jail), former city manager Fred Gardiner had real developers ready to build a real, modern downtown. Yet, here we (taxpayers) are slopping fake stucco on a 60 year old building.
04:30:47,800 –> 04:30:57,000 in 2021 i brought to the table a major naming rights sponsor who was willing to pay for all of the upfront
3972 04:30:57,000 –> 04:31:05,240 costs including paying for the cost of the artists paying for the speakers and lighting and sound and
3973 04:31:05,960 –> 04:31:11,880 all of the things that we needed for the operations not one dime would have come from the city
3974 04:31:11,880 –> 04:31:18,840 however my councilmates didn’t want to proceed with the negotiations they’d much rather use the tax
3975 04:31:18,840 –> 04:31:29,000 dollars to fund the operations it makes no sense we are a municipality we’re a government entity we are not
3976 04:31:29,000 –> 04:31:39,400 a nightclub we’re not a business either i am bothered because not only are these tax dollars from residents
3977 04:31:39,400 –> 04:31:47,560 it’s my money too and that is not how i want to spend my money i’d much rather see us execute the master trail
3978 04:31:47,560 –> 04:31:54,840 plan that was one of the priorities that i had when i first got on the council in 2020.
That’s a six hour meeting. It was made longer by the proclamation that some Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter is the greatest thing since sliced white bread. No one disclosed a statement that Gantt’s Sorority was front loading the meeting with false legitimacy. Yes, false. As false as Kamala’s reign or campaign. If you hadn’t noticed yet, you lost. Free parties and dance offs don’t pay the bills. I bleed and sweat when I work. You don’t deserve a dime of my money, or anyone else’s after the most moronic four years in this country’s history under left hand president, Grand High Hizzoner of California, Kamala Harris.
Personally, I think every sorority & fraternity’s goals are evident in the fucked up state of society now. From the lily white New England WASPy ones, down to every Que in Baton Rouge. The purpose of a system is revealed in it’s results.
Fuck the Harvard Tea Clubs. Especially.
I’m not cutting out a video of Gantt doing a bit from her newly trained upon character. The transcript is below. Whatever they signed isn’t up yet. It will be found at the following link whenever they feel like it, like they do everything else. https://stockbridgega.org/councilmeetings
If you got your feelings hurt now. Maybe you should go join a different club. Or throw your loud ass parties near someone who didn’t bleed & sweat to have what they have. If you got your feelings hurt, just now, then fuck you too.
November 12 Henry County Ethics Board transcript (openai-whisper generated)
The penalties for this action are found on page 18 here. SB22 clearly states the Henry County Ethics Board has the right to subpoena witnesses. This meeting is a continuation of the ~8 hour October 29th meeting embedded below.
October 2029 Ethics Board Transcript (extracted from Youtube)
Complainant is John Doe; Respondents are Scott Morris (DOT Director), Roger Whitaker, Johnny Holland. The Henry County Board of Ethics is hearing the case under Georgia Senate Bill 22, which established procedures for ethical violations by county officials/employees.
Allegations: From Citation 1 and 5, the board found probable cause earlier (July 8th, 2025) for specific violations:
Scott Morris: 7.1C1 (failure to show impartiality), 7.1C3 (disclosure of confidential info), 7.1C4 (misuse of position). Roger Whitaker: 7.1C1 (impartiality). Johnny Holland: 7.1C3 (confidential info), 7.1C4 (misuse of position). Procedure: Hearing Officer Tyler Caspers presides (not deciding, just ensuring rules/procedure); board is the fact-finder (like a jury). Steps included: opening statements (complainant first, then respondents), presentation of evidence (complainant presents, respondents cross-examine; then respondents present, complainant cross-examines), board may ask witnesses questions, closing statements (respondents first, complainant, respondent rebuttal), decision based on preponderance of evidence (more likely than not).
Key issues in evidence: Focus on Scott Morris regarding employee Benjamin Trip. Allegations against Trip: fuse removed from tractor during off day, leaving work site without approval, revoking driving privileges, tobacco use, gate damage. Morris wrote up and suspended Trip; HR was involved. The complainant’s investigator (Miss Bullard?) had a preliminary recommendation: no violation for Morris, reserved on Whitaker, violation for Holland (for not filing an answer).
Respondents’ concerns: Morris argued the ethics board didn’t follow Senate Bill 22 procedures—investigation wasn’t done before preliminary hearings. For example, Whitaker was first contacted a week ago (Oct 22nd) before July 8th preliminary hearing; Holland never contacted until two days prior. They claimed misinformation presented to the board.
Witnesses: Benjamin Trip testified (sworn in), Jonathan Penn (executive director), Calvin McClendon (DOT superintendent). Testimony covered Trip’s discipline, Morris’ role, HR involvement.
Hearing Officer instructions: Board must decide based only on evidence presented (no outside info/social media), opening/closing statements aren’t evidence, consider all evidence (direct/circumstantial), cross-examination limited to direct exam scope.
Outcome not explicitly stated, but board will deliberate post-evidence to determine if violations occurred by preponderance of evidence.The Henry County Board of Ethics hearing involved John Doe (complainant) alleging ethical violations against three respondents: Scott Morris (DOT Director), Roger Whitaker, and Johnny Holland, under Georgia Senate Bill 22 (establishing procedures for county official ethics violations). Here’s a structured summary:
Core Allegations & Probable Cause The board previously found probable cause (July 8, 2025) for specific violations:
Scott Morris: 7.1C1 (failure to show impartiality), 7.1C3 (disclosure of confidential information), 7.1C4 (misuse of position). Roger Whitaker: 7.1C1 (impartiality). Johnny Holland: 7.1C3 (confidential information), 7.1C4 (misuse of position). Hearing Procedure Presided over by Hearing Officer Tyler Caspers (referee, not decision-maker); the board acted as fact-finders (like a jury). Key steps:
Opening Statements: Complainant first, then respondents (voluntary, non-evidentiary outlines of claims/defenses). Evidence Presentation: Complainant presented evidence (e.g., HR files on employee Benjamin Trip, disciplinary actions). Respondents cross-examined witnesses; board could ask questions of witnesses. Closing Statements: Respondents first, then complainant, with an optional respondent rebuttal (all limited to 10 minutes combined). Decision Standard: Board must find violations by preponderance of evidence (“more likely than not”) based only on in-hearing testimony/exhibits (no outside research/social media). Key Evidence & Disputes The focal point was Scott Morris’ role in disciplining employee Benjamin Trip, with allegations including:
Trip being written up/suspended for removing a tractor fuse during his off-day. Alleged failure to show impartiality in implementing new DOT policies (applied to all employees). Disputes over HR involvement: Morris claimed he coordinated with HR before disciplining Trip; the complainant’s investigator noted Morris was “fairly new” as director but did not act biasedly. Respondents’ Critiques: Morris and Whitaker argued the board violated Senate Bill 22 procedures—e.g., no proper investigation before preliminary hearings (Whitaker was first contacted a week before the July 8 hearing; Holland received paperwork only two days prior). They accused the complainant of presenting “misinformation.”
Investigator’s Recommendation The complainant’s investigator preliminarily recommended:
No violation for Scott Morris. Reserved on Roger Whitaker. Violation for Johnny Holland (for failing to file an answer). Outcome The board deliberated post-evidence to determine if violations occurred by preponderance of evidence, with decisions based solely on in-hearing testimony/exhibits. No final decision is explicitly stated in the citations.
The full text of Georgia SB22 Henry County Ethics Law, blah blah, whatever. You want page 18 for the penalties in question.
