JONESBORO, Ga. — Jonesboro Mayor Donya Sartor is standing by comments she made in recently leaked audio ahead of a public meeting earlier this month.
In that audio, the mayor can be heard telling a group of students in Jonesboro’s Youth City Government that if they spoke during public comment at a council meeting, she would cancel their upcoming trip.
Off camera, the mayor told Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter that she had asked the students to meet in private before deciding to speak publicly. Sartor added that the exchange was preceded by other circumstances, arguing that the students had been disrespectful.
Some community members, like Dan B., argue that her comments went too far.
“She forced the kids to be silent. And if they did not comply, she was going to take away the funding for a trip that they themselves had raised money for,” he said.
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However, other parents, like Bonita Washington, feel the mayor handled the situation fairly.
“There was some concern about how the children wanted to present what they had to say, and it was a bit disrespectful,” Washington said.
Another parent, Vashti Lawson, expressed similar sentiments: “The students were able to go on the trip. The city made sure the funds were allocated, and everybody went.”
On Tuesday, the Downtown Development Authority continued its discussion about the mayor’s use of funds for Juneteenth and Fourth of July celebrations.
DDA Chair Santia Fox said there are still discrepancies regarding where the money came from and how much was spent.
“What we were responsible for is still very unclear to us, three months later,” said Fox.
Fox added that the board is asking for an audit of both DDA and city finances, in addition to requesting an attorney to help them navigate the situation.
“She knew the council would not approve some of the invoices brought to them, so she came to the Downtown Development Authority to do that. That’s what I believe. That’s what it appears to be,” said Fox.
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