FAIRBURN, Ga. — Fairburn City Councilmember Samantha Hudson is facing impeachment proceedings after sharing a confidential email related to an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint against her.
“They want me gone. I’m a troublemaker. It disrupts the status quo,” Hudson told Channel 2’s Investigative Reporter Justin Gray.
The controversy began when Hudson posted the email online, which informed her that she was the subject of a complaint.
The Fairburn City Council is now tasked with deciding whether her actions constitute transparency or an impeachable offense.
Hudson doesn’t hide the fact that she is a thorn in the side of both elected and unelected leadership at city hall, sending lots of emails, phone calls open records requests and even lawsuits.
“To be perfectly honest, the citizens elected me for this very reason,” she said.
“Her conduct alone has gone far beyond the legitimate oversight. It has created a toxic and destabilizing atmosphere in the city hall,” said Mayor Mario Avery’s attorney, Charles Brant.
Avery alleges that Hudson harassed the city clerk and violated city code by releasing the confidential email informing her that she was the subject of a formal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint by the clerk.
“Ms. Hudson was clearly made aware the city code says she cannot share confidential information. She made that very clear she was not going to comply,” Avery said.
The city’s ethics board has already voted in favor of holding an impeachment hearing.
On Wednesday, Hudson appeared before a Fulton County judge, asking for an order blocking Thursday night’s impeachment hearing. The ruling on that is still pending.
Hudson defended her decision to share the email, claiming it was a matter of public interest.
“This is a dangerous precedent that anyone who speaks out and uses their First Amendment right in an elected seat, if that speech is not favored, then they can be kicked out of office. This is a constitutional issue at this point,” she argued.
A city spokesperson released a statement, saying, “The City remains committed to conducting this process with full transparency, integrity, and adherence to due process under the City Charter and Georgia law.”
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