A Georgia mayor who boasts being the country’s first Black Lives Matter organizer elected to office is facing scrutiny for using $20,000 of public funds for international travel and other questionable purchases, according to reports.
South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau was accused this week of using a city-issued purchase card in December for unauthorized spending on a trip to Africa, food and other expenses that totaled around $26,000, a councilwoman reportedly said this week.
“It’s a pretty large amount of unauthorized charges,” Councilwoman Helen Willis alleged to Fox 5 Atlanta on Tuesday.
Kamau, who has denied wrongdoing, documented an extended trip to Ghana last month on social media according to WSB-TV, showing him on videos at a party and also attending a concert in the country’s capital.
In another video, he is touting potential economic development connections that could be made between the Ghanaian people and residents in South Fulton.
Plane tickets worth more than $5,000, a $1,300 drone and various Amazon purchases were among the myriad of items purchased, according to documents obtained by WSB-TV.
Willis reportedly claimed there are also 112 receipts that need to be reconciled or submitted by Kamau, who goes by Mayor Kobi. Those submissions reportedly must happen within 72 hours.
While Willis said “it appears so” when asked if the mayor made unsanctioned purchases, another colleague on the city council said she wants more information before drawing any conclusions, Fox 5 reported.
“At this time, it has not been determined that that has taken place,” Councilwoman Linda Pritchett reportedly said.
“I would like to see the mayor have the opportunity to address the issue transparently,” she added.
There is no city policy on international travel, but the card can’t be used for personal items or services, the station reported.
“I wanted to find out if taxpayers paid for this trip,” resident Reshard Snellings told WSB-TV. “We should not be asked to go without something so that our elected officials can travel all over the globe.”
The mayor, first elected to the city council in 2017, claimed to WSB-TV the criticism is “a smear campaign” motivated by politics.
Mayor Kobi also briefly addressed the scrutiny Friday evening, saying his staff is working on publishing the receipts so the public can see the paperwork for themselves.
He said on an Instagram live video the international travel was tied to boost economic development opportunities.
“We all realize, we all have not been using the (purchase) card or travel policy the way that they’re outlined in the policy because the policy is just unworkable,” he said in reference to talking with other city officials. “It was written to trick people up and not get things done.”
Kamau has described himself as an “elected activist” who has been involved in civic engagement for years, including helping organize the Atlanta chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“America’s first #BlackLivesMatter organizer elected to public office, Mayor khalid … is leading a generation of young activists from protests to politics,” according to the bio on the city website.
He did not immediately return an email seeking comment on Friday.
