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Politics & Government

Ermutlu Calls for Mayor's Resignation

Several of the city's residents gave statements advocating the reinstatement of Georgia EMS.

The man who earlier this month called for the mayor's resignation during Monday night's City Council meeting, which saw an unusually high attendance of about 50 people.

David Ermutlu's complaint claims Mathews used city equipment for other business and that he has been facilitating meetings between his employer, MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service, and City Manager Steve Kennedy.

Kennedy informed Georgia EMS on July 6 that the company had two days to stop providing service to the city due to a state mandate that Kennesaw soley use the services of MetroAtlanta Ambulance. The way he handled the matter was . Georgia EMS had served the city for 14 years.

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Ermutlu said Mathews "tried to lure me into a private meeting" in which to discuss the charges. He also said he plans to forward photographs which display the text conversation in question to the ethics committee.

"The sum total of events that have transpired over these past five months have caused me to lose faith in Mayor Mathews to fulfill his duty in an unbiased, fair, and ethical manner," Ermutlu said. "I therefore must respectfully request that Mayor Mathews submit his resignation."

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The Council also listened to several impassioned statements advocating for Georgia EMS and requesting that the Council reinstate the company's service.  The city discontinued Georgia EMS' services in compliance with a letter of demand sent by the State of Georgia's Department of Health Services. 

"We can't knowingly violate the law," Councilman Bill Thrash said. "(But) that doesn't mean the fight is over."

"I'm fighting for home rule," Thrash said. "I'm going to continue to fight it at the state level as long as I have the energy to do so."

Also during Monday's meeting:

  • David Ernst of Ernst-Cobb County, Inc requested the rezoning of Land Lot 136 at 1475 Lockhart Dr. from City Light Industrial to City Heavy Industrial. Ernst also requested permission for several variances in order to construct a concrete plant and new silo at the same location. The council approved all of Ernst's requests with a series of unanimous votes. 
  • A rezoning request was made by Charles Naser of Beaucoup Properties, LLC to convert Land Lot 60 at 1465 Shiloh Rd. from Community Retail Commercial to City Office-Institutional. The purpose of the request is to allow for construction of a new parking lot for Kennesaw State University.  The request was passed with a  4-1 vote. Mayor Pro-Tem Cris Eaton-Welsh dissented but did not comment on her decision. 
  • The council received an update from the Cobb County Department of Transportation on the improvements which will be made to Wade Green Road in the near future. The design incorporates "crossover lanes," which are designed to eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) "conflict points" and allow traffic to flow freely on and off I-75. 
  • Mathews presented a certificate of excellence on behalf of the city to Jennifer Fenton, a 2008 graduate of Kennesaw Mountain High School who has since gained membership to the NCAA National Softball championship team.
  • The city received a check donation of $500 from the Cemetery Preservation Foundation.
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