UPDATE: Austell Mayor Appoints 4 of 6 Council Members to Chair Committees

Austell Mayor Joe Jerkins has appointed all but two city council members to chair city committees for 2012.

Ward 3 City Councilman Martin Standard and At-Large Post 1 City Councilwoman Trudie Causey were not assigned to any city committees.

Last year, Standard was the Public Works committee chairman and Causey was the Community Development committee chairwoman.

Jerkins said he makes his decision for committee chairpersons “by people working with me.”

“I’m just saying it’s the mayor’s choice and that’s the way it is,” Jerkins said.

According to Chapter 2, Section 2-20-8 of the Austell City Code, one of the mayor’s duties is “to appoint at the first meeting each year, (or as soon thereafter as expedient), a gas system liaison and members of the following standing committees: police department, fire, public works, general administration, finance, community affairs, and such other committees as the mayor and council may deem necessary.”

“It’s his prerogative,” said Standard. “I just wanted to make sure it’s nothing but personal…No big deal. He doesn’t like anybody saying something against him running the city.”

What do you think of the mayor's committee appointments? Tell us below in the comments.

Standard pointed to a recent council vote as an example. , Standard and Causey cast the dissenting votes in the decision to award Carlos Jones Construction nine contracts totaling $65,475 to demolish flood-damaged homes. Neither of the two council members agreed with awarding contracts to a company owing the city money in taxes.

Despite being paid $30,350 by the city for two projects the company completed, Carlos Jones failed to pay any of the taxes it has owed the city since 2007, which by

However, by November 2011, Carlos Jones had paid off all taxes and penalties owed to the city.

Jerkins said in October,

“It’s his (Jerkins’) town. He runs it the way he wants to,” Standard told South Cobb Patch after the Dec. 4 city council meeting. “I do have a problem with how the city hasn’t grown in 20 years…As long as he’s got the power, he can be that way.

“Luckily, the mayor can’t take our votes away. I’m sure he wishes he could,” Standard said.

Update Jan. 6 at 3:25 p.m. Causey also gave her feedback about not being selected to chair a committee.

"Regardless if I chair a committee or not, I'm going to continue to work for the citizens. If I see something that's not right, I'm still going to push the issue," she said.

Like Standard, Causey suspected that her dissenting vote regarding Carlos Jones had something to do with the mayor's selections.

Causey also said that her support of newly elected At-Large Post 2 City Councilwoman Suzanne Thomason may have impacted the mayor's decision because "he was supporting Randy," she said, referring to Randy Green, who ran for reelection in November and lost to Thomason.

"It's sad the mayor does what he does, but we can still be there for the citizens," Causey said. "We're not all going to agree on the same things at the same time...I'm going to serve the citizens. That's what they elected me to do."