The Joke is on Mableton and South Cobb regarding stalled cityhood passage

As citizens of Mableton, we look for leadership on the state level to explain why our community has been left in the dark on cityhood search after other communities have moved forward. East Cobb, Lost Mountain, and Vinings have been passed by both houses, signed by the governor, and on the ballot for a May 24th referendum, while the paperwork for Mableton is nowhere to be found.

SPOTLIGHT South Cobb News has been reporting on this issue for weeks after seeing the different treatment in our community versus that of other areas of Cobb. The Marietta Daily Journal noticed our reporting and did an article that reference the disparity saying, “Before the Georgia General Assembly had reached the halfway point of this year’s session, the cityhood proposals for East Cobb, Lost Mountain, and Vinings were signed into law.” They also commented that Mableton has yet to receive a vote by the House of Representatives after passing out of committee over two weeks ago.

The MDJ went to the capitol to find the underlying cause of the problem for Mableton cityhood. They went to South Cobb representatives to ask why Mableton has not moved forward, but they could not provide an answer.

Part-time representative and full-time race-baiter, Erica Thomas, who sponsored the legislation two years ago, was the first one they tapped with the question and her response was a doozy saying “I don’t know.” Excuse me but how can you not know when you are supposed to be the rep for this community?

Some in the community say the problem for Mableton is in the mirror if Thomas would bother looking. Many have shared with SPOTLIGHT that Mableton’s problem is that Thomas is not liked nor respected by colleagues at the general assembly because of her antics there. Because of the problems she has caused, we are not getting the support and assistance that other communities have received from other elected officials at the capitol including those within the Cobb Delegation.

We can hardly blame these folks because many across South Cobb feel the same way about Thomas, especially after the incident at our neighborhood Publix where Thomas got into a minor incident with another shopper. Instead of letting it go, Thomas went home, stuck herself in the eyes, and recorded a tearful video painting herself as a victim of racial discrimination by a white man. She then placed that misleading home video on the internet to her Facebook followers in an apparent attempt to create online race anger and indignation in our community. 

Thomas’s story began to unravel as soon as it started. The man in the incident, a Cuban Democrat, said Thomas made up the majority of what she claimed happened. Police and the news media got involved and they too learned that the whole matter was a hoax, perpetrated by our shameful State Rep Thomas. They saw video evidence that showed Thomas acting as the aggressor in the interaction. A Publix manager would also tell police that Thomas was the one who “continuously” told the man to ‘go back to where he came from. The man contested Thomas’ version of events during a press interview, prompting Thomas to later walk back her original charge and take down her salacious video. 

Many in the community believe Thomas should have been arrested and charged in this incident for lying because her actions were identical to those involving actor Jussie Smollett. Smollett lied to police in Chicago about an attack that never occurred. He was charged, tried, found guilty, and awaiting his sentence.

South Cobb residents say Thomas misuses her position as a state rep on an ongoing basis and is notorious for calling the police on citizens and swearing out false warrants of being attacked, only to have her false complaints dismissed after wasting taxpayer dollars with the police and court system.

So why would paperwork for Mableton, which has had the least contentious cityhood proposal, be stuck on someone’s desk at the capitol as others have advanced? We blame Thomas for the poor relationship skills that she has mined over several years. We also blame those in the Cobb Delegation – Republicans and Democrats – for this failure. The delegation should ensure that we are all treated fairly. This is not a fair treatment for our majority Black community by either party. The Republicans should be embarrassed by their silence on this issue. The Democrats are busy trying to please Cobb Chair Lisa Cupid, who does not support cityhood for anyone, that they are willing to deny us the rights that other majority White communities have been granted in Cobb. Democrats questioned motives and methods by which the cities would be formed while denying us our opportunity to decide.

The Mableton bill is awaiting a House vote and Thomas and others will not get us there. The bill must pass the House by Crossover Day — the 28th day of the legislative session, which is March 15 — to have a chance at being signed into law.

Residents of Mableton should reach out to other members of the Cobb Delegation, along with Gov. Kemp, Lt. Gov. Duncan, and Speaker Ralston, to demand that Mableton receive the same treatment as other communities in Cobb. Anything less is unfair and reeks of discrimination and unfair treatment against our community.  

In the meantime, qualifying is this week, and several candidates are stepping forward to place their names in contention to represent our community.

Regardless of what happens with Mableton cityhood, Erica Thomas needs to go because she is no representative of South Cobb.