Ministers and residents press Glennville council over recorded remarks, call for accountability

Mayor Bernie Weaver convened the Glennville City Council on June 2 as a string of public commentators pressed elected officials over a circulated recording of remarks they said were made after an April meeting.

Pastor Reba King Feliciano, speaking on behalf of Councilmember Cynthia Miller, told the council "the season for those who were involved in this situation is up," saying the recordings demonstrated a loss of trust and calling for greater transparency and honesty from the city's leadership. "This brokenness cannot be repaired with this mayor and those involved," she said.

Joanne Anderson told the council footage and reports suggesting officials continued city business after a meeting "constituted a betrayal of the public trust" and urged officials to resign. "If you don't resign, the citizens of Glennville can pursue a recall," Anderson said.

Religious leaders also addressed the council. Roger Nelson, speaking for the Glennville Area Ministerial Association, said the recorded remarks—he described comments targeting a local Muslim businessman and urging Christians to do business only with Christians—were "deeply harmful" and inconsistent with the community's values. "Public office is a sacred trust," Nelson said, and "the restoring of public trust requires meaningful accountability."

Several speakers urged procedural changes. Resident Deandrea Youngblood asked the council to begin live streaming and archiving all regular and special meetings, citing other Georgia examples and saying a continuous video record would improve accessibility and deter violations of the state's Open Meetings Act (OCGA §50-14-1). "Streaming and archiving is the modern responsible extension of that guarantee," Youngblood said.

Not all public remarks called for removal. Donna Blocker urged citizens to weigh the council's overall record, citing a K-9 program funded by a grant that she said contributed to 280 felony drug arrests since 2023, avoidance of a millage increase, a continued surplus and positive audits. "We should allow room for forgiveness and redemption," Blocker said, and she noted that apologies had been made.

Council action at the meeting did not include any formal disciplinary measures related to the recording. The council approved routine agenda items and several purchases and votes (see "Votes at a glance"). Mayor Weaver moved to table a rezoning request for 305 Kicklighter Street after the developer did not appear before Planning and Zoning to explain intended uses.

At the end of the meeting the council entered executive session to discuss legal and personnel matters; after returning to open session they said they had discussed hiring a city manager and expected to hold a special called meeting on Friday to continue that process.

The meeting closed with an affirmation that the minutes were correct; the minutes were signed July 7, 2026. The council did not vote at this session to remove or discipline any member; calls for resignations and recall therefore remain requests from members of the public rather than enacted council decisions.