Georgia’s youngest elected mayor, a gay black man, has been ousted after only 10 months in office due to corrupt behavior.
Last year, the Georgia city of Stockbridge elected then-22-year-old Jayden Williams as mayor. On his campaign website, he said he had a philosophy “rooted in addressing injustices and disparities,” according to station WANF.
Ten months later, the Stockbridge City Council voted on Saturday to oust Williams over oodles and oodles of corruption and bad behavior.
Stockbridge’s 23-year-old mayor has been voted out of office.
Three council members voted Saturday to remove Jayden Williams after a misconduct hearing. He can appeal to Henry County Superior Court. pic.twitter.com/u9Y0fiFF6D
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) September 13, 2026
During Saturday’s hearing, the council presented records showing Williams had “used the city’s purchasing card on restaurant outings, clothes and going to the movies,” according to station WSB.
Williams reportedly spent over $4,000 on the city’s credit card for personal expenses. He similarly spent over $2,600 on the city’s fuel card for personal trips.
The council also displayed romantic-like text messages that Williams had exchanged with an 18-year-old high school student who’d sought his mentorship.
See some of the text messages below:
🇺🇸 Georgia’s youngest-ever mayor made history at 22. 10 months later, he’s out.
Stockbridge Mayor Jayden Williams was removed from office after allegations he used more than $4,000 in city funds for personal expenses, including meals, clothes, haircuts and a movie.
He said the… pic.twitter.com/9ZR71RvNxG
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 15, 2026
According to WSB, the student, a male, originally reached out congratulating Williams on his mayoral victory and expressing interest in mentorship. However, the messages soon become intimate-like.
“Williams asked the student if he had a girlfriend and whether he ‘ever had sexual relations with a guy,'” according to WSB.
The two also exchanged self-deleting photos and videos. When asked during Saturday’s hearings whether the photos included nudity, Williams claimed that he didn’t recall.
“Is getting nude photographs via text message so unremarkable to you that you don’t remember when you get them?” Robert Ashe, an attorney representing the city, asked Williams.
“It is not memorable nor abnormal for somebody my age to send – actually, at this time, I was at Clark Atlanta [University] so that’s not abnormal for someone my age,” Williams replied.
Yet in the text message exchanges, Williams at one point threatened the student, writing, “THIS BETTER STAY BETWEEN US TOO.”
Williams also tried to portray himself as being ignorant of the city’s policy regarding its credit cards.
“So you have never read the City of Stockbridge purchasing and ethics policy? Is that your testimony?” Ashe asked him.
“Correct,” Williams replied.
“You’ve been in office now since January and you never bothered to read the city’s purchasing and ethics policy?” Ashe pressed.
“I never received a copy of it,” Williams alleged.
Democrat mayor. Now officially out of a job.
Stockbridge voted to remove Jaden Williams after allegations including misuse of city funds and purchasing cards, along with sexually suggestive communications involving an 18-year-old student.
From mayor’s office to political… pic.twitter.com/ODFuBeEW8q
— American Nightmare 🇺🇸 (@thewakeninq) September 13, 2026
Williams’ ouster disturbed some locals.
“My simple question is, was the punishment proportional to the wrongdoing?” one resident said during Saturday’s hearing, arguing that he should have received a warning first, according to station WAGA.
“Because you were not simply terminating an employee, you were overturning the decision of the voters,” the resident added.
Williams’ attorney, Robert Kenner, also cried foul.
“Tonight was very disappointing,” he told reporters after Saturday’s hearing. “I don’t believe that it was based on any evidence.”
Williams has since been replaced by acting Mayor Elton Alexander, though Alexander has said he doesn’t plan to run for the position whenever the city schedules an official special election for it.
“I have no desire to be mayor,” he told reporters on Saturday, according to NBC News. “We have a council-manager form of government. What that means is the mayor’s position has very few powers in the city of Stockbridge. For me to run for mayor means giving up my ability to vote and I would never do that.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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