Ethics issues raised amid racial conflict in Hoschton

There is talk in Jackson County about filing ethics complaints against Hoschton Mayor Theresa Kenerly and Hoschton City Councilman Jim Cleveland. Both have heard calls to resign after making what are said to have been racist remarks. Kenerly denies not hiring a black city administrator because of his race, while Cleveland, who is Hoschton’s Mayor Pro Tem has been quoted speaking out against interracial marriage.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution filed an open records request for dozens of emails and a handful of Facebook messages directed at Hoschton before the city took down both its website and Facebook page following the AJC’s May 6 story. Without exception, the messages were critical of officials’ racially charged comments, with many calling on the mayor and a longtime councilman to resign.