The recent arrest of Maysville’s longtime mayor seems to have exposed an existing division among elected leaders in the city of about 2,000 residents in southwestern Banks County.
Mayor Richard Presley was booked into the Banks County Jail on a simple battery charge on Sept. 25. The arrest came more than six months after resident Luis Lopez says Presley allegedly hit him following a council meeting in February. Lopez said it took half the year and thousands of dollars of his own money to bring charges against the city’s mayor.
Since January, clashes between council members and the mayor have become more frequent, and at least two Maysville employees have resigned from their positions with the city this year.
Presley told Now Habersham he had “no comment” when questioned about the incident in February. He then deferred to council when asked about current relations between members of Maysville’s governing body.
Initial incident
An incident report released by the city of Maysville states that Presley allegedly confronted Lopez after a council meeting on Feb. 27 of this year.
Councilwoman Amanda Farley – the girlfriend of Lopez – as well as Councilman Brodriche Jackson and former city clerk Sandra Helton said they witnessed the altercation unfold when the meeting adjourned. Helton is among the two city employees who resigned this year.
Lopez said he believes the mayor’s alleged actions that night were triggered by remarks Lopez made during public comments about dilapidated structures within the city.
When Lopez exited Maysville City Hall following that meeting, the report states Presley approached Lopez and struck him three times in the chest with an open hand.
“He saw me standing (outside) and he just came straight for me,” Lopez said. “He was telling me I’m not going to embarrass his family and he would not allow it.”
Former Maysville police chief Joshua White – who has since resigned – then separated the mayor from Lopez.
Lopez filed a police report with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office soon after. With Maysville City Hall located in Banks County, Lopez said he was told that’s where he should file the report. Lopez said Banks County then referred him back to the Maysville Police Department, which refused to take the report due to a “conflict of interest.”
Finally, Lopez took the case to magistrate court, where he said he spent seven months and around $10,000 of his own money to see charges brought against Presley.
“As a citizen, I should not have spent $10,000 to defend myself,” Lopez said. “I think he’s a terrible mayor at this point. Honestly, I asked for an apology, but (his attorneys) told me there was no way I was going to get an apology. Had he apologized to me, this probably would’ve never gone this far.”
Resignations: ‘Harassed and bullied’
Farley and Jackson say the resignations of Helton and White are directly linked to the rift between members of Maysville’s elected officials.
Jackson referred Now Habersham to a video posted on Maysville’s Facebook page. In the video, which was taken at a council meeting in late June, Jackson accuses Presley of bullying Helton into resignation.
“I don’t condone talking about people behind their backs,” Jackson says in the video. “(Helton) has done a great job. She’s worked her tail off. She’s done it with integrity and without being asked. (Helton) has been harassed and bullied…and I don’t like it. I want to stand up (against) that.”
White’s resignation letter indicates that discord between the mayor and council led to his departure in March.
“I am caught in a war between Mayor Richard Presley and the Maysville City Council,” White said in the letter. “The war is not mine and I refuse to fight it. I have always attempted to do my job to the best of my ability, and I love the city of Maysville. I chose to leave while we can all remain friends…”
Doug Anderson now serves as Maysville’s acting police chief.
Council clash
Underlying divisions among council members and the mayor briefly boiled up at a regular work session on Thursday, Oct. 24. The clash came over a dilapidated/blighted buildings ordinance that’s been on the agenda for much of 2024.
Farley and Jackson – both of whom took office in January – directly challenged the mayor over a delay in passing the ordinance, which Presley seemed hesitant to adopt as a debate ensued.
“I don’t know who you’re protecting or if you’re protecting yourself,” Jackson told Presley.
“Didn’t you tell me you wanted to have an open discussion?” Presley replied.
“We’ve had this for months, but (Presley) didn’t take the time to read over it,” Farley said. “We’ve been trying to get this (ordinance passed) since January, so that’s where we are.”
Jackson proceeded to press Presley on who he’s “protecting,” and Presley insisted he’s “not protecting anybody.”
The exchange went on for more than eight minutes before the council and mayor agreed to hold a first reading of the ordinance at Maysville’s regular meeting next month.
Farley later issued a statement in an apparent plea for better communication between city officials.
“I want us all to make an (effort) to do better,” she said. “…we are the team that is leading this city. But as it is now, we are not acting like a team. If we were a basketball team, we’d be on the bottom of that bracket. We have to start trying to learn to communicate.”
Is there a division?
While Farley and Jackson believe there’s definite division, feelings about the split between members of Maysville’s government seem to vary.
After the Oct. 24 meeting, Councilwoman Kimberly Wilmoth said she didn’t witness the incident between Presley and Lopez. And while Wilmoth said she believes there’s a division among the council and mayor, she’s unsure of what should be done about it.
“I just don’t really know,” she said.
Councilman Richard Parr appeared to wave off the allegations against Presley before he expressed uncertainty about the overall dynamics of his fellow elected officials.
“I don’t know about all that,” he said when asked about the alleged divide.
Presley declined to offer specific solutions to unite the city.
Like Farley, Jackson remained confident in his belief that dissension between the council and mayor is evident.
“The mayor wants to run it his way, and we want to run it the right way – that’s the only difference,” Jackson said. “Council should work together as one team…(Presley) runs isolationism. He has run this town for 20-plus years. Nobody’s ever bucked him until (Farley) and myself.”
Maysville City Council’s next regular meeting is Monday, Nov. 4, at city hall (4 Homer St.).
