Porterdale resident Nancy Naya has filed a letter of complaint against Porterdale City Councilman Robert Foxworth after he allegedly threatened her at a recent council meeting.
The letter, sent Tuesday to Mayor Bobby Hamby, calls for Foxworth’s resignation, stating that the councilman’s conduct at the Aug. 26 work session was shameful. Naya claims Foxworth violated the city’s charter.
She also filed an incident report on Aug. 30 with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
Naya and Hamby declined to comment on Thursday.
The filing stems from an ongoing controversy over the Community Assistance Relief Effort’s ability to hold charitable events on city property and collect donations through residents’ water bill. The council gave tentative approval to the proposal, but Foxworth later determined that rules prohibited charitable organizations like C.A.R.E. from collecting the funds and using of city property to hold fundraising events. The finding led to the postponement of the ordinance, with the council needing to amend their charter.
Naya questioned whether Foxworth's decision-making was "based on emotion rather than a responsible decision that should be for the good of the citizens and community." She went on to tell him she was ashamed of his actions.
Foxworth responded by saying he did not care how she felt about him, and if she were to keep talking about him in that manner, he was "going to fire some shots" at her she was not going to like. He went on to assure her this was a promise and not a threat.
"I think Nancy (Naya) and everybody else is making a bigger deal out of this than what it really is," Foxworth said on Thursday. "I support C.A.R.E. and everything Linda (Finger) was doing with it and I will continue to support it. I just wanted to make sure we were doing this legally. My best interest is in the city."
