Chickamauga Mayor Trey Deck and his attorneys say they were threatened ahead of the Chickamauga City Council’s vote on whether to remove Deck as mayor.
According to a press release from Deck’s attorneys, Jeremy Penland and Michael Thomas, the law firm Penland, Romans and Rayburn received the threat early Monday morning. The threat, which stated the intent to harm the mayor and his lawyers during the meeting Monday evening, was immediately reported to law enforcement.
(READ MORE: Chickamauga City Council votes 4-1 to remove Trey Deck as mayor)
“The situation is being actively monitored and additional actions will be taken if warranted,” the press release said.
The Chickamauga Police Department had no further information to share, a representative said by phone.
The upcoming proceedings are the second attempt to hold the meeting. On Jan. 30, the council voted to postpone the meeting due to the lack of seating for the large crowd that showed up. The council expressed a desire to host the meeting at a larger venue like a school gymnasium, although the meeting Monday evening will be held at the same location, the Chickamauga Civic Center, according to a press release from the city.
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Overflow seating will be available outside the center along with a live broadcast of the proceedings, according to the press release. The Chickamauga Civic Center can only accommodate 66 people.
In order to have a fair hearing, the reason behind the potential removal has not been disclosed to the public, officials said at the last meeting. Both sides will be heard from during the upcoming meeting.
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Council member Evitte Parrish has been serving as mayor pro tem in the run-up to the proceedings. According to the Chickamauga city charter, Parrish would act as mayor until an election was held to replace him in 2028 if the council voted to remove Deck.
Deck was sworn in as mayor in 2024. He won by 16 votes, 336-320, against incumbent Randy Dalton.
Contact Northwest Georgia reporter Ignacio Perez at iperez@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6710.