Leading Roswell my way.
No matter what you say.

A smiling older man with gray hair wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and a striped maroon and navy tie, standing outdoors with a brick building and trees in the background.

I’m Kurt Wilson, and since taking office, I’ve rewritten Roswell’s priorities to fit my vision — even if that means breaking voter-approved promises, cutting public services, and keeping residents in the dark.

I’ve redirected bond and tax dollars away from the roads, parks, and safety improvements you were promised, cleared historic land without asking, and fast-tracked developments no one voted for — all while surrounding myself with high-priced consultants and watching experienced city staff walk out the door.

More than 20 former Roswell officials have called my leadership a crisis of trust and leadership.

Dear Mayor Wilson & Members of the Roswell City Council,

We write not just as former elected officials, but as long-time residents who love Roswell andwant to see it thrive. Like many of our neighbors, we’re alarmed by the direction the city isheading. The destruction at Mimosa Hall is just the latest in a series of troubling decisions thatyou have made that are eroding public trust and putting Roswell’s future at risk. This is a crisis.

Here’s where immediate action is needed:

1. Keep Your Promises

Roswell voters supported tax increases and bonds based on clear commitments you made—betterroads, safer neighborhoods, improved parks, and free public parking. Instead, we see delays,pay-to-park policies, redirection of funds, and a secretly discussed 16,000+ seat stadium thatvoters never approved. You promised to activate historic homes—not pave over theirsurroundings.

2. Listen to People Who Live AND Work Here

Roswell has always valued collaboration. But you have sidelined public input, marginalizedadvisory boards and excluded local businesses from comment. The clear-cutting of over 4 acresof 150-year-old trees at Mimosa Hall without public input is a stark example. Now, we havelearned that you are allowing only minimal public input on the City’s Comprehensive Land UsePlan, the blueprint for our future! Starting now, you should offer frequent opportunities for yourconstituents to tell you what they want Roswell to be.

3. Spend Our Money Where it Matters

You continue to allocate tax dollars toward high-level administrators, expensive consultants, andmarketing campaigns, while cutting services. Roswell is experiencing an unprecedented wave ofstaff resignations, including department heads and long-term public servants. Transparency hasdiminished—residents should not need open records requests to know where their tax dollars go.Budget priorities reflect values. It's time for you to reinvest in the basics: safety, services, andcommunity infrastructure.

We’re not asking for platitudes —we want action. These are reasonable steps to rebuild trust andrestore good governance.

We call on you to:

Pause all further development at Mimosa Hall until an independent, public review and aformal historical impact assessment can be completed with input from preservationexperts.
Commission an independent, transparent, third-party audit of recent consulting contracts,land purchases, and capital allocations to verify that voter-approved bond and T-SPLOSTpromises have been honored, and that the City is following the same rules it enforces onits citizens. City-generated internal reviews do not restore confidence.
Immediately reopen the Comprehensive Plan process with wider community outreach, atransparent timeline, and opportunities for real citizen participation.
Reaffirm your commitment to basic legal and procedural compliance—including treeprotection, zoning compliance, and public notice—just as we expect from residents andlocal businesses.
Hold regular public forums where residents, business owners, preservationists, and citystaff can speak openly, ask and answer questions, and be heard—with respect and withoutrestrictions. Listen!

Roswell’s mission is to be “the #1 family community in America.” That vision is still possible—if you choose to listen, keep your promises, and restore trust.

We’ve been in your shoes. Together we served 200 + years as Roswell Elected Officials. Weknow the job is hard. But now is the time to lead with integrity.

We are sending this letter to the press and posting on social media. Please reply, eitherindividually or if you wish, as a group. The Citizens of Roswell deserve an answer.

Respectfully,
Former Roswell Elected Officials