Crowd, Colleagues Support Snellville Mayor

SNELLVILLE, GA -- Facing an investigation into his personal finances, Snellville Mayor Tom Witts got a public show of support Monday night.

Witts entered city council chambers Monday night to an ovation from a packed room, with many attendees wearing "Tom Witts For Mayor" t-shirts, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported.

Witts paused, a smile on his face, the paper reported.

"Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart," he said. "Thank you."

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter has confirmed that Witts is under investigation and that his home and business were raided by Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers last month.

The investigation stemmed from Witts' pledge that he didn't owe any back taxes when he was running for office.

“From there, we’ve also moved into other areas about use of campaign funds and withholding taxes in his private business,” Porter said last week. “We also discovered some payments that were made by the city and entities that received money from the city to his business which may or may not be problematic."

At Monday's meeting, several council members also voiced support for Witts.

“Mayor, I stand here with you," councilman Bobby Howard said, according to the Daily Post.

For his part, Witts said he plans to keep doing the job he was elected to do.

“Make no mistake,” Witts said, “I plan on remaining your mayor.”

To read the original report from the Gwinnett Daily Post, click here.