‘Missing Recordings’ May Have Been at James Clifton’s Home, Officials Say

A Peachtree City staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Citizen that Councilwoman Suzanne Brown said resident James Clifton already had the “missing” recordings from the January City Council retreat—and that Brown had to retrieve her recording device from Clifton’s home in order to submit it to the city to fulfill his open records request. The staff member said several others heard the comment but declined to speak publicly.

The Citizen is seeking to determine, through open records requests and document review, when Clifton may have first obtained Brown’s recordings from the retreat. Additional records requests have been submitted seeking communications and documents that could clarify when the recordings were first shared.

Clifton had previously submitted an open records request seeking recordings from the January retreat, including the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) presentation. The recordings initially provided by the city clerk did not include that portion of the meeting. 

Open records correspondence dated March 25 at 2:22 p.m. shows that city staff were unaware of additional recordings until after a renewed inquiry. In that response, the city wrote that “Councilwoman Suzanne Brown advised that she had already directly provided her recordings to you,” referring to Clifton, while noting the Clerk’s Office “was not aware that any additional recordings existed prior to earlier this week.”

Open records responses reviewed by The Citizen show that the recording secretary turned over her city-issued device in response to Clifton’s initial request. Clifton then publicly raised concerns that the FCDA portion of the retreat was missing. City staff later told The Citizen they had believed the recording was complete until Clifton brought the issue to their attention.

After a second, broader request for all recordings, additional audio surfaced—including recordings from Councilwoman Suzanne Brown’s personal device, which a staff member said Brown retrieved from Clifton’s home to submit to the city, and a recording from a staff member’s personal device. Those recordings from the staff personal device included the previously missing portion of the meeting. It’s not clear whether Brown’s recordings also had the FCDA portion—her files in the Open Records link seem incomplete. 

Early communication raises additional questions

Documents reviewed by The Citizen show that Brown shared retreat-related materials with Clifton shortly after the January retreat. In a Feb. 7 email, Brown sent Clifton an agenda from the Jan. 29 retreat with the note “FYI.”

While the email does not reference recordings, it establishes early communication between a sitting council member and a private citizen who would later publicly claim key portions of the retreat were missing.

Officials question timeline of recordings

Mayor Kim Learnard said the situation raises questions about how the issue unfolded.

“I find it confusing that for weeks now, Mr. Clifton has been in search of ‘missing audio tapes’ when, he may have had our retreat audio tapes all along, and he got them from Miss Brown,” Learnard said.

Councilman Clint Holland said he had also heard similar accounts but could not independently confirm them.

“I heard that same story, and I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard the same story,” Holland said.

Holland added that Brown did not initially disclose that she had recorded the retreat.

“She did not come forward with it the first time during the open records… she should have come out the first time,” he said.

He framed the issue as a question of internal transparency.

“Was the City Council really betrayed by not knowing about this extra recording until after the fact?” Holland said.

Councilwoman Laura Johnson focused on Clifton’s transparency.

“If someone is looking to be transparent, then they should truly be transparent and share the information that they have,” Johnson said.

“If he has the information… then why is he not sharing the information when he has it?” she added.

Councilman Michael Polacek declined to comment. The Citizen reached out to Councilwoman Suzanne Brown for comment but did not receive a response.

Clifton alleged missing recordings publicly

During the March 19 Peachtree City Council meeting, Clifton said he had been conducting a “forensic investigation” into what he described as missing audio from the FCDA presentation.

“Since the last meeting, I’ve been conducting a forensic investigation of the missing audio… including retrieval and analysis of metadata and other file attributes,” Clifton said.

He described irregularities in file timestamps and suggested the recording may have been altered, warning that blame could fall on a city employee.

However, a Peachtree City staff member told The Citizen that Brown later said Clifton already had the recordings at his home during that time. The Citizen is continuing to seek documentation to establish a definitive timeline.

Clifton’s claims were tied to broader concerns he raised publicly, including a data center, annexation into Coweta County, and an extension of TDK Boulevard—ideas city officials have said are not feasible under current law.

Recording shows discussion of traffic, not finalized plans

The recordings themselves provide a clearer picture of what was discussed.

Recordings released March 25 show a wide-ranging conversation focused on traffic, land use, and economic development—but no finalized plan to pursue a data center, annexation into Coweta County, or an extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta.

During the FCDA presentation, found on the recording labeled Adams Park 3, officials discussed the possibility that the Brent Scarbrough property could be developed into approximately 2,200 homes, which participants said could worsen congestion along the Ga. 54/74 corridor. Annexation was raised as a way to control zoning and avoid what participants repeatedly described as “unintended consequences.”

Holland said the city should take the issue “seriously” and consider “what actions do we need to take,” reflecting interest in exploring options rather than a formal proposal.

The discussion also included whether extending TDK Boulevard could improve traffic flow and access, particularly in connection with potential aviation-related development. Officials have since said extending the road into Coweta County is not feasible due to opposition on both sides of the county line.

While annexation into Coweta County was discussed at the retreat, officials later determined such a move is not viable.

Data centers were discussed at length during the presentation by Fayette County Development Authority President Niki Vanderslice, primarily in terms of economic impacts in surrounding communities. Vanderslice described anticipated tax benefits in Tyrone and Fayetteville, where projects have been approved. No data center project was presented or proposed for Peachtree City.

A brief reference to placing a data center in Peachtree City was made jokingly near the end of the conversation and followed by laughter.

The recording also includes a discussion of how Peachtree City taxes businesses. City Clerk Yasmin Julio noted that the city’s occupational tax is based on the number of employees rather than revenue, meaning data centers would generate relatively limited tax revenue under the current system.

At one point, as council members discussed how to document the conversation, Brown raised concerns about what should be included in the official record.

“I think there’s an awful lot that we’re talking about that should not be in the minutes,” Brown said.

The conversation then turned to whether any portion could be handled in executive session. Staff present indicated the discussion did not meet the legal criteria and would need to remain public.

Claims fueled public concern

Clifton’s claims drew significant public attention earlier this month, including discussions of a potential recall effort, before city leaders publicly denied that any such plans existed.

Council Member Laura Johnson said the claims created unnecessary concern.

“There never was a data center. There was never proof that we had ever been approached, because it never happened,” she said.

She added that the situation appeared to be driven by attention rather than new information, noting that Clifton is currently running for Fayette County Commission.

“It is trying to put himself into the limelight and create a fire so he can look like he’s the one putting it out,” Johnson said.

Mayor Learnard said responding to those concerns required significant time from officials and staff.

“I have spent countless hours addressing citizen concerns over this false narrative… and our staff has spent hours of their valuable time doing the same,” she said.

Learnard said the controversy has diverted attention from other priorities, including state legislation that could impact local tax revenue.

“We have legitimate concerns about how cities and counties are funded, and that’s where our attention should be,” she said.

“This is getting old.”