Stonecrest Mayoral Candidate Says Mailer Falsely Labels Him Mentally Ill

DECATUR, GA -- One day before voters go to the polls in the inaugural election to seat leaders in the newly formed city of Stonecrest, a young mayoral candidate is speaking out after a mailer sent to voters over the weekend claimed that he was mentally ill.

Charles Hill, who held a Monday news conference on the issue in Decatur, said that he did not have a mental illness "and have never been diagnosed as such."

Hill went on to say that he was "disgusted" by the flyer, which featured a nude photo of a deceased veteran "to articulate a link" between the himself and the man.

A day earlier, Hill went to his campaign's Facebook page to refute the mailer. There he says:

"The Campaign to elect Charles Hill for Mayor of Stonecrest is totally disgusted by the postal card that arrived in voters mailboxes yesterday, Saturday, March 19th, 2017. The thought of someone using the naked image of "Anthony Hill", (a deceased military veteran that died tragically) taken only moments before he was shot and killed by DeKalb County Police is beyond dirty politics.
In addition, millions of Americans suffer from real mental illnesses and disorders, IT IS NOT A JOKING MATTER. To be clear, from Charles Hill, "I have no mental illness and have never been diagnosed as such."

According to Charles Hill, the man in the photo is Anthony Hill, a 27-year-old who was killed was shot and killed by a DeKalb County police officer in March 2015. Hill was naked, knocking on doors of an apartment complex and crawling on his hands and knees, as Patch previously reported.

The malicious flyer was credited to a group called "Blue Print to Restore DeKalb," but the organization has no searchable listing.

Charles Hill says he knows the forces trying to stop his bid of becoming the newly minted city's first mayor.

"There really is a "DCM" (DeKalb County Mafia) that is operating behind the scenes trying to get their people into office. We have a good idea of who they are, and if elected, Charles will expose them," his campaign says in a statement.

On Tuesday, DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon refuted the notion that Blueprint to Redefine DeKalb, a group she helped form in 2014, had anything to do with the flyer. "I want it to be crystal clear: There is no relationship or connection between that smear political mailer and the Blueprint to Redefine DeKalb, which accomplished so much.”

Voters will decide Tuesday on the new city’s mayor and five City Council members.

Image via Facebook / Charles Hill campaign