Thomson Mayor Benji Cranford faces federal lawsuit

THOMSON, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Thomson Mayor Benji Cranford is facing a federal lawsuit.

Cranford just took over as mayor last month after unseating Kenneth Usry, who served the city for 12 years.

News 12 found the lawsuit paints a different picture than Cranford’s campaign.

The lawsuit was filed just months before he launched his campaign for mayor — a campaign in which he promoted himself as a successful entrepreneur hoping to help others thrive in the business community just like him.

But the lawsuit reveals alleged financial troubles and broken promises.

Cranford touted the town and his success in political ads he ran locally last fall.

“I’ve made a good living in Thomson, and I want everyone else to know they can stay in Thomson to have a good living and be successful,” Cranford said in his campaign ad.

Just three months later, his business office doors are locked. Online, it shows it’s permanently closed.

Cranford posted on social media sites and his website about his paving company, C&H Paving, being a cornerstone of the town’s economic landscape.

But financial troubles and a lawsuit now threaten to shatter his tales of homegrown success.

Last July, four months before launching his campaign, Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland filed a lawsuit against Cranford.

As the bonding company, Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland was brought in to guarantee that large-scale projects undertaken by Cranford’s company would be completed.

The lawsuit says Cranford notified the bonding company that his business was having money problems. Cranford needed them to step in to pay debts, so he could keep his business running.

What’s at stake? Millions of dollars of contract work that Cranford has with the Georgia Department of Transportation.

READ THE LAWSUIT:

The lawsuit says Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland agreed under certain conditions C&H would continue to help complete the projects by the deadlines with GDOT and give F&D access to all company and personal assets.

The lawsuit says Cranford broke the agreement.

It alleges C&H failed to complete projects on time, never transferred equipment for use and didn’t give F&D access to the company’s financial system.

Instead, the lawsuit says Cranford gifted his asphalt plant to one of his sons just two months after agreeing to pledge all of his properties to the bonding company.

Days after being elected as Thomson’s mayor, Cranford appeared to be someone who welcomed an open line of communication.

During an interview with News 12, he said: “You should be able to talk to your mayor. He’s the representative of the city. He’s the one that, he’s like your mama and your daddy. That’s who you go to.”

This week, News 12 tried several times to reach the mayor, including at his business office.

That’s when we were approached by a Thomson police officer who said Cranford was not available to talk nor in town.

Cranford did eventually respond to a text message.

When News 12 called to ask him about the lawsuit, the newly elected mayor, who ran on the slogan of “Grow. Unite. Listen,” cut News 12 off mid-sentence telling us to “Get to the point. He was very busy.” He advised us to schedule an appointment with the city clerk to speak to him.

We have since called the city clerk twice to set up a time to talk to Cranford.

The city clerk left a message Thursday that she didn’t know his schedule and would check on dates and times.

When News 12 followed up on Friday, no one picked up the phone at the clerk’s office.

In the lawsuit, the bonding company said it has suffered over $4 million in losses over Cranford’s projects and expects to shell out even more.

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