Brooklet Mayor Joe Grooms said an advertisement announcing a town hall meeting Monday was a "prank," but assured citizens tonight's called Brooklet City Council meeting is for real.

            The meeting tonight will concern a personnel matter, he said. He would not say what the personnel matter is.

            More than a dozen people showed up Monday at 7 p.m., expecting a meeting of "concerned citizens" after reading the advertisement published in the Statesboro Herald last week.

            The paid advertisement, which was about 1/8 of a page, was vague in its message but asked concerned citizens to meet for the town hall meeting and made reference to holding leaders accountable.

            "I didn't put it into the paper and don't know who did," Grooms said.

            He and Brooklet Police Chief Mike Buchan were among the small crowd who expected some sort of meeting to take place. However, the town hall doors were locked and a sign on the door read  "The Mayor and Council Members of the Town  of Brooklet Have Not Called a Meeting for Monday, October 6, 2008."

            Neither Buchan or Grooms would comment on rumors swirling about the reasons for the meeting.

            Buchan arrived shortly after 7 p.m. and told those waiting there would not be a meeting, because no one had scheduled a meeting with the Brooklet City Hall.

            "Somebody put a fraudulent prank ad in the paper as if we were having a city council meeting," he explained to the small crowd. "We don't know who put it in or why. They should have called city hall for permission."

            The advertisement, which listed no contact name, included only the Brooklet City Hall phone number, directing readers to call that number if they had "concerns."

            However, the Brooklet City Council will indeed meet tonight at 8 p.m. for a called meeting to discuss and take action regarding a personnel matter, he said.