The big stories out of DeKalb on election day were the approval of the creation of Tucker and disapproval of LaVista Hills, although that may remain in doubt as the Secretary of State is looking into “irregularities” regarding the vote. Lost among the cityhood news was the 92% approval by voters of reforming the Board of Ethics. As the corruption cases piled up in DeKalb County, voters were able to do something, approving changes to the Board of Ethics in a bid to clean up county governance.
The new bill, House Bill 597, changes the way Ethics Board members are appointed and the powers the board has. Previously, Ethics Board members were appoined by county commissioners and the CEO, going forward the members will be selected by the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership DeKalb, the DeKalb Delegation of the Georgia Legislature, the Chief Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court, the DeKalb Probate Court, the DeKalb Bar Association and also by the six major universities and colleges within DeKalb – Agnes Scott, Columbia Theological Seminary, Emory University, Georgia State University, Mercer University and Oglethorpe University.
Considering the fact that the current CEO is under investigation, the previous CEO is in jail, a previous commissioner is currently in a federal prison camp in Florida and the former superintendent and COO of DeKalb County Schools is also in jail, DeKalb has clearly had no shortage of ethics woes.
State Senator Elena Parent told the Brookhaven Post that she is pleased with the way the vote turned out. “I am delighted that DeKalb voters overwhelmingly approved strengthening our Ethics Code. The most important change is that community groups will appoint the members, rather than the Commissioners and CEO. Because the elected officials themselves are overseen by the Board, this method created a conflict of interest that has now been eliminated. Also, all employees and contractors will be overseen by the Board instead of just elected officials. With these reforms and the internal auditor that will soon be hired, it is a new day in DeKalb!”
The new reforms also allow the DeKalb Board of Ethics to impose fines of up to $1,000 per violation. However, they will no longer be able to remove or suspend an elected official from office. It remains unclear why the bill was crafted to take away what is a severe penalty but the Board may be more likely to act with the fines ability.
The ethics reforms come after controversy surrounding the special investigation from former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers. Bowers’ report called DeKalb County’s government “rotten to the core.” In a letter sent by Bowers and co-investigator Richard Hyde to Interim CEO Lee May, they noted the corruption affects all levels of government. “The misconduct starts at the top and has infected nearly every department we have looked at. Expenses range from the petty to the absurd.” Much of the investigation surrounded the use of P-cards, county provided credit cards used for making government-related purchases.
Whether the new DeKalb Board of Ethics will be able to clean up a county rife with problems remains to be seen but the increased attention to the issue by the community, and the numerous stakeholders in the workings of the Board, seems like a positive first step.
