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DeKalb County has a new ethics board. Now the work begins.

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After nearly three years of legal limbo and legislative wrangling, DeKalb County again has a functional ethics board.

And its plate is already plenty full.

When the new ethics board meets next week, the panel of seven tasked with considering complaints of wrongdoing against county officials and employees will begin sifting through a backlog of cases that started piling up even before a 2018 court ruling hamstrung its previous iteration.

There are 28 cases pending before the board, which has the power to issue censures, reprimands and fines.

And Jonathan Crane, a professor at Emory University’s Center for Ethics, said the renewed level of oversight will be vital to restoring and maintaining the public’s trust in their government.

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DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council Statement on Ethics Board Appointments

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Ethics Board Selection Process Statement_12_31_2020

 

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Applications open for DeKalb County Board of Ethics members

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Posted by  | Nov 24, 2020

A new DeKalb County Board of Ethics is being selected and applications for positions are open until Dec. 1.

The board is intended to independently review claims of improper conduct by public officials.

The current board has been inactive since the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled in 2018 that its current board member appointment method was unconstitutional. A proposal approved by voters Nov. 3 will dissolve the current board Dec. 31. New board members will take their positions Jan. 1, 2021.

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Wanted: Applicants for DeKalb County’s reconstituted ethics board

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DeKalb’s latest ethics referendum passed overwhelmingly, meaning the county’s long-dormant ethics board will soon be reconstituted.

But before that can happen, new members must be selected. And the application period is now open.

“The DeKalb Ethics Appointing Committee is in support of a transparent, uniform and coordinated process,” said state Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates, said in a press release. “This application process will allow us to identify DeKalb residents who represent and serve their community in a unique way.”

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DeKalb voters approve county’s latest ethics referendum

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DeKalb County will have a new, functional ethics board by the end of the year.

There were still tens of thousands of absentee ballots to be counted in DeKalb on Wednesday. But voters had overwhelmingly supported the latest proposal to reshape ethics oversight in the county.

Among other things, the measure fixes the problematic appointment process that has hamstrung the local ethics board — which investigates complaints against county employees and elected officials — for more than two years.

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Five DeKalb County Citizen Groups Urge Residents to “Vote Yes” on Ethics Reform Legislation

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Press Release_Five Groups Endorse Ethics Referendum
Vote Yes _November 2020

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The ethics referendum and its aftermath, should it pass

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DeKalb voters are once again voting on revisions to an Ethics Act passed in 2015 by 92% of voters. This time, leaders of several DeKalb citizens’ groups are encouraging you to Vote YES. Here are the reasons why:

  1. The Board of Ethics remains independent; no one under the purview of the Board of Ethics is making appointments to the Board.
    a. Unlike the 2019 bill, this bill does not provide for the CEO to make a Board of Ethics appointment and does not call for the Board to submit its policies and procedures to review by the CEO and confirmation by the Board of Commissioners.
  2. DeKalb employees continue to have direct access to the ethics office to express concerns about ethics violations.
    a. Unlike the 2019 bill, this bill does not require employees to funnel complaints about their immediate supervisor through the Human Resources Department and exhaust Merit System remedies before turning to the Board of Ethics.
  3. The position of Ethics Officer is retained, and the Ethics Officer is still vested with the authority to investigate and file ethics complaints, as well as provide training and advice to county employees.
  4. The Board’s authority to investigate and report to the public has not been weakened.
    a. The 2019 bill included a provision that required the Board of Ethics to abandon the investigation of elected officials or county employees if they resigned, retired or completed their term of office.
    b. The 2019 bill included a provision that prevented the Board from rendering any decision on a complaint against a candidate within 45 days of an election.

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Five organizations say to vote ‘yes’ on DeKalb Board of Ethics ballot question

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Letter: Five organizations say to vote ‘yes’ on DeKalb Board of Ethics ballot question

Posted by  | Oct 16, 2020

DeKalb voters are once again voting on revisions to an Ethics Act passed in 2015 by 92% of voters. This time, leaders of several DeKalb citizens’ groups are encouraging you to vote yes.  Here are the reasons why:

  • The Board of Ethics remains independent; no one under the purview of the Board of Ethics is making appointments to the board.

Unlike the 2019 bill, this bill does not provide for the CEO to make a Board of Ethics appointment and does not call for the board to submit its policies and procedures to review by the CEO and confirmation by the Board of Commissioners.

  • DeKalb employees continue to have direct access to the ethics office to express concerns about ethics violations.

Unlike the 2019 bill, this bill does not require employees to funnel complaints about their immediate supervisor through the Human Resources Department and exhaust Merit System remedies before turning to the Board of Ethics.

  • The position of Ethics Officer is retained, and the Ethics Officer is still vested with the authority to investigate and file ethics complaints, as well as provide training and advice to county employees.
  • The board’s authority to investigate and report to the public has not been weakened.

The 2019 bill included a provision that required the Board of Ethics to abandon the investigation of elected officials or county employees if they resigned, retired or completed their term of office. The 2019 bill included a provision that prevented the board from rendering any decision on a complaint against a candidate within 45 days of an election.

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Little controversy surrounding DeKalb’s latest ethics referendum

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For the second consecutive year, DeKalb County voters will weigh in on an attempt to reshape ethics oversight in their local government.

And while the referendum held in 2019 raised the hackles of local watchdogs — and was subsequently shot down by a significant margin at the ballot box — this year’s effort appears to be devoid of any such controversy.

The DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council, the community group that led the push to sink last year’s vote, has endorsed the changes brought forth by state legislators this time around, saying they remedy the problematic ethics board appointment process and don’t compromise the board’s independence.

Ed Williams, another longtime community activist, has also urged voters to choose “yes.” And officials who have pushed for bigger changes within the county ethics office also appear to be able to live with what’s proposed.

If voters approve the measure Nov. 3, DeKalb’s long-dormant ethics board would be revived by the start of 2021. Here are the major changes.

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NextDoor Posting

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 [Name of neighbor, friend, contact] 

On the DeKalb County ballot there will be a referendum to adopt changes which revise the Board of Ethics for the county.  DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council, the group that opposed the previous referendum, supports this one.  You can find an in-depth explanation of the major changes and the reasons for support at this link:

https://mailchi.mp/d4f548b0d768/dcac-newsletter

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