Ten Year Audit of DeKalb Commissioners’ P-Cards
Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.
Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton surprised the public as well as her fellow commissioners with a gift…A ten year audit of the DeKalb Commissioners’ P-Cards.
Commissioner Jeff Rader and Commissioner Kathie Gannon introduced a resolution during the Board of Commissioners meeting, directing the executive assistant to obtain the services of a certified internal auditor or a certified government audit professional to analyze the expenditures of each member of the Board of Commissioners and their staff.
The audit will include the following:
• Audit to review the expenditures for the past ten years by each BOC, his/her respective staff and office, and the central office of the BOC;
• Audit shall review expenditures and decide whether the expenses were for county business;
• The auditor shall begin auditing commission district 6 first, per Commissioner Barnes Sutton’s substitution.
• The final and complete audit shall be distributed promptly to each member of the BOC, the CEO, and the Board of Ethics, and shall be made available to the public.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution article, “DeKalb Official Spent County Funds On Herself” by Johnny Edwards (3/22/2014), reported alleged misuse of the her purchase card (P-Card).
http://legalpronews.findlaw.com/article/22082f625614e6f3810cfff376dbde72#.U0rRSiiKV6U
The resolution attempts to restore public trust through the use of transparency, and begin to restore public confidence.
Update: Email statement from Commissioner Kathie Gannon
Independent Audit for all Commissioners
Yesterday the Board of Commissioners took the first step forward into sunshine and transparency. Commissioner Rader and I introduced the attached resolution calling for an independent audit of all spending for the past 5 years by each County Commissioner starting with District 1. The audits will include Purchase Cards, all other expenditures and all commission staff. The resolution directs the County to hire a Certified Internal Auditor or a Certified Government Audit Professional using funds previously budgeted for an internal auditor. The resolution was modified by Commissioner Barnes-Sutton to start with District 6 (my District) and to go back 10 years and then begin with District 1. This substitute motion passed without a dissenting vote. Commissioner Barnes-Sutton later attempted to call for a reconsideration of her substitute motion, however that failed. Please see the attached resolution that calls for an audit of all County Commission expenditures.
Kathie Gannon
Super District 6 Commissioner
http://www.scribd.com/doc/220196905/Ten-Year-Independent-Audit-of-All-DeKalb-Commissioners-P-Cards
Restore Public Trust Ethics Complaint – DeKalb County Board of Ethics
Restore Public Trust Ethics Complaint
Viola Davis
909 Rays Road
Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083
March 17, 2014
DeKalb County Board of Ethics
Clark Harrison Building
330 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
Decatur, Georgia 30030
Dear DeKalb County Board of Ethics:
I, Viola Davis with Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter, submit this ethics complaint to restore public trust against Kelvin Walton, Director and Chief Procurement Officer of the Department of Purchasing and Contracting and Nina Hall, Former Assistant to CEO Burrell Ellis, and currently Project Manager with Watershed Department. I presented evidence during an executive meeting of Restore DeKalb on Friday, March 14, 2014 which included the complaints of two vendors, one complaint by a disabled veteran, and a federal complaint filed September of 2013 to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board.
I have received the full support of Restore DeKalb to submit a Restore Public Trust Ethics Complaint against Kelvin Walton and Nina Hall concerning the public corruption case related to purchasing and contracts within the Watershed Department. We agreed that the following actions need to be address to restore public trust in DeKalb County to include:
A. Demand Kelvin Walton and Nina Hall be reassigned to other departments until a full criminal investigation and forensic audit of the Watershed Department is completed.
B. Demand a forensic audit of the Watershed Department due to a long history of complaints of criminal activity and systematic charges of thievery.
C. Demand the GBI lead the investigation as an external neutral third party due to the fact that two-three independent Constitutional officers have made serious accusations against one another to include:
a. CEO Burrell Ellis charges against DA Robert James and Interim CEO Lee May
b. District Attorney Robert James charges under the RICO statue.
c. Interim CEO Lee May’s statement of a need for additional evidence before removing Kelvin Walton from the Purchasing and Contract Compliance Department.
D. Demand a federal investigation into DeKalb County’s Purchasing and Contracting and Contract Compliance departments and prosecution of people who are found to violate the local, state, and federal laws.
If we are to restore public trust, we request that the DeKalb County Ethics Board examine the following evidence submitted and submit an opinion and/or board action to the necessary elected officials and department heads (local and state level) to complete this Restore Public Trust Ethics Complaint:
1. Vendor 1 – Hopie Strickland with Strickland and Sons Construction
a. Unhappy Taxpayer & Voter filed a federal complaint with the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, September 2013 concerning a complaint by Hopie Strickland of bid rigging, kickbacks, and false documentation, etc. (See Documentation below)
b. Video titled, “DeKalb Corruption against LSBE Vendors” featuring Hopie Strickland.
2. Vendor 2 – Alessandro Salvo with GS Construction
a. Link to WSBTV story on Alessandro Salvo complaint
b. Link to Video of FBI investigation of Watershed Extortion case (Documentation provided on request of Ethics Board)
3. Private Citizen – Disabled Veteran complaint concerning tree removal demonstrates systematic problems and/or corruption that unfairly targets private citizens and lack of executive oversight.
4. DeKalb County Special Purpose Grand Jury Report 2012-2013 … Civil Case #12CV1000.
In the name of transparency, ethics, and accountability, we submit this ethics complaint to restore public trust.
Sincerely,
Viola Davis
Community Missionary
Announcing Georgia Watchdogs
Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter is proud to join with other citizen watchdog groups to fight for more transparency in government. Please visit Georgia Watchdogs or www.georgiawatchdogs.com.