Fulton Commission updates ethics, anti-nepotism policies to cover elected officials

Two measures strengthening the county government’s code of ethics were approved by the Fulton County Commission during its April 17 meeting.

Commissioner Bob Ellis sponsored the agenda items that clarified who falls under the county’s code of ethics and doing the same for its anti-nepotism policy.

“The ethics policy was extended to all types of elected officials in Fulton County that received Fulton County funds,” he told Rough Draft Atlanta.

Ellis said an ethics complaint regarding District Attorney Fani Willis had come before the county’s ethics commission. That board determined the way the code of ethics was written didn’t apply to the district attorney.

The new legislation defines what an officer or employee of the county is, and states “This definition shall include any elected or appointed official whose department or agency is appropriated funds from the county.”

The nepotism policy was designed to make sure that elected officials who engage in violations will be subject to some sort of consequences, giving the right to set other punishment as the commission saw fit, Ellis said.

On the nepotism policy, a complaint had been made to the Ethics Commission. Commissioner Natalie Hall engaged in relations with her former chief of staff, who filed a sexual harassment complaint against her. That was adjudicated in a court of law Ellis said.

The commission voted to censure Hall after that lawsuit was filed and also for the continued employment of a staff member who violated county procedures.

So the county had known instances of nepotism with both the district attorney and a commissioner, Ellis said.

The policies were not retroactive and have now gone into effect, he said.

The post Fulton Commission updates ethics, anti-nepotism policies to cover elected officials appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta .