DEL.ICIO.USIncoming DeKalb CEO: Vernon Jones making ‘false claims’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Vernon Jones has a reputation as a fighter, and he’s not going down in the winding days of his administration without a scrap.
Last week, the chief executive officer of DeKalb County threw jabs at his successor, claiming that the incoming CEO misused county credit cards and spent taxpayer money on a consultant without accounting for it.
Mikki K. Harris/mkharris@ajc.com
DeKalb County CEO-elect Burrell Ellis, surrounded by members of his transition committee, holds a press conference Monday in downtown Decatur Monday to respond to criticisms by outgoing CEO Vernon Jones, who has canceled payments to the team and criticized their work.
On Monday, Burrell Ellis punched back. Speaking at a news conference in the downtown Decatur offices of a supporter, the CEO-elect accused Jones of thwarting his efforts to prepare for a smooth transition.
The term-limited Jones is finishing the last of his eight years atop one of the most powerful local governments in Georgia, with a population of more than 700,000 and a budget of $635 million. Ellis says he wants to squeeze inefficiency and waste out of the county as soon as he takes over in January. He’s recruited a team of 40 volunteers to poke around and make recommendations by mid-December.
That’s where the conflict between the outgoing and incoming CEOs begins.
Jones told Ellis last week that he was cutting off the transition team’s interviews with county staff. Jones also said he was canceling the contract of the consultant whom commissioners approved to manage the volunteers. And Jones issued public statements alleging wrongdoing on Ellis’ team.
Ellis said Jones was getting in the way of his review of the state of the county.
“The CEO does not have unilateral authority to cancel these contracts,” Ellis said Monday. “And any attempt to do that will be viewed as interference with and obstruction of the transition process.”
Ellis was flanked by more than two dozen members of his transition team. He said he decided to respond publicly “after the false claims made by the CEO and the aspersions that were cast on these good citizens.”
Consultants are coordinating the transition effort at a cost of $155,000. Accounting firm KPMG has a contract for $85,000 for analytical work, and two support staffers were allotted $15,000. Another $5,000 was set aside for copies, supplies and expenses. Ellis’ campaign manager, Kevin Ross, was given a $50,000 contract to manage everything.
Ross is at the center of the confrontation.
Jones said last week that he was refusing to pay him beyond a first installment of $16,666 because he hadn’t seen “proof” that work was done.
Jones wouldn’t discuss the issue but said through a spokesperson last week that he canceled Ross’ contract because Ross submitted his bill one day after the county commission approved his fee. Jones questioned the timing of the invoice and the absence of documentation, county spokeswoman Kristie Swink said in a written statement Friday.
Ross said he’s been at work on the transition since the week after Ellis won the Aug. 5 primary runoff election. Documentation Ross submitted to the county noted that he had been working since then “at risk” of not being paid.
Ellis said Monday that Jones had no legal authority to cancel Ross’ contract. He said it was signed by Jones’ own executive assistant, Richard Stogner.
Asked about all this on Monday, Jones responded — through Swink again — that he has authority to cancel a contract “where taxpayers’ dollars are not being accounted for and illegal actions have been taken.”
Jones didn’t elaborate on any illegality, but last week he issued a statement that said Ellis authorized the issuance of two purchase cards to Ross and another transition consultant “who are not county employees and that’s illegal.”
Ross said it was Stogner who recommended purchasing cards be issued to cover incidentals, such as refreshments for the volunteers. Ross said that about $200 was spent on one card and $30 on the other.
On Monday, Jones said Stogner did recommend the purchase cards but said they were used six days before the county commission approved money for the transition on Oct. 21.
Jones doesn’t appear to have to have had much of an effect on the process. Ellis said all the department heads already talked to the transition team, and Ross said he will still have a transition report written by the original deadline of Dec. 15.
Ellis said Jones has been wasting people’s time.
“We’re spending time that we could be meeting with department heads and going over information,” he said.
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