Watchdog tells Atlanta candidates to stop e-mailing city employees

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta’s ethics watchdog has a message for some political candidates.

Cease and desist!

Ethics officer Virginia Looney has written the campaigns of seven candidates running for mayor and seats on the City Council and told them to stop sending e-mails to city workers.

“It has come to our attention that your campaign is using city property to promote your candidacy for the City Council,” Looney wrote. “Specifically, your campaign is sending emails seeking political support to city employees at their city email accounts.” Looney told the candidates to remove city employees from their email distribution lists.

Atlanta’s ethics code prohibits of city property — such as e-mail — for private advantage.

Looney sent letters to four elected city officials. They are City Council President Lisa Borders and city council members Ceasar Mitchell, Clair Muller and Mary Norwood. Borders and Norwood are running for mayor. Mitchell and Muller are campaigning for City Council President.

The other candidates notified were city council candidates Liz Coyle, Amir Farokhi and Edith Ladipo.

Looney sent a letter to the campaign of mayoral candidate Kasim Reed, a former state senator, advising them their use of the city seal in a campaign video violates ethics guidelines.

The letters do not mention a possible penalty. Ethics fines are typically $1,000 per violation.