Ethics commission to act on commissioner's late filings

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The State Ethics Commission will rule in the next few months on a complaint that DeKalb County Commission Sharon Barnes Sutton filed her campaign contribution disclosure reports late.

On Monday, Tom Plank, the commission's acting executive secretary, told the AJC that the board will take action on the complaint against Sutton.

In October, the commission found enough probable cause to move forward with the investigation into Sutton’s filings.

Sutton told the AJC that one of her staff members filed the reports late during her 2008 campaign.

“It’s been taken care of,” she said Monday.

Plank said the commission is only taking action on the late filings and not concerns raised about Sutton loaning herself about $50,000 for her campaign. The loans to her campaign were made during the same time the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office issued warrants for Sutton writing bad checks. The warrants have since been recalled.