Clayton fiscal adviser awaits indecency charges’ outcome

Clayton County’s new financial adviser said his pending public indecency charges will not get in the way of what he was hired to do: make money for Clayton County.

On Tuesday, the Clayton County Commission hired Edmund J. Wall, a MARTA board member arrested for allegedly having sex in a bathroom at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

According to Clayton County Magistrate Court records, police said they found Wall having oral sex with another man in the restroom outside a Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport restaurant on March 13, 2007. Police charged Wall, then 43, with one count of public indecency.

The next day, Wall pleaded not guilty and the case was sent to the county solicitor general. Since then, no action has been taken on the case and it is still pending.

Solicitor General Leslie Miller Terry did not return three calls with messages left on Wednesday.

Wall declined to discuss the specifics of the case and said he doesn’t know why it has been delayed.

“Will I get a chance to clear my name? The folks who love me, friends and family, they know Ed Wall and my character,” Wall said Wednesday. “I had hoped after the media frenzy almost two years ago that I was done with all that. Here it is back again.”

Clayton commission Chairman Eldrin Bell said he hired Wall because of his financial experience. “Ed has an outstanding track record on getting us the best prices,” Bell said Wednesday. “My primary concern is to protect Clayton County financially with the best advice I can get. I’m looking at Ed Wall the financial adviser, not Ed Wall the accused citizen.”

Bell also touted Wall’s success when he was chairman of the DeKalb County pension board, which Bell called the most successful pension board in the state.

Wall has been advising Georgia cities, counties and school systems since 1984. He has been advising Clayton County since 1988 on and off again.

On Tuesday, the Clayton commission voted 3-2 to hire Wall. Commissioners Wole Ralph and Sonna Singleton voted against the hire. The contract provides a 1 percent fee for every dollar invested, plus $200 an hour.

Ralph said Wednesday he’s concerned that the county’s finance director was not part of the decision to hire Wall. “His background in Clayton County, particularly, makes it questionable, and to go into the market now does not make sense,” Ralph said.

Wall will be tasked with underwriting bonds for $68 million in SPLOST funds, managing the pension plan, negotiating bonds for a hospital project and the expansion of Tara Field, Bell said.

Although Wall will recommend how the county invests, the commission will have final say, county attorney Michael Smith said.

Bell stressed that Clayton’s finances are stable. However, the shaky economy and unstable housing market threaten that financial standing, Bell said.

“We’re financially sound, in part because of Wall’s efforts in getting us good rates. I want to stay there,” Bell said.

Wall resigned as MARTA board of directors chairman after his arrest, but remains on the board.