The Cobb County Board of Ethics will hold a preliminary hearing Monday on the complaint against Commissioner Jerica Richardson over the nonprofit she founded last year.
Debra Fisher, the Cobb resident who filed the complaint, alleged that Richardson has financially benefited from the commission’s votes last year to amend its own electoral map to preserve her seat on the board after state lawmakers drew her out of her district in early 2022, threatening her ability to serve the rest of her elected term.
Shortly after, Richardson founded her 501(c)4 called For Which It Stance, which is dedicated to “protecting local control,” according to its website.
The commission’s Democratic majority also cited local control as its motive for changing its map under the home rule provision of the state’s constitution, which gives local governments some powers to amend local legislation.
But home rule has never been interpreted to include redistricting powers, so the unprecedented issue will have to be decided in court through the recent lawsuit challenging the legality of the county’s map and Richardson’s position on the board.
Fisher’s complaint, however, seeks to void Richardson’s votes on the map altogether, due to the alleged conflict of interest through her social welfare organization, which is soliciting donations through its website.
Voiding Richardson’s votes would essentially nullify the board’s 3-2 approval of the county map.
Members of For Which It Stance have publicly defended Richardson’s position on the board at county meetings, the state Capitol and in press conferences. When asked to discuss the organization’s financials when the complaint was filed, its executive director Mindy Seger declined to comment but said donations go toward civic classes and other community engagement efforts.
If the Board of Ethics determines there is enough evidence to pursue a full evaluation, both parties will present evidence to determine whether Richardson violated the county’s Code of Ethics, which says officials cannot participate in county business in which they have a “financial interest, a fiduciary interest, a corporate interest, or an employment interest.”
The preliminary hearing will take place in the county board’s meeting room at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
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