Ethics complaint dismissed against Henry’s county manager
Henry County’s ethics board has dismissed a complaint against the county’s top administrative official that alleged she has a conflict of interest because her husband and sister are county employees who fall within her chain of command.
The board unanimously approved Ethics Officer Obréziah Bullard’s conclusion in a preliminary investigation that there was no probable cause for the allegations against County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews.
Reached by phone after Tuesday night’s vote, Hobson-Matthews said she was glad to be cleared of wrongdoing and added that she takes pride in her work and makes sure to follow all policies and procedures.
“I hate that my family had to go through this, but it’s a process that’s out there, and I guess people have the right to submit complaints,” Hobson-Matthews said. “But I stand behind making sure that I’ve always done the right thing, and that’s what I’m going to continue.”
Hobson-Matthews started working for the county as a planner in 2002 and has served in her current role since 2017.
Laurin “Brie” Smith, a former member of Henry’s ethics board, filed the complaint last week, citing a state law that prohibits public officers from “advocating for or causing the advancement, appointment, employment, promotion or transfer” of a family member.
However, Bullard said at Tuesday’s meeting that the law doesn’t apply to Hobson-Matthews because the definition of a “public officer” includes elected officials and state department heads — not county managers.
Felicia Harrell, chair of the ethics board, said there is no evidence Hobson-Matthews has advocated for her relatives, intervened on their behalf or tried to hide their relation to her.
“Probably half of Henry County that’s employed by Henry County is related to someone who’s employed by Henry County,” Harrell said.
Hobson-Matthews’ husband, Willie Matthews, works as a superintendent of environmental compliance in the county’s Building & Plan Review Department and received his last promotion in 2008, well before his wife became county manager, according to Deputy County Manager Kevin Johnson.
Matthews started working for the county in 2004 as a laborer.
Hobson-Matthews’ sister, Chetara McKinney, began working for the county in 2014. She was promoted in 2023 from a manager in the Transit Department to assistant director in the same department, Johnson said.
Johnson emphasized that, although all county employees ultimately report to the county manager, Hobson-Matthews had no direct involvement in her sister’s promotion.
Hobson-Matthews also has said there are multiple layers of management between her and each relative.
“I have been very, very intentional about any actions that occur within their respective departments — me not being a part of it, things as simple as travel and training requests,” Hobson-Matthews said in an interview last week.
“If a travel request were to come in for anyone who’s in the building department or the transit department, I do not review it. I give it to my deputy county manager and/or the executive director for that department, so that there is no perception of favoritism.”
About the Author
Reed Williams is an enterprise reporter on the Local team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
