Atlanta’s inspector general is being sued by the lawyer of a well-connected lobbyist at the center of one of her investigations.
The lawsuit, filed last week, alleges Inspector General Shannon Manigault and her office failed to respond to an open records request for documents related to a recent report released by the watchdog office.
In August, Manigault raised red flags about potential ethical violations by Cloverhurst Strategies, a company operated by political insider Bernie Tokarz. Atlanta City Council recently approved the $1.5 million contract with the company despite the IG recommendation that the city cease work with the vendor altogether.
Rumors circulated around City Hall that Tokarz intended to sue Manigault for slander. But instead, his lawyer, Stephen Katz, filed an open records violation lawsuit last week in Fulton County superior court.
According to the court filing, Katz claims the office failed to provide records he requested related to the investigation of Cloverhurst Strategies, and other documents related to complaints made against the company and why the IG investigation was initiated.
The attorney’s initial record request, sent Oct. 29, contains a lengthy list of nearly two dozen different categories of documents. The lawsuit says that Katz sought the aid of Atlanta’s city attorney to get the documents and even requested mediation by the Georgia Attorney General.
Manigault’s office responded to the lawsuit on Monday, saying that they did, in fact, respond to the records request within the required time period and provided an estimate of how much it would cost, but then never heard back from Katz.
“That response invited a discussion regarding the specific requests and asked how Katz wished to proceed,” a spokesperson for the inspector general said in a statement. “OIG received no reply from Katz and has had no communication with the City Attorney about the request.”
If produced, the documents would reveal crucial information about the investigation like who the inspector general interviewed about the company’s dealings, any internal complaints against the company and potential referrals the inspector general made of the case to law enforcement.
It also includes requests related to Council member Michael Julian Bond, who was named in the investigation of Cloverhurst Strategies as a former employer of Torkaz but was ultimately cleared by the watchdog office of any wrongdoing.
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Speaking of pushback against the inspector general, a number of labor leaders spoke at City Council on Monday about the need to beef up employee rights during investigations. The mayor’s office has consistently argued that city employees should have outside legal representation and other protections during investigations and interviews.
Crystal Jeffery, with AFSCME Local 1644, the city’s labor union, said during public comment at City Council that misconduct investigations have “created a culture of fear” among employees.
“We are seeking clear guidelines on how the OIG interacts with unionized employees, particularly in cases where representation is necessary to protect their interests and ensure fairness,” she said. “The speed and secret nature in which OIG investigations are conducted often leaves little room for due process.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke publicly for the first time against the inspector general, calling her allegations of misconduct “political spectacle.” Not long after, the city’s watchdog dropped her newest report that found the Dickens administration gave an “unfair advantage” to a vendor.
We think it’s safe to say the gloves are off in the battle between the mayor’s office and the city’s inspector general.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Atlanta City Council members want the city to move its warming shelters away from schools. The body passed a resolution last week that requests the city keep its shelters for unhoused Atlantans at least 1,000 feet away from any public, private or faith-based educational facilities.
The legislation was passed after immediate consideration, which means it didn’t go through the committee process that allows for public comment. It was approved 10-1, with Council member Jason Dozier as the only vote against it.
Dozier said that he has three shelter locations within his district, all within 1,000 feet of schools.
“As we’re looking at ways to make these locations into resiliency centers, into places where we can have folks go for any emergency situation — whether it’s warming, whether it’s cooling, whether it’s a place to go after flooding — I want to make sure that that option remains on the table,” he said.
The city began opening its warming shelters for the season on Thanksgiving weekend as temperatures began to drop.
Council member Andrea Boone sponsored the legislation. Boone’s district is home to the Old Adamsville Recreation Center, one of the city’s shelters, that sits close to the Frederick Douglass 9th Grade STEAM Academy.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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