Inside City Hall: Atlanta wants you to call out government corruption

Atlanta Inspector General Shannon K. Manigault has been working with the JacobsEye Marketing Agency to promote awareness of her department and to encourage the public to report fraud, waste, abuse or corruption seen among city officials, employees, or vendors.

The Office of the Inspector General exists to ensure corruption is being detected and prevented at City Hall. These allegations can be reported to the OIG at 404-546-2271, inspectorgeneral@atlantaga.gov, or by visiting ATLOIG.org/reportcorruption. Reports can be submitted anonymously.

Manigault’s office reported last summer that former mayor Kasim Reed owes Atlanta $83,000 because his administration reportedly misled the public about the use of tax dollars when he said his personal funds were used to repay Atlanta or make charitable donations. Reed denied the allegations, and Mayor Andre Dickens has not made plans to pursue Manigault’s advice.

Manigault says her office has several active investigations right now.

“We have a couple of projects in the pipeline that will be the subject of public reports and those will likely be in the next several weeks,” Manigault said. “Please stay tuned for that.”

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City Council is on summer break recess through Aug. 7. Until then, we’re going to review some of last week’s council resolutions, which are nonbinding legislative items meant to express intent or support of various projects and enterprises, or to establish legislative policy of a general nature.

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Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com

Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com

City Council’s Public Safety committee recently passed a resolution to urge the Georgia General Assembly to amend its laws to limit the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials.

Councilman Antonio Lewis introduced this item in August 2022, but it existed in legislative limbo until last Monday. Lewis’s proposal comes amid rapper Young Thug’s racketeering case in Fulton County, where prosecutors want to use Thug’s rap lyrics in part to convict the rapper, whose name is Jeffery Williams.

Credit: TNS

In a statement, Lewis said his resolution would help rectify an issue that disproportionately affects minorities. He also said the government should protect the freedom of artistic expression while ensuring evidence used in criminal trials is “relevant, reliable, and does not perpetuate bias.”

Lewis’s resolution was later referred to the council’s Finance Executive committee. During the committee’s meeting, the council tabled the proposal after Councilman and FEC Chair Alex Wan said they needed time to consult with the city’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs before they can advance the resolution to the full council.

“It came out, kind of quickly and unexpectedly, out of that previous committee,” Wan said.

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The City Council’s Transportation Committee last week voted in favor of legislation to advocate for the implementation of time restrictions on freight trains blocking road crossings. The legislation requests the Georgia General Assembly and Congress to pass laws mandating the maximum length of time freight trains are allowed to block a grade crossing, which is the point where a railway track intersects with the road.

City Councilmember Keisha Sean Waites said in a statement that the train blockings are deeply impacting residents, particularly in the Hunter Hills community.

Credit: Bob Andres/AJC

“When trains are stalled on our roads, we see disruptions and delays in traffic and increased frustration for drivers and pedestrians,” Waites’s statement said. “It can limit visibility, create confusion, and increase safety concerns, including causing more traffic accidents.”

The item was moved forward by the Transportation Committee after being amended to add penalties, including $1,000 for the first offense, $3,000 for the second offense, and $5,000 for the third offense. The penalties for each violation would be a result of blocking road crossings for periods exceeding 15 minutes. It will be considered by the full Council during the next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 7.

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