The new DeKalb County ethics board held its inaugural meeting Thursday, gathering over Zoom to revive local oversight efforts that have been dormant for more than two years.
The seven-member ethics board — which is responsible for investigating complaints of wrongdoing against county officials and employees — had been neutered since Aug. 2018, when the Georgia Supreme Court deemed the appointment process for some members unconstitutional.
Those issues were addressed in new legislation that DeKalb voters ratified in November, and appointments to the reconfigured board were finalized in January.
DeKalb’s delegations to the state House and state Senate each appointed three members of the current board and Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson appointed the seventh full-time member. Superior Court clerk Debra DeBerry also appointed two alternate board members.
The group’s first meeting was largely informational, with county ethics officer Stacey Kalberman and deputy ethics officer Latonya Wiley walking the new board members through the process.
The 27 or so ethics cases leftover from previous boards will be addressed in coming months, Wiley said. Many will be recommended for dismissal due to lack of jurisdiction, she said.
The board did vote to set a regular schedule for future meetings (6 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month) and to post a job listing for a new administrator position required by last year’s legislation.
They also elected leaders.
The chairman of the new ethics board will be Lonnie Edwards Sr., who had a 33-year career with the DeKalb County School District before retiring as an assistant superintendent. He also spent time with Clark Atlanta University and the Georgia Department of Education and currently works as a consultant.
“I look forward to working together with this dedicated group of citizens to continue creating a county that we can all be proud of,” Edwards said.
David Moskowitz, an attorney with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, was chosen as vice chair.
Other board members include Nadine Ali; Ambreen Delawalla; Eric Maurer; Candace Rogers; and Rosa Waymon. Michelle Long Spears and Candace Walker are alternates.
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