Brookhaven mayor calls for ethical scrutiny over new charter school
The mayor of Brookhaven is calling for an ethics review after a city councilman who championed creation of a charter school with city ties then took a job as the school’s paid director.
City Councilman Bates Mattison questioned the need to hire an attorney to scrutinize his new role for any conflict of interest, but said he welcomes the review.
"I hope that it puts the matter to bed," said Mattison, who said he was hired last month by the new Brookhaven Innovation Academy, which was recently approved as a state charter school and hopes to open as a school in the fall of 2016. Mattison said his salary will be $60,000 plus 10 percent of any funds he raises for the school.
The academy is unusual because of its city ties: Mattison and another Brookhaven councilman had seats on the school’s board, and the city development authority was planning to acquire a building for the school. Mattison said he has stepped down as the council’s representative on the school board.
The Brookhaven council’s rules state it is a conflict of interest for a council member to vote on things in which he or she has a financial interest, so if a company were to give a substantial sum to the school, Mattison said, it could be an ethical issue for him to vote on an unrelated city issue involving that same company, given his percentage take on donations. He said he hopes to get clarity on that issue from the review, which Mayor Rebecca Chase Williams called for in a letter the city publicized on Monday.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
