In the race for the Atlanta City Council District 4 seat, challenger Torry Lewis is campaigning on classic political platforms: increasing quality of life and reducing crime. But another message is defining his candidacy — criticism of incumbent Cleta Winslow’s expense reports.
The Atlanta Ethics Office is investigating whether Winslow misappropriated taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes, based largely on a complaint Lewis filed.
Lewis’ accusation stems from a receipt he obtained from the city’s finance department indicating Winslow used money from her discretionary city council fund to transport seniors to her campaign headquarters for an Aug. 24 political event.
The complaint is the latest salvo in Lewis’ attack on Winslow’s record in office, especially her use of her council expense account. The political science professor has gone so far as to say at Atlanta City Council meetings that Winslow, a 20-year council veteran, has been reimbursed $250,000 in the past five years alone.
Winslow has not specifically addressed that allegation, but says her office typically has the highest reimbursements for a simple reason: “I’m a very active person.”
That doesn’t satisfy her opponent.
“When I first glanced at (her expense reports), I thought she was being irresponsible,” said Lewis, who files monthly open records requests into Winslow’s expenses. “But the more I went over the last year alone, I see transactions that are illegal. … The city needs to look at the legitimacy of these reimbursements.”
Atlanta Ethics Officer Nina Hickson confirmed her office has opened an investigation into Lewis’ complaint about the August issue, but said no decision has been reached.
Winslow, who was fined $1,500 in 2010 for using taxpayer funds for campaign purposes, said she was unaware of her opponent’s ethics complaint. “I haven’t seen it. I can’t speak to it,” she said.
Winslow said Lewis’ complaints are a political distraction and questioned his experience. Lewis, who drives a campaign RV dubbed The Beast, made two unsuccessful attempts at state office in recent years.
“He’s trying to drum up attention on himself,” she said. “If this is the way he needs to do it, this is the way he needs to do it.”
According to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of one year of receipts submitted by councilmembers, Winslow had the highest amount of out-of-pocket expenses of her 15 colleagues. Winslow was reimbursed $21,600 in fiscal year 2013 for everything from paying day laborers to clean up her district to reimbursing staffers for fuel and donating to local community causes, according to records obtained from the city’s finance department.
By comparison, the average annual reimbursement for other council members was $5,046 each in the same year.
“I don’t think that people understand that we get requests from our constituents asking for money,” said Winslow, whose district includes southwest Atlanta. “I think that’s a good way to spend taxpayer money because they’re actually seeing some of their money come back to them in different ways.”
Lewis has also questioned the quality of receipts Winslow has submitted for reimbursement and said he was “blown away” by the types of receipts allowed for reimbursement.
Unlike city employees, councilmembers are permitted to submits receipts written on office letterhead, scrap paper or a generic receipt pad — even those that do not contain vendors names.
“I think with the majority of my receipts, the majority have somebody’s name on it, or they have the event on there,” Winslow said. “There may be a few receipts without it.”
The items Winslow was reimbursed for paying out of pocket included:
- Hiring workers for neighborhood cleanup. Winslow submitted receipts she wrote on office letterhead. For example, last November she paid three men $360 total for clearing posters off light poles, according to receipts she wrote and the men signed.
- $1,400 in receipts from gas stations in the past year, funds reimbursed without submitting a mileage log.
- Paying back employees or associates who drive her to events. Several receipts show Winslow paid aide Anthony Owens more than $200 for gas for June and July. Winslow said the money was reimbursement to Owens for driving her to various meetings.
Leslie Ward, the city’s auditor, said the city still hasn’t put in place tough controls outlining acceptable expenses and the types of receipts needed to support them.
Councilmembers, Ward said, largely dictate how they spend the money allotted to their office. Each is given $30,000 in discretionary funds, but is allowed to add money left over from other accounts (such as operating costs) in the previous calendar year.
Her office audited councilmember expenses in 2009 and made several recommendations, including clarifying the types of expenses allowed. Ward’s office also suggested establishing accounts dedicated to funding certain projects, instead of the councilmember paying for those costs out of his or her pocket and requesting reimbursement.
“The most important (recommendations) are the ones that do provide for transparency and accountability,” she said. “It’s not so much that a rule was broken, but they certainly have practices that don’t allow real visibility into how they’re spending their budgets.”
Few of those recommendations, she said, have been implemented.
Winslow, who is known for legislation aimed at combating drugs in commercial zones, has the backing of Mayor Kasim Reed in her re-election bid. Her latest campaign disclosure reports were not available online.
According to Lewis’ most recent disclosure, he has little more than $450 in cash on hand.
Lewis said regardless of whether he wins a spot at City Hall, he plans to keep raising questions about Winslow’s finances.
“This is not a political thing at this point; this is the difference between right and wrong,” he said.
Winslow rebuffs his suggestions.
“The voter (knows) what an elected official does for them and doesn’t do for them,” she said. “My opponent cannot say I haven’t been accessible and I haven’t been out there… I’m involved in my district.”
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