Complaint targets DeKalb’s ethics spending

An ethics complaint against all six DeKalb County commissioners accused them of infringing on the independence of the county Board of Ethics.

The complaint, filed Tuesday by Rhea Johnson, a DeKalb County resident, cited the commission’s vote to reserve $97,000 over the last four months of the year to supplement the Board of Ethics’ funding. Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May had proposed the money for the positions of a chief integrity officer, an investigator and an administrator.

Commissioner Jeff Rader said Wednesday that commissioners asked the Board of Ethics to make a plan for how it would spend the money, which he said preserves the board’s autonomy.