Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow must pay a $2,000 fine after using city funds for campaign purposes, her second offense in recent years.
In a letter submitted to Atlanta Ethics Officer Nina Hickson and the city’s ethics board, Winslow acknowledged she was reimbursed by the city for paying a bus company $390 to shuttle seniors to a campaign event in August. She blamed the error on an employee and said the staffer didn’t have authorization to seek reimbursement.
Her infraction marks the second time the veteran councilwoman has misappropriated taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes. She was fined $1,500 in 2010 for spending more than $5,000 in taxpayers’ money on a re-election campaign.
At that time, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution a “staff person sent something in for reimbursement that they shouldn’t.”
Hickson said she took the case to the ethics board because it was the second time Winslow committed the offense.
Torry Lewis, who unsuccessfully challenged Winslow for her District 4 seat in this fall’s local elections, filed the complaint prompting the investigation in October. Lewis filed two other complaints against the councilwoman, but neither was substantiated.
About the Author
