Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May filled two vacant seats on the county Board of Ethics on Tuesday, a move that allows the board to take up cases against government officials.
The board had to cancel hearings against two commissioners this week because it didn't have enough members. Now it will be able to reschedule.
May appointed Christopher Bruce, a workers’ compensation attorney, and Nikki Forman, a marketing communications coordinator for DeKalb Regional Health System.
“These appointments bring a wealth of experience and perspective to the DeKalb Board of Ethics and restore the panel to full membership,” May said in a statement. “The Ethics Board can proceed with the myriad of important issues before it.”
The board positions hadn't been filled since Robert Blackman resigned in March after an argument with a county employee, and since Bobbie Kennedy Sanford stepped down in May without giving an explanation.
“Having a properly functioning Ethics Board allows us to look at situations. It’s not just criminal prosecutions that can occur. There are other avenues,” said Board of Ethics Chairman John Ernst.
The Board of Ethics will soon schedule a final hearing against Commissioner Stan Watson and a preliminary hearing against Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton.
Watson is facing an ethics complaint after he voted twice to award a $1.5 million contract to a company that was paying him for consulting. Sutton has been accused of misusing her county purchasing card for personal gain.
The board also could decide to take up a case against suspended DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis. Now that Ellis has been convicted, the board could decide to use its power to remove him from office, forcing a special election for leadership of the county.
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