DeKalb commissioner sues over ethics complaint
DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader has filed a libel lawsuit against a resident who brought an ethics complaint against him, and the resident has responded with a new ethics complaint alleging retaliation.
Rader’s lawsuit said DeKalb resident Timothy Brantley made false and defamatory statements by accusing Rader of using his elected position to benefit himself and his former employer, which has won contracts from the county. The suit is seeking at least $100,000 in damages.
The Board of Ethics on Aug. 14 rejected the complaint against Rader because it lacked claims about any specific unethical action he took that could be investigated. Similar accusations were brought this week against Rader as part of another complaint.
“I feel like that type of allegation can’t go unanswered,” said Rader, who has recused himself from voting on matters related to Jacobs Engineering, which was his employer until last year. “My purpose in (filing suit) was not to retaliate against him; it was to try and clear my name against these accusations.”
Brantley’s latest ethics complaint, filed Wednesday, said Rader’s lawsuit was an attempt to retaliate against him and prevent the public from filing complaints with the Board of Ethics.
“Rader’s actions against me can be construed as an effort to produce a chilling effect on the public’s willingness to pursue their legal obligation and right to make accusation to the DeKalb County Board of Ethics regarding their concerns related to perceived unethical behavior of a public official,” Brantley’s complaint said.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
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