DeKalb ethics complaints made public

The DeKalb County Board of Ethics has disclosed several recent complaints requested under the Georgia Open Records Act.

The board released the complaints after receiving advice from the Georgia Attorney General's Office that they were public records. DeKalb Ethics Officer Stacey Kalberman sought guidance from the state after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution requested the documents.

The board had previously intended to keep complaints confidential until they were investigated.

A look at the complaints:

• DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton was accused of using her position to receive free YMCA memberships for herself, her family and staff. Sutton has said the in-kind memberships were legitimate because they were related to her work at the YMCA with a program she sponsors called Youth Leadership Academy.
• Former DeKalb Commission Stan Watson allegedly created the appearance of impropriety by using a DeKalb Chamber of Commerce account for community activities and charitable organizations. Watson has said vendors paid the chamber to fund these events instead of using county government money.
• A company alleged that a DeKalb Sanitation Division employee violated the county's purchasing policy in the award of a renewable fuels facility maintenance contract to a different contractor.
• A code compliance officer was accused of incorrectly issuing a citation to a resident who said she didn't own the property where debris was found. The DeKalb Board of Ethics dismissed the complaint because there was no claim of an ethical violation.
• A woman alleged that a car dealership sold her a lemon. The board dismissed the complaint because it lacked jurisdiction.

Recent pending complaints and older cases against suspended DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis, several former county employees and a contractor will be investigated by the DeKalb Board of Ethics.