Ellis conviction doesn’t end DeKalb investigations

After Ellis leaves office, either by exhausting his appeals or by resigning, the job would become vacant and a special election would be held to choose a replacement CEO until Ellis’ term expires at the end of 2016. The DeKalb Commission’s presiding officer, who is currently Commissioner Larry Johnson, would become the county’s interim CEO until after the election.

Ellis’ appeals could continue to the point where a special election won’t be held and May retains power for the next year and a half.

A special election is only called for if the vacancy in the CEO’s office occurs more than 180 days before the end of Ellis’ term on Dec. 31, 2016, according to DeKalb’s Organizational Act. In that case, the position would be filled during the regularly scheduled November 2016 election.

When a jury convicted DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis last week, it was a high-water mark for rooting out corruption in a county burdened by numerous allegations of wrongdoing.

The man at the top is now behind bars along with several other former government officials, but DeKalb is far from being able to declare itself cleansed of scandal. The FBI, local prosecutors and independent investigators are still gathering evidence, with the possibility of more criminal charges to come.

Some residents in the 722,000-person county say the guilty verdicts against Ellis are a sign of progress. Others fear that a culture of dirty government reached far beyond its top leader.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Liane Levetan, DeKalb’s CEO from 1993 to 2000. “However, we have to move forward and bring to light any other irregularities that would further be a cloud over the county.”

The guilty verdicts against Ellis resolved two years of accusations that he used his power as DeKalb’s government leader to try to compel campaign contributions from county contractors. He was convicted on one count of attempted extortion for threatening the business of a contractor, and he was also found guilty of three counts of perjury for lying about his role in awarding contracts.

Ellis will be sentenced Wednesday to as much as 10 years in prison. He was acquitted on five other charges.

“I hope this makes a difference,” said Jana Johnson, a longtime county resident who promoted ethics and transparency reforms that were approved this year by the Georgia General Assembly. “I hope it awakens the community about the power we have to hold our elected officials accountable.”

But Eugene Walker, a former chairman of the DeKalb Board of Education, said nothing was accomplished by the Ellis prosecution. He said Ellis was singled out for an activity that elected officials do all the time — ask for campaign contributions.

Walker also said it isn’t right for Ellis to be targeted when a key witness against him admitted lying under oath about receiving free services from a vendor for the county. The witness, DeKalb Purchasing Director Kelvin Walton, worked with prosecutors and secretly recorded the CEO so he would avoid perjury charges.

“The one who actually took money is the one going free, laughing with arrogance. And the man that he worked for is being persecuted for his wrongdoing. That is sad for me,” said Walker, who testified as a character witness for Ellis.

Sending Ellis to prison won’t restore residents’ faith in their government leaders, Walker said.

Others, like DeKalb NAACP President John Evans, see a silver lining. He said the county can begin to move past its problems now they they’ve begun to be resolved through the legal system.

“I think we can turn the corner,” Evans said. “I still believe there’s a rainbow at the end of the rain, where people say, ‘We’ve had enough of all this, and we’re going to make some corrections in our community and with our elected officials.’”

Ellis wasn’t the first DeKalb official to be convicted, but he was the most prominent.

DeKalb’s reputation in the business community suffered as a result of allegations about dishonest government, said Emory Morsberger, the president of the Stone Mountain Community Improvement District. The verdicts against Ellis send a message that unethical behavior won’t be tolerated, he said.

“The resolution of this case is a move in the right direction, but there’s a lot more work to do,” he said. “People want to go where there’s ethical leadership of the government in which they’re operating. That has value.”

Commissioner Nancy Jester believes Ellis’ conviction gave taxpayers a portion of justice that they’re owed. But it “does not close the book on corruption in DeKalb.”

“The fact remains that the trust and goodwill between the citizens of DeKalb and county government has been completely eroded,” Jester said.

Viola Davis, whose Unhappy Taxpayer and Voter group has pushed for more accountable and efficient government, called for further investigations and audits. She said scrutiny of the Department of Watershed Management, which was the subject of a special grand jury investigation, and other departments is needed. Ellis’ perjury conviction came from his testimony before that special grand jury.

“Until we place restoring public trust as a top priority, DeKalb County will struggle to heal from corruption,” Davis said.

It’s unknown when federal and local law enforcement authorities will conclude their inquiries and what will come of them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office don’t comment about ongoing investigations.

“It’s important that these kinds of issues come to closure,” said Gale Walldorff, a former county commissioner. “In order to move forward, you have to have resolution.”