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Ethics complaint aimed at DeKalb Commissioner Watson

By Mark Niesse
Sept 9, 2014

A renewed ethics complaint has been brought against DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson, alleging he used government money to pay for personal cellphone charges.

The complaint, filed Aug. 22 by DeKalb resident Rhea Johnson, cited articles by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about how Watson charged the county nearly $5,000 for personal cellphone bills over the last three years, even though he also carried a county-issued phone. Watson is now paying the county back.

The DeKalb Board of Ethics dismissed a previous ethics complaint against Watson on Aug. 14.

There are now ethics complaints pending against each of DeKalb’s five remaining commissioners, as well as former Commissioner Elaine Boyer.

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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