Fulton County Commissioner Emma Darnell says the details of an agreement in which her political opponent admitted to violating campaign finance laws are relevant information for voters to consider.
As The Atlanta Journal-Journal Constitution reported today, former County Commissioner Bill Edwards – Darnell's opponent in next month's primary election for Commission District 6 – has agreed to settle civil charges that he violated several campaign finance laws. But the state won't release or discuss terms of the settlement until it's approved in June because it's still a matter of pending litigation.
That’s a month after the May 24 primary election in which Edwards is seeking to oust incumbent Darnell.
The agency says there’s no reason Edwards couldn’t release the agreement in the meantime. But Edwards’ attorney rejected the AJC’s request for a copy of the agreement, saying it is “irrelevant to the qualifications and suitability of either candidate in this race for a seat on the Fulton County Commission.”
Government watchdog William Perry says Edwards should release the agreement before the election so voters can decide for themselves whether it’s relevant. Now Darnell has weighed in.
“I do not agree that the settlement terms are not `relevant to the election,’” Darnell wrote in an e-mail to the AJC. “However, it’s Bill’s case – not mine.”
Edwards spent 14 years on the County Commission and was a close ally of Darnell's before redistricting forced them to run against each other. She defeated him in the 2014 Democratic primary.
You can read more about the civil charges against Edwards and the proposed settlement agreement here.
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