P-card allegations
Ethics complaints are pending against DeKalb County Commissioners Kathie Gannon, Jeff Rader, Sharon Barnes Sutton and Stan Watson. All have denied wrongdoing, and the DeKalb Board of Ethics is investigating.
- Sutton spent $1,100 at a charity auction for a portrait of President Barack Obama, $1,650 on 35 gift cards and $130 for a speeding ticket she received while driving a rental car.
- Watson used $1,900 in taxpayer money for a website that solicited campaign donations and put $4,882 worth of cellphone costs on his P-card between May 2011 and March 2014. Watson has said he's repaying the county.
- Rader's expenses have included $3,996 for telecommunication services and $1,616 for airfare since 2004.
- Gannon's office has spent about $5,800 on training, conference fees, travel and accommodations since 2004.
Sources: DeKalb P-card audit and county spending records.
Several DeKalb elected officials and government workers are no longer using government-issued charge cards after county employees were accused of abusing their easy access to taxpayer money, racking up thousands of dollars in personal purchases.
DeKalb commissioners, judges and administrators are among 27 people whose purchasing card accounts have been closed since June, according to county records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. P-cards are debit cards that draw funds from county budgets.
Misuse of P-cards in DeKalb could lead to many more of them being turned in across the state. Legislation pending before the Georgia General Assembly would ban any local elected officials from using P-cards.
Some in DeKalb said they returned their P-cards because they didn’t want to be associated with the tool that contributed to criminal charges against former Commissioner Elaine Boyer and ethics complaints against other commissioners. Others said they rarely used their P-cards and didn’t want to spend time on newly required training.
Previous investigations by the AJC exposed that commissioners had used their cards for steakhouse meals, speeding tickets, computer equipment, plane flights and cellphone charges.
No one other than Boyer has been found to have abused a P-card, but the DeKalb Board of Ethics is investigating commissioners’ spending.
“The reason I turned it in is that some have misused the privilege,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader, who said he used his card properly. “DeKalb doesn’t have accountability methods in place to police them.”
Commissioner Larry Johnson said P-cards make it easier for officials to do business, but they need to be used for legitimate government purposes. Johnson, who has not returned his card, was cleared of ethics charges in December related to using his P-card to donate$12,000 to the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center.
“I’ve always maintained fiscally responsible habits with my P-card and will continue to do so,” Johnson said. “Some of my fellow commissioners have turned in their personal P-cards but recognize the purpose the P-cards serve by allowing their aides to keep their own to service office needs.”
The legislation under consideration by state lawmakers would require local elected officials to submit expense reports with receipts and then get reimbursed instead of using P-cards. House Bill 192 is pending in committee.
“The proper way of doing it is with a reimbursable expense that’s scrutinized,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell. “We need transparency and honesty in government.”
Like credit cards in general, P-cards can lead to frivolous spending, said Commissioner Kathie Gannon, who refused the card when it was issued.
“If you’re not conscientious about what you’re spending, you can run up quite a bill,” Gannon said.
Commissioner Nancy Jester said she wasn’t given a P-card after she was elected to replace Boyer in December.
“When you have so very little financial controls and reporting obligations, you get in trouble, and that’s what happened here,” Jester said. “Given the lack of credibility the government has right now, I certainly don’t need one. I won’t take one, and I think that’s a good plan for all elected officials.”
Commissioners Stan Watson and Sharon Barnes Sutton didn’t return phone calls or emails seeking comment. They haven’t turned in their P-cards.
Federal prosecutors subpoenaed thousands of documents in June related to P-card spending by county commissioners and employees.
“It’s for county business. That’s what it should be used for, and nothing else,” said Joel Edwards, a member of the watchdog group Restore DeKalb. “If you’re using it outside county business, I think you should be prosecuted.”
Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May instituted rules in April requiring annual audits of P-cards, monthly review of receipts and training. May also can suspend or revoke P-cards for misuse, and elected officials must comply with the same P-card rules as other government employees. As of last spring, 294 county employees had P-cards.
The county listed a total of 27 employees whose P-card accounts have been closed since June. About 10 of those employees lost their cards when they transferred jobs or left employment with the county.
State Court Judge Janis Gordon, State Court Judge Alvin Wong and Recorder’s Court Chief Judge Nelly Withers are among those who rejected P-cards, county records show.
Gordon said she’s never had a P-card during her 12 years on the bench, and her name showed up on the list because her judicial assistant returned a card after disputing charges.
“I think they’re fine if they’re handled responsibly,” Gordon said. “I just never used the thing.”
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