An Atlanta City Council committee on Tuesday swiftly approved the appointment of disbarred former councilman H. Lamar Willis to an authority that oversees the redevelopment of blighted properties.
Mayor Kasim Reed’s decision to appoint Willis to the Fulton County/City of Atlanta Land Bank Authority must now receive the green light from a second committee before it heads to the full council for confirmation next week. The authority helps redevelop blighted properties.
The move has raised the ire of government watchdog groups, which say voters sent a clear message when Willis, who has faced a string of tax and legal troubles, was ousted from office in the last election.
Willis lost his 2013 election to newcomer Andre Dickens just a month after he was disbarred for depositing roughly $30,000 intended for an injured child into his own coffers. At the time, Willis blamed the error on an administrative mix-up during a period of personal struggles. Willis also has come under fire for failing to properly register a charity that raised mega funds for youth scholarships, a violation for which he was fined $25,000 in 2009.
Bryan Long, head of Better Georgia, called for Reed to withdraw Willis’ nomination on Tuesday.
“Mr. Willis has been disbarred by the State Bar of Georgia and rejected by the voters in his district,” Long said. “Anyone who mishandles $30,000 intended for an injured child — and is punished as a result — is not fit for a position of public trust. Mayor Reed should know better.”
Common Cause Georgia has also criticized the appointment as evidence of cronyism.
Many members of the Atlanta council disagreed. On Tuesday, council members Cleta Winslow, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ivory Young, Michael Julian Bond and Joyce Sheperd welcomed Willis back to City Hall and approved his appointment.
Bond, who himself has come under fire in the past year for ethical violations involving the use of taxpayer funds, praised Willis’ desire to serve.
“Many people in your position would ride off into the sunset and make bags of money, but you have — arguably, perhaps somewhat foolishly — decided to come back and give and fulfill your heart’s desire yet again and serve the public,” he said.
Dickens, who chairs the committee that considered the matter on Tuesday, told Willis he wouldn’t support his appointment “because of the same thoughts that I had 18 months ago that were expressed by myself and the public.”
Willis, who served three terms on the council, told the committee that he brings a “unique perspective” to the authority because of his background. He also didn’t rule out a potential run for future office when asked by a reporter, noting “I never say never.”
The ex-politico brushed off Dickens’ nay vote.
“I think it is a reflection of not having been exposed to the contributions I’ve made and not being able to take a step back and realize what is rhetoric and what is reality,” he said.
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