Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves and Vice Chair Emma Darnell lately have been known to argue.
Their difference in opinion escalated to another level when Eaves ordered the rewiring of Assembly Hall so he could cut off the microphones of any his peers — specifically Darnell — who exceeded his or her 10-minute speaking limit. Once other commissioners learned of this electrical subterfuge, the system was re-wired once more and returned to its original state.
All of this came at a cost that could exceed $1,000 in taxpayer money, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News have learned.
“I just hope that everyone picks up on the fact that while Rome is burning, everyone’s worried about how much camera time they can get,” said Commissioner Liz Hausmann said, who added that her peers need to focus on next year’s projected budget shortfall of more than $100 million.
On Tuesday, Eaves did not return calls and Darnell declined to comment.
Fulton’s commission chairman and vice chair squabbled earlier this month when Eaves told the county clerk to cut off Darnell’s microphone during a commission meeting. Eaves said Darnell had exceeded her 10-minute speaking time. They later exchanged heated messages accusing each other of bullying.
That same day, Eaves ordered the rewiring so that he, not the clerk, would control the overriding mute button, which kills the sound on all commissioners’ microphones. The county paid contractor International System Strategies Inc. $714 for the work, documents showed.
After learning of this, Commissioner William “Bill” Edwards instructed County Manager Zachary Williams to return the mute button to the desk of County Commission Clerk Mark Massey. Edwards said the chairman didn’t have the authority to make that kind of change without a commission vote.
“It needs to be back with the official timekeeper, and the official timekeeper is the clerk,” Edwards said. “I just figured if one commissioner could have it moved, one could move it back.”
The General Services department estimated that wiring the button a second time could cost nothing, or as much as around $350, county spokeswoman Ericka Davis said.
Control of the mute button was a setback for a chairman trying to boost his position in the county government with other commissioners pushing back.
In March, state Rep. Kathy Ashe, D-Atlanta, re-introduced a bill that would have strengthened the power of Fulton’s commission chairman, making the position full time and giving him power to hire and fire the county manager and department heads. The goal was to provide a strong central leader to a board frequently criticized as dysfunctional.
The commission voted to have its lobbyist oppose the bill, with Eaves casting the lone dissenting vote. The bill remains in committee.
Two weeks ago, Eaves told Massey to cut off Darnell’s microphone.
Darnell wrote a letter to Eaves later accusing him of “ignorance and arrogance,” adding, “I have had to deal with thugs and bullies many times — I always win.”
Eaves wrote back in an email that he would silence her again if she broke the rules, saying, “Accusing me of being a thief, corrupt and a thug is a result of your emotions from being reprimanded.”
Commissioner Tom Lowe, who was in favor of having Eaves cut off long-winded speakers, called the roughly $1,000 spent on the electrical wiring “chickenfeed” and a necessary cost in getting a bigger problem fixed: the waste of meeting hours.
Lowe said the commission will likely vote on who should control the mute button at the June 1 meeting, and Eaves will get his way.
“We’ve got to start managing those meetings,” said Lowe, who has been criticized himself of rambling on and interrupting. “Think of how much time it wastes for all that staff to sit there listening to her.”
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