Clayton Ethics Board cleared in investigation of Commission rebuke

An investigation has found the Clayton Ethics Board acted properly in a March 2018 Clayton County Commission rebuke.

Credit: LEON STAFFORD/AJC

Credit: LEON STAFFORD/AJC

An investigation has found the Clayton Ethics Board acted properly in a March 2018 Clayton County Commission rebuke.

A recent ethics board rebuke of current members of the Clayton County Commission and one former commissioner was properly handled, according to findings of an external investigation.

Clayton Commissioner Sonna Singleton Gregory challenged a March ruling by the county’s ethics board that she, Commissioner Gail Hambrick and former Commissioner Michael Edmondson erred when they pushed through a Dec. 18, 2018 vote for a member of the Clayton Development Authority board.

Gregory in August argued that the ethics board failed to hold a public meeting on the matter and should have given her colleagues an opportunity to defend themselves against the accusations.

The external  investigation by Hilliard Starkey Law determined the board acted within the county code of ethics and was within its authority to make findings and recommendations “even though there was no public hearing.”