Ethics board passes on probing tax chief
Fulton County Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand produced two cashier’s checks Tuesday — neither of which were included in public documents last year — showing that Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed tried to pay off nearly $24,000 in property taxes on time in 2009.
The checks helped convince the Fulton County Board of Ethics not to launch a formal investigation into potential favoritism. Ferdinand was accused by Rome, Ga.-based ethics advocate George Anderson of giving the mayor special treatment when he paid taxes late and wound up with an $18,500 lien against his company’s property.
Ferdinand told the board that Reed had tried to pay, but the cashier’s checks didn’t get cashed for some unstated reason. So he bought the lien back from the private collection firm that had purchased it from the county.
Anderson questioned where the cashier’s checks came from, and after the board voted unanimously not to investigate, he alleged a coverup.
Leaving the hearing, Ferdinand ignored a reporter’s questions about why the checks weren’t turned over in several open records requests last year and when his office located them. One of his administrators told the board, “I really don’t know,” when asked when Reed gave them copies of the checks.
About the Author
Johnny Edwards, a member of the AJC’s investigative team, covers state and local government and private sector regulation.
