Embattled DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis spent part of his Monday lunch hour addressing county workers at a voluntary staff meeting in Decatur.
Immediately after the lunch, Ellis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution exclusively that he has no plans to step down as CEO.
It was Ellis’ first public appearance since he briefly spoke to the media just hours after a grand jury indicted him Tuesday on 15 counts, including extortion, theft and conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege Ellis shook down vendors for campaign contributions in exchange for securing or keeping county contracts, threats he has adamantly denied.
“I do want to make one statement emphatically to the good people of DeKalb, that I’ve done nothing wrong,” Ellis said Tuesday night.
Ellis has been keeping to much of his regular schedule but has avoided meetings where the public or media could ask him about the case and whether he will voluntarily step down to fight the charges.
Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to soon name a three-member panel to review the charges and recommend whether the governor should remove him from office until trial.
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