Public hearing on Gwinnett ethics case will take place today
Gwinnett County will hold a public hearing today to decide what to do about an ethics complaint filed against Commissioner Marlene Fosque.
At the 6 p.m. meeting at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, commissioners will decide whether to take the county ethics board's advice that Fosque receive a written warning for statements she made following a town hall meeting she organized.
Fosque previously declined to comment on the decision to schedule the hearing.
Commissioner Tommy Hunter, who was also the subject of an ethics complaint, said he would not be attending the hearing on the advice of his attorney. Hunter has filed lawsuits questioning the validity of the ethics ordinance.
The county ethics board recommended Fosque receive a written reprimand for violating Gwinnett’s ethics policy after D.A. King, an anti-illegal immigration activist, filed a complaint regarding a statement Fosque made about him.
Last year, Fosque scheduled a town hall to discuss a controversial federal immigration program known as 287(g) that is used by the county sheriff's department. Sheriff Butch Conway invited King to participate in the panel to represent a pro-287(g) viewpoint. During a commission meeting a few days later, Fosque called King "someone known for spewing hatred and bigotry and racism" and said she regretted that he had participated.
The ethics board upheld two of the six counts in King’s complaint based on sections of the county’s ethics ordinance that urge officials to give their duties “earnest effort and best thought” and to “never engage in conduct which is unbecoming” to their office.
About the Author
Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.
