Excerpts from last week’s investigative report into DeKalb County corruption:
Appalling corruption and a stunning absence of leadership in the DeKalb County government are a disgrace to its citizens and an embarrassment to our state. A pattern of corrosive and widespread misconduct has destroyed public confidence in the integrity of the governing authority.
We found that many elected officials fail to understand or follow the simple dictate of the Georgia Constitution: All government, of right, originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. Public officers are the trustees and servants of the people and are at all times amenable to them. [Georgia Constitution, 1983, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 1]. If the public officers who have violated the community’s trust are truly concerned about the future of DeKalb County, they will resign from office today.
We began this inquiry as directed by Executive Orders of Interim Chief Executive Officer Lee N. May Jr., appointing us as “independent” Special Investigators to “help restore the public’s trust” in county government. He instructed us to “identify the county’s risk exposure for waste, fraud and abuse, and proactively identify and investigate instances of wrongdoing.”
Our instructions were to go well beyond an attempt to uncover only criminal wrongdoing that might be of interest to prosecutors. Instead, our mission was to find and expose a much broader range of misconduct than that which would rise to the level of prosecutable criminal charges. Mr. May said our inquiry was to also “determine the extent of waste and abuse in county government and then to make specific findings and recommendations to prevent further wrongdoing.”
Mr. May publicly promised that we would have “unfettered access” to all county employees and records. We did not. The shocking deceit of Mr. May, to us and the public, with his fanfare that heralded an “independent investigation” is troubling.
Within the first few days we encountered obstructions and obstacles that delayed and impeded the truth-seeking process. It soon became clear that Mr. May and others wanted this investigation to be neither independent nor thorough. This interference hindered our work.
In at least two instances, Mr. May and others conspired to actively block our efforts to obtain public records from county offices. For example, we requested records from the district attorney and the sheriff that were needed to complete our examination of the Purchasing Department.
The government of DeKalb County has failed. To be sure, the overwhelming majority of county employees work hard each day to lawfully perform their duties, but they do so in spite of top managers and elected officials who fail to understand the proper role of government and who have little ability or desire to lead.
Outside audits, management reviews and special investigations will not fix the problems with the governance of this county. Until reform-minded public officials, who have the courage to demand that change occur are elected, this dysfunction will continue to fester. And they must understand that the transformation starts with them.
Mr. May stated that “Public cynicism continues to grow as the stench of corruption and distrust permeates our air.” Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Jeffrey Davis said “Corruption in DeKalb County is rampant, and its residents are frustrated and disheartened.” District Attorney Robert James called a former administration a “sewer of corruption.” We fully concur with each statement.
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