The state ethics commission on Thursday stripped its executive director of the power to hire and fire personnel.
After meeting privately in executive session for nearly two hours, the commission took no action regarding staff attorney Elisabeth Murray-Obertein, who remains on administrative leave after a Capitol police officer said that he smelled alcohol on her shortly after 10 a.m. on a workday last week. Commission Chairman Kevin Abernethy said Murray-Obertein remains employed and on leave.
Abernethy would not comment when asked whether the commission privately discussed whether Murray-Obertein should be fired.
“I’m not going to get into the content of executive session,” he said.
But, because of its decision to assume decision-making power for personnel, the board must now vote publicly if it decides to fire Murray-Obertein.
Abernethy also would not say what prompted the commission to take personnel power away from its executive director, Holly LaBerge. But the move shows the commission continuing to assert greater influence over day-to-day operation of the agency charged with holding the state’s elected officials accountable. In December, the commission hired veteran state employee Robert Constantine to provide an extra layer of oversight to a commission that has found itself in a near constant state of crisis over the past few years.
The former executive director, Stacey Kalberman, and her top deputy, Sherilyn Streicker, both have filed whistle-blower lawsuits claiming they were forced from their jobs for pressing an investigation into Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2010 campaign. Both cases are set for trial next month, and several current and former commissioners and employees are expected to testify.
Murray-Obertein is considered a key witness in both cases, as she has claimed in sworn statements that LaBerge acted to protect Deal and later bragged that the governor owed her. LaBerge has denied both those claims in her own testimony.
The commission in 2012 cleared Deal of major violations, and he agreed to pay about $3,000 in administrative fees. Murray-Obertein had recommended $70,000 in fines.
Streicker, Kalberman, LaBerge, Murray-Obertein and former agency computer specialist John Hair have all been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury and were ordered to turn over documents by this past Tuesday.
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