The finalists to be the next director of the state ethics commission are two top state lawyers, an economic development official and a court clerk, according to records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The commission, formally known as the Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, chose these four out of a poll of more than 70 applicants. The finalists are:
- Stefan Ritter, a senior assistant attorney general with deep knowledge of the commission's work. He has supervised all ethics cases for the attorney general.
- Heather Ramsey Ryfa, a former senior assistant attorney general who now serves as chief staff attorney for the Governor's Office of Consumer Protection.
- Cheston Roney, court administrator and clerk for the City of Sandy Springs Municipal Court.
- Jeffrey Ledford, director of staff suport for the Workforce Division of the Department of Economic Development. Ledford worked for the commission as a senior analyst from 1998 to 2004.
The commission, formally known as the Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, has been without an executive director since September, when the board fired Holly LaBerge.
LaBerge's exit came after a Fulton County Superior Court judge sanctioned and fined her $10,000. Judge Ural Glanville said LaBerge had been "dishonest and nontransparent" over the course of a whistleblower lawsuit filed by her predecessor. LaBerge has appealed Glanville's order.
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