OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

DeKalb County Ethics Board Annual Luncheon and Panel Discussion - June 8, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Monday, June 8, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateMonday, June 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:08

Of course, we want to thank you for coming and supporting us yet another year.

0:14

And my name is El Lisa Murphy.

0:16

I'm the chief ethics officer.

0:18

And I'm gonna introduce the board members.

0:22

We have Chair Chairman Robert Dallas.

0:30

We have Tom Clements.

0:34

We have Kathea Simulton Tremenia Michael Dial.

0:44

And I'm gonna laugh.

0:45

We have Chiquita Wright, she's the vice chair at the phone.

0:51

We have Lauren Florence, she is our newest board member.

0:57

And of course, I want to announce my right hand person.

1:02

And if if if she wasn't here, I don't know what I'd do.

1:06

Kristen Rogers in the back.

1:13

Now, if it wasn't for her and me, I'm gonna do my own horn.

1:17

We couldn't do this.

1:19

But I I want to thank you for all those that support us.

1:23

We truly appreciate it.

1:25

I also want to thank and charge it to what they say, your heart or your mind.

1:30

Your heart.

1:31

Okay, charge it to one of them.

1:33

Okay.

1:35

Charge it to your mind and not your heart.

1:38

Now let me explain how we do this.

1:41

We have chicken wings, right?

1:43

It's like we're at grandma's table sitting around, and some of y'all at the kids' table.

1:49

I ain't gonna say who, because I don't know.

1:52

And uh we're just having our conversations.

1:54

That's how we do this every year.

1:56

And so I want to thank um, we have Commissioner Robert Patrick.

2:13

Okay, all right, and we have uh interim fire chief Carter, we have the chief of staff, Mr.

2:24

Hardaway.

2:27

We have Darnell Fulman Fulham, and he's the public safety director, used to be the fire chief.

2:35

Now I know we have other districted to me.

2:38

Yes, our district attorney.

2:41

What's the term's not?

2:42

Oh no.

2:43

Oh no, Solicitor General.

2:45

Yes, Donna Coleman Stribling.

2:52

And we have some staff members.

2:55

Now, let me also say that if I don't say your name and you are you want to be acknowledged, I will certainly do that.

3:04

But we also have from Henry County, we have the ethics officer, Miss Bullard, attorney Bullet.

3:14

We have Terry Phillips present.

3:23

And we have some of the most important people, not saying that the dignitaries aren't, but the people that supported us, the employees, and the public that supports us, and we want to thank you for supporting us.

3:40

Now, I am going to introduce uh our lovely speakers or our panel in just a few moments.

3:49

Now the person who crashed our event is also the first person.

3:59

He's laughing, he's smiling, you know who he is.

4:02

Damon.

4:04

Is it Damon?

4:05

Yeah.

4:07

Uh-huh.

4:08

Uh human service.

4:10

Human services.

4:12

Come get your t-shirt for crashing our event.

4:19

Now you have to know.

4:21

You're gonna forgive me for my humor today.

4:24

You're not gonna charge it to whatever the mind or the heart, right?

4:28

Okay.

4:31

Thank you.

4:32

I was super early.

4:33

I had to be a lot of fun.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Ethics And Governance█████████████████████████████████33%
Community Engagement███████████████████████23%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Political Campaigns██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Ethics Training████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Gender Equality███3%
Summary of Proceedings

DeKalb County Ethics Board Annual Luncheon and Panel Discussion - June 8, 2026

On June 8, 2026, the DeKalb County Ethics Board held its annual luncheon and panel discussion, hosted by Chief Ethics Officer El Lisa Murphy. The event featured remarks from CEO Lorraine Cochran Johnson, State Senator Elena Parent, and board members, along with a panel conversation on ethics, integrity, culture, and transparency in government. Award presentations and audience acknowledgments were also included.

Discussion Items

  • Defining Ethics and Integrity: Panelists distinguished between ethics (external rules and regulations) and integrity (internal moral compass). Senator Parent described ethics as a system of trust between taxpayers and government, while integrity is one's individual North Star. CEO Johnson emphasized that integrity is most visible when no one is watching and that trust is the core of both concepts.
  • Culture vs. Ethical Laws: The panel explored how organizational culture can normalize unethical behavior if left unchecked. CEO Johnson noted that when unacceptable conduct is allowed to continue, it becomes accepted, and that education and clear KPIs are essential to bridge culture and ethics. Senator Parent added that without clear expectations and accountability, culture can disintegrate, undermining public trust and economic development.
  • Transparency and Reporting: Both speakers stressed that sunlight is the best disinfectant. CEO Johnson encouraged a “see something, say something” culture and emphasized the fiduciary duty of elected officials to act on potential violations. Senator Parent agreed, noting that transparency helps prevent misconduct and builds public confidence.
  • Ethical Challenges in Public Office: CEO Johnson cited maintaining impartiality during sensitive situations and resisting pressure for quick, knee-jerk reactions from media. Senator Parent discussed the ethical dilemma of campaign finance, particularly the influence of corporate money and the need to remember who voters are. She also noted that women in office may face additional bullying and pressure.
  • Gender and Ethics: When asked if ethical challenges are different for women, Senator Parent acknowledged that women may be perceived as softer targets and face more bullying. CEO Johnson stated that she has observed differential treatment compared to male predecessors, but emphasized that ethics is about decision-making, not gender.

Key Outcomes

  • Awards and Recognition: The Ethics Board recognized long-time supporters who attended all three years of the annual event, presenting them with t-shirts. Chief Ethics Officer Murphy also gave a humorous “best ethics officer” award to the first person to raise their hand.
  • Closing Remarks: Board Chair Robert Dallas thanked the panel and staff, reiterating that ethics is about public trust and that the board’s goal is prevention through education. He invited attendees to watch board meetings and bring questions.

No formal votes or binding decisions were taken during this event.

Meeting Transcript

Of course, we want to thank you for coming and supporting us yet another year. And my name is El Lisa Murphy. I'm the chief ethics officer. And I'm gonna introduce the board members. We have Chair Chairman Robert Dallas. We have Tom Clements. We have Kathea Simulton Tremenia Michael Dial. And I'm gonna laugh. We have Chiquita Wright, she's the vice chair at the phone. We have Lauren Florence, she is our newest board member. And of course, I want to announce my right hand person. And if if if she wasn't here, I don't know what I'd do. Kristen Rogers in the back. Now, if it wasn't for her and me, I'm gonna do my own horn. We couldn't do this. But I I want to thank you for all those that support us. We truly appreciate it. I also want to thank and charge it to what they say, your heart or your mind. Your heart. Okay, charge it to one of them. Okay. Charge it to your mind and not your heart. Now let me explain how we do this. We have chicken wings, right? It's like we're at grandma's table sitting around, and some of y'all at the kids' table. I ain't gonna say who, because I don't know. And uh we're just having our conversations. That's how we do this every year. And so I want to thank um, we have Commissioner Robert Patrick. Okay, all right, and we have uh interim fire chief Carter, we have the chief of staff, Mr. Hardaway. We have Darnell Fulman Fulham, and he's the public safety director, used to be the fire chief. Now I know we have other districted to me. Yes, our district attorney. What's the term's not? Oh no. Oh no, Solicitor General. Yes, Donna Coleman Stribling. And we have some staff members. Now, let me also say that if I don't say your name and you are you want to be acknowledged, I will certainly do that. But we also have from Henry County, we have the ethics officer, Miss Bullard, attorney Bullet. We have Terry Phillips present. And we have some of the most important people, not saying that the dignitaries aren't, but the people that supported us, the employees, and the public that supports us, and we want to thank you for supporting us. Now, I am going to introduce uh our lovely speakers or our panel in just a few moments. Now the person who crashed our event is also the first person. He's laughing, he's smiling, you know who he is. Damon. Is it Damon? Yeah. Uh-huh.

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