DeKalb County Board of Ethics Meeting – June 18, 2026
DeKalb County Board of Ethics Meeting – June 18, 2026
The Board of Ethics held its regular meeting on the evening of June 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The board adopted the agenda, approved the minutes of the May 21, 2026 meeting, and received reports from the ethics officer. Chair Bob Dallas proposed a financial audit of the ethics office, and board members expressed support while noting budget concerns. The board unanimously dismissed three preliminary ethics cases due to lack of jurisdiction, untimeliness, or failure to correct the complaint. The meeting concluded with an executive session and a brief board comment period.
Consent Calendar
- Adoption of the Agenda: Moved and seconded; approved unanimously (all ayes).
- Approval of Minutes (May 21, 2026): Moved and seconded; approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public offered comments.
Discussion Items
- Chair’s Proposal for a Financial Audit: Chair Bob Dallas proposed conducting a financial audit of the ethics office for the past three years to maintain public trust. He noted that no suspicion exists but recommended investigating appropriate auditors. Board member Scott Matthews expressed support but raised concern that the expense was not budgeted. Chair Dallas acknowledged the budget issue and stated the matter would be referred to the committee process.
- Ethics Officer Monthly Report: Ethics Officer Elisa Murphy reported that 580 new employees have been trained since May 21, 2026, with in-person sessions every other Monday. She distributed two ethics blasts: one on the IDR (Identify, Disclose, Recuse) process and one offering training. Upcoming training sessions are scheduled for BOC commissioners and staff, Purchasing & Contracting, and Human Services. She noted the June 5, 2026 Ethics Forum, featuring CEO Lorraine Cochran‑Johnson and Senator Elena Parent, was well received. Hotline reports and open records requests were zero for the month. An expenditure report covering January 1 to June 15, 2026, was distributed.
- Preliminary Cases:
- Grinder v. Messiah (Case 2026-6): Alleged religious discrimination via text messages. The ethics officer recommended dismissal because the complaint was not corrected within 10 days and HR has exclusive jurisdiction over Title VII claims. The board voted unanimously to dismiss.
- Stevens v. Gordon (Case 2026-7): Alleged nepotism and favoritism dating back 8–9 years. The ethics officer recommended dismissal because the complaint was not corrected within 10 days and the alleged violations occurred more than four years before discovery. The board voted unanimously to dismiss.
- Norwood v. Padrick (Case 2026-8): Alleged harassment by the DeKalb County Chief of Police. The corrected complaint referenced a police report from the City of Dunwoody, placing the matter outside the board’s jurisdiction (municipal employees). The ethics officer recommended dismissal for lack of jurisdiction. The board voted unanimously to dismiss.
- Board Comments:
- Member Ferris had no comment.
- Member Matthews reiterated support for the audit but stressed the cost must be within the budget. Chair Dallas agreed the issue would be handled through the committee process.
- Member Florence praised the Ethics Forum and thanked the speakers and staff.
- Alternate Member Simultin Traminial congratulated the office on the forum and suggested creating internships for high school and graduate students, and inviting Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to meetings. Chair Dallas referred the suggestion to the HR or Oversight committee.
- Chair Dallas thanked the staff and noted the importance of the forum for county ethics.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous dismissal of all three preliminary ethics cases (Grinder v. Messiah, Stevens v. Gordon, Norwood v. Padrick).
- Proposal for a financial audit referred to the committee process for further discussion on scope and budgeting.
- Internship and outreach suggestion referred to the appropriate committee.
- Executive session: Convened to discuss pending litigation and personnel; approved the executive session affidavit unanimously.
- Next regular meeting: Scheduled for July 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the same location.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here to the June 18, 2026 meeting of the DeCad County Board of Ethics. It's 6 o'clock, so we'll go ahead and call this uh meeting to order, as I like to do, uh have introductions by folks. So we'll start with our ethics officer Murphy. Good evening. My name is Elisa Murphy, and as the Chair said, I'm the ethics officer. Hakeem Hill, you're in general counsel. Kathy Simultin Traminial, alternate board member. Lauren J. Florence, board member. Scott Matthews, board secretary. Bob Dallas, board chair. Tom Clements, board member. George Ferrens, board member. Kristen Rogers, Ethics Administrator. All right. Well, uh, again, thank you everyone for being here on this uh wet windy evening. Uh that two shall pass, I hope, before we get out. Uh we have the next item on our agenda, which is the adoption of the agenda. So the agenda is before you. If you have uh any questions or comments, please let us know. Otherwise, it'd be appropriate to have a motion. Second. All right, is a motion and second to adopt the agenda. Is there any further discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor, see if I raising your hand or saying aye. Aye. Opposed, like sign. All right, we have our agenda. Uh next we have the approval of the minutes of the regularly scheduled board meeting of May 16, which were emailed to you and stand before you. So with that, if there's uh any comments or questions about it, otherwise now being a time for a motion. So moved. There's a motion and a second to adopt the minutes of the Thursday, May 21 meeting. All right, any further discussion? Seeing none. All those in favor signify by raising your hand or saying aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Oppose, like signed. All right. The minutes have been adopted. I will sign those later. Uh next we have the reports of the committee. Our vice chair Wright is not here, but I was going to bring up a topic on the budget committee. And uh let me give you a little background. Uh so I spent uh about eight years working for the state of Georgia in the uh office I was director of. I would invite audits. I would invite reviews of the office because I felt that it did a couple things.
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