Fulton:

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Thorne, who took office in January, told residents she “hit the ground running” during her first months in office, working hard to learn everything needed to represent District 2 correctly.

“I didn't realize it was gonna be a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week process,” Thorne said. “It's supposed to be a part-time job and it's been far from that.”

Thorne said she was immediately “shocked” by the spending habits and attitude on spending, displayed by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. She also applauded Ellis for his stance on lowering the county budget and fighting overspending.

“One of the first things I had to do, right out of the gate as a new commissioner was vote on the budget, a $1.3 billion budget, which at the meeting increased by 30 million,” she said. “Some commissioners think that we can just pull money out anywhere, there's no ceiling on the millage rate. So, I really appreciate the battle that [Ellis’s] been in and he's been fighting for a really long time.”

After presentations from commissioners and other county officials, the event launched into an hour-long question-and-answer session with the audience.

Questions of decorum

Community question topics varied wildly, from the performance of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and how mental health issues are being handled in North Fulton, to budget concerns and the closing of local hospitals.

But most attendees who raised questions at the meeting, appeared to have come specifically to support

Thorne, and question Ellis on certain alleged mistreatment of her by other members of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

A Milton resident who spoke first asked Ellis about the rules governing commissioners’ meetings and the “hate speech” Thorne has faced at certain meetings.

“That woman (Thorne) has been attacked three times by county commissioners talking about white privilege and race issues,” the resident said. “And no one has raised a hand, not even you.”

Ellis said he is limited in what he can do about the actions of other commissioners, beyond arguing with facts and logic, and trusting the guidance of officials like Fulton County Manager Dick Anderson.

“The Fulton County Commission is not a place for the faint of heart,” he said. “But you’ve got to figure out a way to go back, use your logic, use words and fight back for your citizens, so you are able to get things done and not turn it into a personal battle.”

Criminal justice concerns

Another big topic raised at the forum dealt with the county’s continuing struggle with criminal justice in - frastructure and procedures. Officials, including Sheriff Lebat, said Fulton County is dealing with an enormous backlog of court cases, overcrowding at the jail in downtown Atlanta, and jail infrastructure on the edge of collapse.

Estimates are that it will cost billions of dollars to make the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta feasible once again, Thorne said.

“The jail is at the end of its useful life,” Ellis said.

One resident asked how the commission can look back at failures to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself, like the situation they face with the county jail and court system.

Ellis pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a “flashpoint” for many of the problems the county’s criminal justice system is facing, like the increase in inmates and backlog of court cases. He said the county just didn’t have adequate data to prepare for the problems until they reached emergency levels.

“I am not comfortable that we've had the best mechanisms in place to be able to not only show our elected officials, but certainly our citizens, whether or not our justice system is working as it should,” he said.

Thorne said the County Commission is also tasked with working with other elected officials in the field of criminal justice, like the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and they don’t always share their ideas and opinions on how things should be done.

“We're working with elected officials, with the DA, who’s elected and makes it clear to us we can't tell her how to manage her caseload,” Thorne said.

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