VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3
FREE
APRIL 15, 2017
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties • www.facebook.com/ocgnews
State commission accepts ethics complaint against DeKalb ethics officer
Stacey Kalberman
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he Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Committee has received an ethics complaint against DeKalb Ethics Officer Stacey Kalberman. She is accused of lobbying state legislators at the direction of her board of directors to change the way appointments are made to the DeKalb Board of Ethics. The Commission said in a letter dated March 29 that it accepted the complaint Amos King filed against Kalberman, but would not consider allegations against the entire DeKalb Board of Ethics because King did not specifically identify the board members by name as required. “The vague allegation as to the “DeKalb Board of Ethics” does not meet the threshold required by the Commission’s procedural rules governing complaints. If you would like to make additional allegations related to other persons or entities, you will need to identify those persons or entities pursuant to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 189-2-.03(1)(c).” King, a civil rights activist who hosts a radio talk show, said he did not wish to comment on the matter. In March, King filed a complaint against Kalberman, saying she was not a registered lobbyist when she engaged legislators to change the way appointments are made to the board. Rhea Johnson, another citizen, and State Rep. Vernon Jones also filed ethics complaints against Kalberman regarding her involvement with legislators. Attorney Dwight See Ethics complaint, page 6
Instilling Pride
Beautification Club takes root at Barack H. Obama Magnet School
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tudents at DeKalb County’s Barack H. Obama Magnet School of Technology donned orange aprons to work on a special project just ahead of Easter. Home Depot provided the aprons and Do-It-Yourself Easter basket kits as part of the launch of the new school’s Beautification Club. Dr. Betty Mayfield, who founded the Beautification Club, said the project is one of many she is looking forward to as she helps students learn what it means to take ownership of their school and live up to the name of the school, which honors President Barack Obama, the first African American President of the U.S. “We want our school grounds to remain beautiful. We want the students to share in that pride and learn how to keep our school beautiful, while learning about green space, the environment and the science of how soil works and how things grow,” said Mayfield, who teaches kindergarten and first grade. She assisted Principal Angela Thomas Bethea and Assistant Principals Pamela Wooley and Winfred Watts in launching the beautification ceremony on April 12. In addition to the Wesley Chapel Road Home Depot in Decatur, Mayfield thanked other sponsors who made the beautification ceremony
a success: Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Intown Ace Hardware in Decatur pitched in respectively to provide refreshments, a huge Easter Lilly for the school’s atrium, garden benches and
planters for the project. The school’s Beautification Club is open to all students and Mayfield said the club plans to collaborate with 4-H members to work on projects.
City of Atlanta offers amnesty for delinquent traffic tickets, misdemeanors
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he City of Atlanta Municipal Court is offering amnesty to individuals facing arrest and other penalties due to delinquent traffic tickets and misdemeanors. The amnesty program, which runs April 3 through May 12, permits individuals to resolve their outstanding cases with reduced fines and fees. “Our goal is to ensure that we have licensed and lawful drivers on city streets,” said Ryan Shepard, Municipal Court Administrator. “After receiving a
citation, many individuals fail to appear in court, resulting in additional fines and fees, and in some cases, a warrant being issued. The Municipal Court’s warrant amnesty program offers an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues once and for all.” Only individuals with charges currently in Failure-To-Appear status are eligible for this program. Court sessions will be held weekdays at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on a first-come basis. Individuals can sign up each day for the sessions be-
ginning at 7 a.m. for same day service. The court will also hold two special sessions during non-traditional hours: • Saturday, April 15, at 8 a.m. • Wednesday evening, April 19, at 6 p.m. • When the amnesty period ends, remaining outstanding warrants will be rigorously enforced. • For more information about the program or a warrant you may have, visit http://court.atlantaga.gov or call 404-954-7914.