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SERVING DEKALB, FULTON, GWINNETT, HENRY AND ROCKDALE COUNTIES Celebrating the King Holiday ‘A Day On—Not Off’ ....page 5
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VOLUME 19 NUMBER 42
WWW.OCGNEWS.COM
JANUARY 18, 2014
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Ellis turns to YouTube to tell public he is innocent Grand Jury hands down new indictment
A Volunteers needed to help count homeless veterans By Joshua Smith
T
he U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is calling on volunteers to help count homeless veterans living in the metro Atlanta area. Federal officials need volunteers to hit the streets and shelters in the City of Atlanta, as well as DeKalb and parts of Fulton County on Monday, Jan. 27. “Homelessness is an issue that we can not ignore. A number of our veterans who have served this country are homeless,” said DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson. “Under bridges, in abandoned forest areas, you always wonder how do these people exist in these cold conditions. It is imperative that we get an accurate count of the homeless so we can get them the services they need.” The data will be reported as part of the 2014 Metro Atlanta Homeless Census.
“Veterans homelessness is a serious issue across our nation. We need your help. Please join us for this count,” said Johnson, who has assisted in the count before and is currently working on finding a place in DeKalb to house homeless veterans. “We must all come together in this partnership to help our veterans. Help us understand how many vets are homeless and what we can to help in Atlanta, DeKalb County and Fulton County.” The Pathways Community Network Institute is leading the effort to sign up volunteers to conduct the count. “To best serve the homeless, we must gather accurate data on our homeless population to track the success of local efforts to end homelessness,” said Josie Parker, who is heading the Metro Atlanta Count for Pathways. “By complying with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) requirements, such as conducting a homeless census, our community receives more than $10 million annually in federal funding for homeless services and housing.” In 2009, President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki See Ruling, page 7
By Valerie J. Morgan
s a Grand Jury indicted suspended DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis on new charges, he spoke out on a YouTube video telling viewers that he’s innocent. He maintains the charges against him are politically motivated. The 14-count indictment, filed Jan. 16, include bribery, perjury and theft by extortion. Prosecutors dropped seven counts from the original indictment, replacing them with six new charges. In the latest charges, Ellis is accused of canceling work with Brenda Cornelius (The Cornelius Group, Inc.). She had served on Ellis’ transition team when he was first elected in 2008. Cornelius was hired in 2012 to promote the Clean Cities Atlanta Peritoneum Reduction Program, a compressed natural gas program unitizing the county-owned landfill. The indictment said Cornelius’ work was cancelled after she criticized Ellis professionally. Ellis’ video, which is 2 minutes and 44 seconds long, doesn’t address specific
Burrell Ellis
Robert James
charges, but he maintains his innocence. The video was published on the internet on Jan. 15. More than 1,000 people had viewed the video by On Common Ground News’ Jan. 16 deadline. Comments that were posted on the video, several of them mocking and insulting, were removed from the site. Ellis, who appears on the video dressed in a dark suit, had told On Common Ground News a few weeks ago that he could not speak publicly about the case on the advice of his attorneys. But now Ellis is speaking out on the video: “This is DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis and it is now time for me to speak directly to my constituents who have placed faith and confidence in me as their duly elected CEO. I am innocent of the charges against me. They are politically motivated. I have never violated the trust the voters of DeKalb County have placed in me in more than 13 years of public service. I have never stolen nor profited from my public
service. I stand for honest, open and transparent government. “One year ago, the DeKalb District Attorney raided my home while my 83-year-old mother was there alone. The trauma of that event lingers to this day. The D.A. went through my closets, my wife’s personal items, my kids’ toy bins and even my trash and found nothing illegal or improper because I have done absolutely nothing wrong.” Investigators from District Attorney Robert James’s Office raided Ellis’ Stone Mountain home and his office searching for financial records that might offer evidence of conspiracy, extortion and theft. Ellis is accused of pressuring county vendors to contribute to his political campaign in 2012 and using county workers to solicit on his behalf. Ellis describes the D.A. of having a “zeal to destroy him.” His attorneys said in court documents the D.A. had Kelvin Walton, the county’s purchasing director, wear a super spy wristwatch to secretly videotape Ellis. Ellis’ attorneys recently filed several motions asking Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson to dismiss the charges against him. James’ spokesman, Erik Burton, has said the D.A. will not comment on the pending court case. You can the view indictment online at www.ocgnews.com.
Rockdale CEO Richard Oden addresses dozens of attendees at the “State of the County” on Jan. 16 in Conyers.
Photo by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Rockdale CEO Richard Oden lays out plans for more development
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By Joshua Smith and Valerie J. Morgan
ockdale County CEO Richard Oden told residents and stakeholders that Georgia’s second-smallest county plans to do great things in the future, including continue revitalizing neighborhoods, increasing the tax base with more commercial development, and boosting tourism under his administration. “Throughout all the challenges and obstacles in 2013, we remained steadfast on our journey to center ourselves in a position to gain a strong, sustainable future,” said Oden. “Here, in Rockdale, we will grow our tax base and will work hard to snag great economic development opportunities. I am sure of it because we have valuable tools and dynamic leaders.” Oden gave his speech, despite dealing with the recent death of his mother. The CEO planned to rest after the State of the County Address and then leave early for Akron, Ohio to attend his mother’s funeral. Shirley Oden was 83. She died at
home on Jan. 6. About 50 people attended the CEO’s address at the Rockdale Auditorium. This year, department heads shared their accomplishments in a video that played rather than give individual reports. The theme of his address was “Continuing to Move Forward by Uniting, Building and Energizing the county.” Oden said his vision for the future includes building a performing arts civic auditorium and developing the area on Sigman Road near I-20 with a banquet hall facility, trade center, five star hotels and other facilities to attract tourism. Oden said the county’s accomplishments included restoring the historic Milstead community, laying the groundwork to increase economic development, continuing to gain neighborhood revitalization grants and developing a tax base ratio that is moving toward less residential and more commercial property values making up the tax base. See Rockdale, page 7