WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2017
City to move forward with ethics complaint against councilmember By KANDICE BELL kandice@newnan.com
“Coweta County Courthouse,” 28X34, oil on canvas, by Bette Schumann
Grantville Councilman Mark King is challenging the validity of the the city’s ethics panel regarding a complaint against him. T he compla i nt wa s f i led against King in March because of Facebook posts. King’s challenge of the decision is partly because of the absence of one panel member when the decision was made. Grantville resident Marion Cieslik filed the ethics complaint, requesting a forma l hearing before the ethics commission of Grantville. Cieslik provided copies of Facebook images that show King and Cieslik exchanging messages on the social media platform. Pa nel members i nclude Gra nt v i l le re sident s M a r y Elder, Sel ma Cot y a nd T.J. Boyd. Boyd was absent from the panel meeting on May 1. “In my opinion, two individuals having a talk about these matters is not a discussion of the matter by all three appointed by the mayor, and
Local artist brings a lifetime of experience to Newnan By MAGGIE BOWERS maggie@newnan.com Local Bette Schumann has been living, teaching and painting in Newnan for more than 20 years, and though the artist was not raised in the city, she has managed to depict in her paintings, details of the small town many natives have long since overlooked. Schu m a n n ex pla i ned that for each of her works, both landscape and portrait paintings, she commits fully by researching her subjects thoroughly — and learning more than a little history along the way. “When i do a commission painting i get as much information as i can to make it as accurate as I can,” explained Schumann, noting that several local businesses have purchased her paintings over the years, and a few have commissioned works from the artist. Morgan’s Jewelers, once located on the square in dow ntow n New na n, has commissioned two paintings by the artist. One of the works depicts the storefront as it once was when the business opened in the early 1960s. “Josephine Morgan is in the painting,” Schumann noted. “And, the car the family owned when they opened the store.”
any judgement by the two individua ls should be inva lid,” King said. In a n ema i l statement to City Manager Al Grieshaber, King said he has suffered more than enough harassment from Cieslik, who King said is upset about not being appointed to replace former Councilman David Riley. “Thus his motives for this h a ra ssment of mysel f, a nd usi ng t he cit y to cont i nue his campaign. I am informing this city I will no longer be an active participant going forward in the harassing complaint by Cieslik, and as you can see, as a former lawyer, I do have many options open to me,” King said. When a complaint is filed by a resident, the complaint must be deemed verified or received by the city clerk and notarized. The city’s charter guidelines state that when a verified complaint is received by the clerk, it is the mayor’s responsibility to deliver such complaints to the council. The mayor and t he cou nci l w i l l ra ndom ly draw names from a list of qual-
Schumann described her efforts to render the painting as accurately as possible, even counting the bricks on the building itself. “I went to an auto dealership that sold paint for antique cars,” she said. “I was able to find the exact color paint of the car the Morgan family owned.” The artist noted her disappointment in finding that the beautifully carved door which hangs at the entrance of the former jewelry store is not the store’s original front. The former Morgan’s Jewelry store is now home to a family owned candy store, Let Them Eat Toffee. Schumann had imagined that depicting the candy store’s ornate, red door would be both challenging and rewarding. “I found out the gorgeous red door was not there when the Morgan’s opened the store,” Schumann explained. “Instead it was purchased later by a photographer.” Schumann explained that fine arts have always been a part of her life as her father was a professional artist and her mother, an art hobbyist. “My mother did the most amazing leather tooling,” Schumann said. “My dad was a commercial artist. He designed the O’henry
ified citizens, five of whom are chosen to serve on the ethics board. One board member is selected to act as chairman. Grieshaber said Section 2-175 (g) of the ethics ordinance merits an extra step in the process and that says to determine the validity of a complaint, the mayor will appoint a threemember panel (ethics panel) to hold an initial hearing. Grieshaber said the purpose of the hearing is solely to determine whether the complaint is meritorious, and not vexatious or imposed solely for the purpose of harassment. “After reviewing the complaint and hearing testimony from the complainant and the respondent, the ethics panel found the complaint to be meritorious with both members concurring,” Grieshaber said. “Now, the code further provides that if the panel determines the complaint to be meritorious, an ethics board shall hold a separate hearing within 30 days from the closure of the frivolity review.” Cieslik said he hopes for the best outcome for the city.
Georgia capitol building displays local art By MAGGIE BOWERS maggie@newnan.com Three local artists, including former Newnan Coweta A r t A ssociation boa rd member Bette Schumann, were honored with the opportunity to display paintings depicting Newnan at the Georgia State Capitol building. Bette Schuma nn, Donna Massey a nd Denise Marsh, all Coweta County artists, entered a contest sponsored by the Georgia Council for the Arts. The women were recognized among hundreds of artists across the state. The annual exhibit at the state capitol includes works thought to capture the essence of
PHOTO COURTESY BETTE SCHUMANN
Mrs. Sandra Deal, left, holds “Coweta County Courthouse,” with Bette Schumann, center, and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, right.
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Fourth murder suspect now in jail By CLAY NEELY clay@newnan.com
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PHOTO COURTESY CCSO
Andrew Mondre Wright
A man suspected in the 2015 murder of a Newnan teen is now in jail. Andrew Mondre Wright, 24, is charged with murder and violation of the Georgia street gang terrorism and prevention act. Wright turned himself in on the night of April 30 a nd is being held without bail at the Coweta County Jail.
Investigators said Wright was responsible for the shooting death of 19-year-old Derrick Montez Johnson who was discovered lying in a yard on Pinson Street on the morning of Jan. 2, 2015. Early that morning, Johnson was shot and killed while walking home from a party, according to Detective Chris Robinson with the Newnan Police Department. Since the incident in 2015, Robi n son helped develop 1 Xtra front
severa l possible suspects in the murder of Johnson. Three others are behind bars on similar charges, and the arrest of Wright signals signif icant movement on the case. Wright is believed to be a member of The Bloods, a national street gang, according to Robinson. “Johnson appeared to be a member of the Crips, which is why he was targeted,” the detective said. “He wasn’t
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doing anything gang-related t he n i g ht of h i s mu rder, but he was targeted for his involvement.” The other three suspects in the murder are also a l le ged Blood s member s . Monte Baugh Jr., 27, Christopher A nton io Florence , 31, and Thaddeus Kentavious Howell, 23, are currently incarcerated. **** Clay Neely: clay@newnan. com, @clayneely
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