LaDawn Blackett said she wasn’t aware of the bitter feud between the Dickens administration and the city’s former inspector general when she was asked to temporarily lead the government watchdog office.
The office has been in limbo since its former leader, Shannon Manigault, resigned in February after a yearlong battle with the administration that attracted ample media headlines. Several members of its governing board also walked out.
The back-and-forth over the inspector general’s authority started with Manigault’s public allegations that investigations were being blocked by top city officials, something Mayor Andre Dickens and other top city leaders denied, and ended with a legislative overhaul of the position.
But Blackett, who served in the Georgia Legislature for five years, said she’s not afraid of the scrutiny that now comes with the job. The former state representative is also an attorney and serves as a judge in South Fulton Municipal Court and DeKalb County State Court.
“It’s about restoring faith,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday, less than a month after starting in the role. “Showing that there is a different tone and a different way that things can be handled.”
Blackett was appointed by the mayor to fill the position in the interim while new members of the inspector general’s governing board are selected and work to fill the job permanently. But some people, including former City Council President Felicia Moore, raised red flags about the appointment jeopardizing the political independence of the office.
Blackett wouldn’t comment on whether or not appointing someone to the role was appropriate but agreed that independence is essential to the job.
“This office needs to have its own independence to be able to complete the investigations — hard stop,” Blackett told the AJC.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The watchdog office was created in the wake of a sprawling federal investigation that became public in 2017 and shook City Hall and led to a number of criminal convictions against former officials and former city contractors.
But Manigault, the city’s first inspector general, said when she resigned that after she raised red flags about corruption in City Hall, she faced “threats, bullying, intimidation and harassment” from top city officials.
During her time in the position, Manigault released reports of alleged abuses of power by a commissioner, questionable city contracts with well-connected lobbyists, a bribery scheme in the Department of City Planning and unfair advantages given to some vendors during the bidding process.
On March 3, five senior staff members in the office sent a letter to federal and state law enforcement authorities referring eight matters it had under investigation involving allegations of improper conduct against the mayor, his top cabinet members and other department leaders.
Those allegations are at the top of a list of more than 120 open complaints within the inspector general’s office that date back to 2021 that Blackett wants closed within 90 days.
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
In an “office assessment and 90-day plan” sent to City Council members on March 25, Blackett outlined her plan to reduce the backlog of complaints — including those that could potentially lead to criminal charges.
“The cases referenced in the ‘whistleblower’ letter were identified by former staff members as potentially significant due to their perceived criminal nature,” the report says. “The Interim Inspector General is reviewing the cases on the whistleblower list subject to close first, followed by any open matters.”
Blackett described those allegations as “urgent” but will go through the same review as other open cases and that she had not been in contact with the law enforcement agencies who received the referrals.
Staff members who sent the letter cited recently passed legislation by City Council that, they say, does away with the office’s ability to investigate illegal activity.
Blackett wouldn’t comment on how the letter was sent or the allegations included in it, but said she believes the Charter still allows the office to investigate potentially criminal wrongdoing.
“The action broadened our reach — not minimized,” she said. “There was language put in there that says we are administrative. That doesn’t mean we can’t investigate allegations of fraud, corruption, or waste that tend to be criminal, but not always.”
The office is still required to refer those investigations to law enforcement.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
After Manigault resigned, the city attorney accused inspector general staff of “sabotaging” changes to the office and at least one person who penned the letter to federal authorities has also since resigned.
Blackett said part of her role is to “build back morale” and trust within the office itself after a year of drama between the former inspector general and the mayor’s office.
“The first priority was making sure my staff was OK, making sure that the morale was there,” she said. “I can’t do this work alone.”
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