Critics of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration are questioning his authority to appoint an interim inspector general, and argue that the move could jeopardize the office’s independent investigations into high-level officials at City Hall.
Atlanta’s city attorney announced in a Friday evening briefing last week that the mayor had appointed former state representative, attorney and political commentator LaDawn Blackett as interim inspector general in the wake of Shannon Manigault’s resignation from the role.
The city said Blackett has no intention of becoming the permanent IG but will serve until new members of the inspector general’s governing board are appointed by a handful of legal and advocacy organizations.
“I have championed the Office of the Inspector General and look forward to working with Judge Blackett and the Office to strengthen how internal investigations are handled in the future,” Dickens said in a statement.
But there is significant concern about the future of the office, particularly after OIG senior staff sent an unprecedented letter to federal and state law enforcement agencies, referring eight ongoing criminal investigations by the office and outlining the allegations of each in detail. The five OIG staff members who signed the letter also request whistleblower protections against retaliation.
The letter was also sent to Atlanta City Council members and the mayor’s office, where a few of those investigations are centered.
Tiffany Roberts, public policy director for the Southern Center for Human Rights, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the inspector general does not fall under the mayor’s purview within city code, as other department leadership roles do. And she said the interim IG should be the next ranking staff member. In this case, that appears to be Deputy Inspector General Shelby J. Williams, who signed the letter.
“There are certain breaches of confidence that could occur,” Roberts said. “I think that it is unfortunate that you will call a professional in to do this job, when really all that needs to happen is they need to make sure that the appointments are made to the governing board.”
The letter details misconduct probes into members of the mayor’s senior staff, powerful nonprofit contractors, department heads, airport officials and public safety leaders.
Former City Council President Felicia Moore has become one of the most outspoken supporters of the inspector general’s office and a loud critic of how the Dickens administration has handled its feud with the watchdog office.
Moore argues that the executive privilege of the mayor to appoint personnel extends only to department heads, commissioners, the city attorney or the chief financial officer, per city code. Another section of the charter dictates that vacancies in “an appointive office” should be filled based on the rules related to that position — in the inspector general’s case, that would be by members of its governing board, she said.
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com
“A board must be constituted to fill any OIG position — that is what makes it independent from the people they investigate,” she said. “The mayor has no authority to appoint an interim IG.”
Moore, who lost to Dickens in the 2021 mayor’s race runoff, hit back against council members who say she is laying the groundwork for another run at the mayor’s office.
“The name Felicia Moore will not be on the ballot,” she said. “I will not be a candidate, but I’m looking for candidates who will speak up on this and other issues.”
Officials in the mayor’s office on Wednesday reaffirmed their position that Dickens has the authority to fill the vacant position.
“The Mayor as the CEO of the City of Atlanta has the responsibility to keep all operations of the City running,” a spokesperson for the mayor said. “This includes the Office of the Inspector General even though this office is normally overseen by a Governing Board.”
The Dickens administration said they hope appointments to the governing board will be made this month by the legal and advocacy organizations who nominate members. But any nominations still need to go through the legislative approval process.
The city attorney said last week that unhappiness among OIG staff is reason enough to install temporary leadership.
“We’ve got to make certain that the job that they have to do — which is important — is done,” City Attorney Patrise Perkins-Hooker said at the press briefing. “This person (the interim IG) is not reporting to the mayor.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Council member Michael Julian Bond has stood adamantly behind the administration and questioned the tactics of the inspector general’s office.
He said he is more concerned with allegations that the former inspector general was breaking state law when issuing third-party subpoenas than with the mayor appointing Blackett to step into the position temporarily.
“I think logic would dictate — in my opinion — that it would be better to have the office continue to operate in some fashion than to be vacant, potentially for months, with no action, no investigation and no ability to respond to those who bring concerns,” Bond said.
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