Commissioner Steve Bradshaw has admitted to violating DeKalb County’s ethics code when he took a vote in 2021 on a development in which he had a personal interest.
A complaint against the District 4 commissioner was filed earlier this year during his unsuccessful run to be the county’s chief executive officer. A probable cause hearing was held in June and a final hearing in the case was scheduled for Thursday, but scuttled in light of a settlement agreed to by Bradshaw and the Board of Ethics.
As part of the agreement, Bradshaw acknowledged wrongdoing and accepted a public reprimand. He was also fined $1,000, the maximum sanction the board can issue.
Bradshaw denied the allegations initially, describing it as a politically motivated smear when the complaint was first filed. On Thursday, Jake Evans, Bradshaw’s attorney, told the board they were glad to reach a resolution.
In a statement, his attorney argued Bradshaw “met all his ethical obligations” but settled to avoid a hearing.
“Wanting to move forward and not waste the time and resources of the County, Commissioner Bradshaw agreed to resolve the dispute without a hearing,” Evans said. “Commissioner Bradshaw has always been a man of integrity and ethics — that was true when he first ran and it remains true now.”
The settlement with Bradshaw is the first major determination by the ethics board since it was essentially reconstituted when five of the seven members resigned last year. Ethics Board Chairman Bob Dallas, one of the new appointees, said the board takes seriously its responsibility to hold government officials accountable and that ensuring public trust in government is paramount.
“My hope is that this case raises the level of trust of all the citizens in DeKalb County,” Dallas said.
The seven-page reprimand, which laid out the case behind the four ethics violations Bradshaw admitted to, was read aloud at the ethics board’s public meeting at Dallas’ request.
“There’s a lot of detail in the document and that’s there for a reason, so that when people look at it, they’ll see the background behind it, not just a conclusion,” he said. “Why we reach a conclusion is sometimes as important as a conclusion itself.”
Board member Jason Cecil said he hoped the case would serve as an example to other officials.
“It doesn’t get any more serious than holding an elected commissioner accountable for ethical violations,” he said. “It may have taken awhile but I feel like we’ve reached the right conclusion.”
The complaint was filed in April by Mike Cooper, a Stone Mountain resident who in 2016 was appointed by Bradshaw to serve on a citizen’s group that makes recommendations to the planning commission. Cooper was in that role when the zoning issue at the heart of his complaint originated.
Cooper said the settlement validates his complaint.
“In my view, it’s a complete success,” Cooper said.
He said the case ultimately speaks to the authority of the county’s ethics officer. Bradshaw was accused of giving the office misleading information and then ignoring the former ethics officer’s advice.
“This showed that DeKalb County has a functioning ethics board,” Cooper said.
The zoning issue dealt with a proposed development in the Cimarron subdivision off Erskine Road. A developer sought to build 63 townhomes on property that abutted the home owned by Bradshaw and his wife.
Emails show Steve Bradshaw sought advice from the county attorney and the former ethics officer on the appropriateness of voting on an agenda item “that is in my neighborhood.” When the issue came before the Board of Commissioners in January 2021, Bradshaw made a motion to deny the application, which was approved.
Cooper’s complaint alleged multiple violations of the county’s ethics code. He accused Bradshaw of giving false or misleading information to the county’s ethics officer and of ignoring the office’s recommendation that he recuse himself from votes on the matter. He also accused Bradshaw of failing to publicly disclose his personal interest in the zoning decision.
The public reprimand upheld Cooper’s allegations.
“The misleading information provided by Commissioner Bradshaw led the (former) ethics officer to draft an opinion that lacked the necessary information to make an informed opinion or decision in this matter,” the reprimand states.
Bradshaw’s failure to disclose his potential financial interest in the outcome of the zoning decision could “lead to the erosion of confidence or trust that DeKalb County citizens have in our government.”
As part of the settlement, Bradshaw agreed to waive any appeal.
Bradshaw’s term on the commission is over at the end of the year. Longtime resident and civil engineer Chakira Johnson won the seat in the June runoff election.
This story was updated to add a statement from Bradshaw’s attorney that was provided after publication.
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