10.19
Chickamauga City Manager Culpepper admits he was putting out Bebe! campaign signs on the clock October 2nd and isn’t sure if it’s ethical or not, but doesn’t care because the people of Chickamauga like her and think he’s doing a good job. One state ethics group says it’s “ill-advised” but not illegal, another says it breaks state law.
- “I just made the decision on my own. Was it the correct decision as far as ethics and all that stuff? Probably not.”
In other words, he knows it’s illegal but he couldn’t care less. He’s so protected, his job is so secure, he can violate state law and tell us all to go to hell without fear.
So let’s ask Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens about using tax dollars to campaign for issues or candidates. What do you say, Sam?
- “During a conference call Thursday, Olens said his letter to Barge did not ‘break new legal ground’ because public entities have never been able to spend tax dollars to voice their opinions.
- “‘The government can’t tax you and then use your tax money to tell you how to vote,’ he said.”
Of course that’s a quote about school systems campaigning against the Charter Schools amendment, but it should apply to anything in the state. County and city government leaders cannot legally or ethically use government resources to campaign for candidates or issues.
Georgia has hundreds of millions of dollars in NWGA road projects on its to-do list, but can’t find funds to do them without federal help. And the counties don’t have money to do anything. But somehow GA can afford a new football stadium for the Falcons, and Walker County had no problem spending a few million on a farm in Kensington nobody ever uses. Priorities people, priorities.
Admittedly, if the Falcons keep playing as well as they have been (best record in the NFL right now) they deserve a better facility, but upgrading the Georgia Dome wouldn’t cost the BILLION dollars expected to go into a completely new stadium.
State transportation leaders like Jeff “Citizen of the Year” Mullis are going to have a hissy fit over TSPLOST not being passed and make us all walk. Or crawl if possible.
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