Ethics Complaint Against Cobb Commission Over Braves Dismissed

An ethics complaint against Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee and three county commissioners was dismissed by the Cobb County Board of Ethics on Wednesday.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the complaint, filed by frequent commission critic Larry Savage last month, said the quartet violated their oaths of office “by voting in favor of a preliminary agreement with the Braves to build the stadium, and for voting in favor of creating a special taxing district that is a big part of the revenue needed to pay stadium debt.”

Savage’s complaint says Lee and commissioners Bob Ott, Helen Goreham and JoAnn Birrell acted unethically by:

• Committing tax revenue to pay for revenue bonds on the project. The complaint says revenue bonds must be paid off with funds “derived from the project.”
• Creating a new taxing district that basically overlays the state-created Cumberland Community Improvement District, which the complaint says “foreclosed the county’s authority to do so.”
• Undertaking bond debt without seeking approval of voters.
• Assessing taxes to pay for a professional sports stadium.            
  

And while one ethics commission member said there could be a case made in a court of law, the common opinion was that the case should not come before the ethics board.

Read more for the AJC here.