October 5, 2010

BROADBENT'S BROADSIDE GARNERS OLENS' SUPPORT

GOP Fulton County Commission Chairman candidate Steve Broadbent, a retired Naval commander who worked in George W. Bush's Treasury Department has had enough. Along with Rebulican Fulton County Commission Candidates Lori Henry and Liz Hausmann he'll conduct  a press conference tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the steps of the county offices downtown to demand a Federal probe into the alleged fraud revolving around county employee Cheryl Estes -- and others - who were under an internal county investigation for supposedly diverting $183,000 of taxpayer money to a shell company in the form of Wal-Mart gift cards and bogus invoices.

Broadbent, Henry, and Hausmann plan on calling for the US Attorney’s office and the FBI to investigate what they say are "serious charges of employee fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in Fulton County."

County manager Zachary Williams first fired one internal investigator and then demoted another before shutting down the investigaton altogether. He is reported as telling his staff to hold off on any probes until after the November election.

Broadbent, who is attempting to strip the incumbent Democrat John Eaves of his chairmanship in November, sent a letter to Fulton County D.A. Paul Howard -- also a Democrat -- two weeks ago demanding the investigation be resumed. Howard spokesperson Yvette Brown, when contacted, said she was unfamiliar with the request but said she would look into it's status.

OLENS PLEDGES PROBE IF NECESSARY

Republican candidate for state Attorney General Sam Olens said that if elected he would launch an independent investigation from the Attorney General's office if the Fulton County D.A.'s office refused to act. But Olens said the first probe should come from Howard, and he would only act if it was the clear the County D.A's office wouldn't.

LIKE WHERE'S WALDO—WHERE'S LYNNE?
So where is outgoing Fulton County Comm. Lynne Riley (R-Johns Creek) in all this? Perhaps she has other fish to fry, now that she is replacing GOP icon Mark Burkhalter in the state house in D-50 in January. Broadbent, who appeared on BBN's TV show "Political InSighter" this week (Comcast Channel 25) asked Riley to appear with him on the show, as we did. But Riley took the "fifth" and begged out, claiming to Broadbent that she couldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation. Uh, sorry Lynne, there is no investigation, that's the point. Even D-2 at large Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts (D) weighed in, and called for an independent investigation. Henry is challenging Pitts in November.

What about the other Republican on the County Commission, Tom Lowe? Nothing. Nada. Is he asleep? Incidentally, neither Riley nor Lowe have challengers in November. Get the picture? They don’t need your votes anymore, so why go out on a limb for Broadbent and Henry?

Instead, Riley convenienlty hides behind the curtain facade that the Fulton County cops are taking over the "investigation." The Fulton cops? These are the same cops who report up to Williams, who fired or demoted his real investigators in the first place. When have any cops ever investigated their own house and come up with anything? It's like putting the wolves in charge of the hen-house investigation of the foxes. At the end of the day, they both eat the chickens. And the farmer -- like the taxpayer -- loses.

Riley has refused to accompany Broadbent at his press conference tomorrow.
To coin a famous phrase from former Texas Senator Lloyd Bensten: "Commissioner, I've worked with Mark Burkhalter. I know Mark Burkhalter. Mark Burkhalter is a friend of mine. Commissioner, you're no Mark Burkhalter."

HAUSMANN PLANS TO CALL ON ALL COMMISSIONERS TO STAND TALL

One elected official who did step up to the plate: Former Johns Creek Councilwoman Liz Hausmann (R), who is taking over for Riley on the Commission in January.

Hausmann has no Fall opponent either, but she has been all over this investigation mess. Hausmann called on Ga. Gov. Sonny Perdue to appoint a special prosecutor or investigator to look into the County Government Credit Card Corruption scandal referenced above. Hausmann says she plans to pubically call on each Fulton County Commissioner to join her call for an indpendent investigation. At least somebody has the bellaugred Fulton taxpayers' back, and acts with political courage, in lieu of myopic self-interest.