It has been shown that Terrell Bolton stole thousands of taxpayers dollars when he claimed to be working, when in fact he was visiting family and friends in Texas and traveling throughout the southeast. Now it appears a friend and ally of Bolton has been caught stealing taxpayer dollars in the same fashion.
DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson was paid by the taxpayers of Fulton County while conducting commission meetings in DeKalb. As you can see in WSB TV reporter Richard Belcher’s report, the evidence is pretty damming.
Johnson presides over the DeKalb County commission meetings, which can directly affect the police department, be it equipment, personnel or pay. While having his hand in the till, he fought against across the board pay raises for the police department and against equipping us with needed updated equipment.
We call upon Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard to prosecute Larry Johnson to the fullest extent. In the meantime, Johnson should immediately resign his post, or at the very least, step aside until this matter is resolved.
The entire body of the DeKalb County Commission should lead the way by censuring Commissioner Larry Johnson. Do they have the fortitude to do that?
C.E.O. Burrell Ellis has just been handed a major controversy. He appointed Larry Johnson as presiding officer of the commission. How will Ellis respond? Will he demand Johnson step aside? All eyes are upon Ellis.
The citizens of DeKalb should be lined up at the next commission meeting demanding Larry Johnson to step aside. It is time for the taxpayers to show they will hold anyone accountable who violates the trust of the citizenry.
It appears DeKalb County District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming has no intention prosecuting Terrell Bolton, in effect letting him escape after committing theft. Will Fulton County D.A. Paul Howard seek prosecution of Commissioner Larry Johnson? Only time will tell.
We pray that the citizens of either DeKalb or Fulton will not tolerate the violation of their trust, or the violation of the law. If they remain quiet, then it will be a sad day in our history.
Friday, May 22, 2009
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24 comments:
This usually causes one to be fired if they did this in the police department.
I guess commissioners are above the law.
He will not comment because he knows he is guilty and got caught.
Clearly the author of this post is misinformed and should go back to last year.
Actually, it was Johnson who motioned for a resolution to give merit increases in addition to more pay for MPO's. It was actually Ellis who fought against the raises because the only way to get them was via a tax increase.
I know because I was a citizen in the commission meeting standing up in favor of a tax increase to fund DKPD raises.
Additionally, I'd suggest taking a step back from Ellis, who some seem to think is the Saviour. There are questionable acts surronding him and the latest move to hire a lobbyist that has ties to his campaign manager.
Lastly, I've stated before that this blog can be dangerous in the respect that some people read editorialized comments as the gosepel and this editorial has some important facts WRONG!
Thank you for all you guys do for us out on the street.
Riddle me this Batman,
What happens to an officer who fudges (turns in fraudulent time sheets) on his or her part time job time sheets?
Answer- the employer would fire the officer, complain to IA.... the officer would be called in for questioning, then he or she would be suspended or fired... Maybe even prosecuted.
Other than job title (Commissioner or Chief vs. Officer/Master Officer/Lt/Cpt./Major etc), I see absolutely no difference.
Atleast this time, POST won't get a black eye.
Since he's not an officer, there is no reason for them to question his professionalism, ethics and honesty. He doesn't have a "ticket" that needs to be pulled.
No one will be wondering why POST didn't step up and do its job.
Up until 6 months ago I was with DKPD, I am now with Sandy Springs PD, and let me tell you fellows, Paul Howard is not prosecuting anyone unless they wear a badge. That is the only thing he is good for. Remember when he slapped that Fulton Co Deputy in court? Well, I guess her being with Fulton SO she probably deserved it. They are all perps.
Sadly, I've become resigned to the fact that Ethics and Morals are qualities lost. They are a thing of the past.
I've become a lone voice in the wilderness...destined to show up and do my job. No more. No less.
I learned from a lieutenant (who came to see me because he wanted to "protect my career" at Dekalb) that believing in Right and Wrong is a thing of the past.
To summarize, he told I should look the other way if I didn't want to hurt my career.
I've watched our religious leaders issue directives to priests...only to have those priests very PUBLICLY do exactly the opposite. There were no meaningful penalties handed out...just a "verbal slap on the wrist".
Larry Johnson will issue a carefully worded statement and he'll move on.
We've seen it time and time again within our own department. This will be no different.
Lone Voice said...
Sadly, I've become resigned to the fact that Ethics and Morals are qualities lost. They are a thing of the past.
I've become a lone voice in the wilderness...destined to show up and do my job. No more. No less.
I pray that this is not the sentiment of our beloved officers!
God knows how hard yall have it, and the citizens out here are behind yall 100%! I try to tell yall that as often as I post here.
This one really hit hard though.
Remember, there are many of us out here that give yall the highest of respect, and admiration. We will be behind you no matter what happens. Don't let your morale get low. Always, always know that we need you, at your best.
Keep your heads up. We can all fight to make DeKalb a better place, just let us know what is needed to be done.
Yall fight the good fight!
They don't call Larry "Little Vernon" for nothing!
It appears that this is a perk with Elected Officials in today's society.
To the person that said Larry Johnson supported a raise yes he did. Let’s look at how he wanted to do it. Ellis wanted to fill the positions that had all ready approved before he would vote on more. I Larry is innocent Larry is innocent why didn’t he talk to the media. Television reporters make every attempt to report the truth. They report what is given to them. We would love to hear Larry’s side. It looks bad that he is saying nothing. Larry supported Bolton if that is not reason to question his judgment then you need help. The facts are out there and if you need to be shown let us know. We appreciate all the public support, as citizens you need to know your facts before you jump out there. We will give you this one with a tap on the hand. Mr. Citizen the next time I will rip you a new ass for not getting your facts straight. The question you should be asking Larry is how did Fulton County make so many mistakes? And why did a T.V. reporter have to bring this out? And what is he doing to correct it. We need to check his comp time folks.
The issue is not whether Larry Johnson wanted to give us a raise or not. (BTW, Johnson wanted to raise property taxes to pay for a raise and voted against all other proposals)The issue is Larry Johnson has been caught stealing taxpayer money and should be held accountable.
And don't forget that Commissioners Lee May, Clueless Connie Stokes and Sahron Barnes Sutton vote exactly how Lil' Larry Johnson tells them to...every single vote.
The one positive about this is Larry has no chance to be the next CEO, even though that is his life's big dream.
I think this is BS, all elected officials are allowed wide latitude in their working hours from multiple employers. What I do have issues with is the county policy of extremely low pay for work received. I work damn hard and make 20 percent less than what I would receive if I worked for an adjacent county government. The DeKalb commissioners and CEO received whopping 50 percent raises for themselves while allowing county salaries to drop into the toilet. They make sure that themselves and staff work in snazzy new offices while I work n a dump. My building and grounds are a disgrace but as the Commissioners and CEO have no desire to tour my building it will remain a disgrace to the maintanence and upkeep of county structures. (Thanks for nothing David Fisher!) On the whole I am extremely disatisfied with my employer. Management doesn't care about pay (because they are well paid) or working conditions and appears to derive a sadistic satisfaction from watching us suffer at the hands of the commissioners and CEO. Come on give us a break, no pay study in 12 years while the CEO and commissioners receive huge 50 percent increases with no study to indicate it is justified. And yes, I am looking for a new job. Somebody make me an offer.
The original post stated that CEO Ellis appointed Larry Johnson Presiding Officer of the county commission. This is not true. The Presiding Officer is elected by the sitting commissioners. I don't know if this is something the CEO can speak to, but maybe an issue for the State Ethics Commission to review.
Elected officials are allowed wide latitude in their working hours from multiple employers! What the heck does that mean??? If his time sheets from different employers reflect that he was paid by both for the same dates/times that is THEFT.
To LoFlyer. Come on over...we'd love to have you. We may not be able to give you more "green" at this time but we will give you the utmost respect and appreciation.
(and we use "toilet bowl scrubbing bubbles" on a daily basis)!
I heard an unconfirmed rumor that when Larry Johnson is not at work in Fulton County when he should be, he places a Cabbage Patch Kid in his seat to make it appear as though he is there.
LoFlyer is right when it comes to Dave Fisher. He simply sucks at his job. There are so many county facilities that are complete dumps, and that's his responsibility.
The parks Management staff were in a building with multiple holes in the roof, mold, mildew and squirrels. Only after abunch of people complained to the commissioners did David Fisher respond.
"Metro Atlanta’s core counties of Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb and Fulton were labeled high-intensity drug-trafficking areas several years ago"...from AJC...
Drug Cartels are targeting suburbia"...Our idiot Federal politicians still can't control our boarders. When this crap hits us like in Mexico. It will be their fault. The fault will be known very soon.But they can't piss off the hispanic vote. They might not get re elected. Their re election is far mor important to them than the safety of our neighborhoods and children.Self serving incompetent jackasses, all of them. Dems and Repubs. All self serving cowards.
Larry is lucky that with the end of school and holiday weekend, many people missed the WSB story.
So please e-mail the link to everyone you know. All 700,000+ people in the county should know about their presiding commissioner is double-dipping.
Waiting for the AJC to write a stroy about it too.
To anon14, many politicians work for multiple entities. Traditionally each org allows the politico some breaks with time. Yes me or you would be fired for the same stuff. Is it best practice or ethical? Probably not, but it is common practice.
Anon15, your offer is sounding better and better. I have always enjoyed working with Police Services, we both have a "can do" attitude, and I like the new high command at DKPD.
To Anon17 David Fisher was attempting to cut costs and increase response time by reorginizing his department with eliminating many positions and some privatizing many functions. Bad mistake. Costs tripled, response for capital improvements got better, Individual building maintenance declined because the building superintendents positions were eliminated and no one was accountable for building upkeep. At my building the sidewalks are filled with mud from ground erosion. Pools of water fill the side walks because no one will clear the drainage points. Rusty metal accentuates the bright white exterior paint. I have strong doubts that the building would survive a mild earthquake, And Tornado resistance in critical areas of the building is only fair to good. If my building goes down a huge chunk of the county will cease to operate.
Puddles of water outside of your office? Some of us have puddles of waters inside of our offices!
To Anon21, an excellent point and I will cease my bitching, My building does privide critical support services to DeKalb and its maintenence is deplorable. Enough gripping, has anyone heard any good news on fixing the county? Ellis is doing a good job with DKPD but the rest of the county seems to be running under the same old 'Vern rules.
It's amazing to me how adults have nothing else better to do, then blog all day.Maybe the reason you dont have a better job is because your not paying attention to what needs to be done, because your on a website commenting on a story that you don't know all the details about. Before you judge someone look around the 3rd district at the side walks,new street lights, speed bumps, Arts Center, Senior Center, the new parks, just to name a few. you are getting projects that you would have never recieved. His integrity shines through. Its amazing how after all these reports nothing was found.
To Anonymous on JULY 21, 2010 8:18 AM
Welcome to the blog, Larry! Please enroll in an English class so you can learn the correct use of commas, as well as the difference between "your" and "you're."
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