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Group therapy was placed on the agenda after feuding,
ethics charges and a $900,000 mistake.
By
DOUG NURSE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on:
08/06/07
It was
going to be so great — a new city forged under a unified banner.
Lower
taxes. Better services. Controlled growth.
A little
more than a year ago, residents voted overwhelmingly to form the city
of Milton out of the northernmost corner of Fulton County. A group of
affluent, mostly conservative Republicans seemed to hold much common
ground.
But the
ink on the city charter had barely dried before the bickering began.
On Dec. 21, three weeks after Milton's official birth, the mayor and
City Council clashed bitterly over who would be named mayor pro tem.
They were
just getting warmed up.
"It's
kind of embarrassing," said Cindy Hollingsworth, who helped lead the
efforts to form the city. "It seems a little childish. The other
cities don't seem to have this problem. I'm still glad we did it, but
I didn't envision it would be like this."
The
record is replete with signs of dysfunction.
• City
Council members have publicly accused each other of deception and
unprofessional conduct. Despite the hiring an organizational
psychologist and holding two team-building sessions, the rift seems
intractable. The council often splits 4-3 on decisions, with Mayor Joe
Lockwood in the minority.
• After
almost 18 hours of closed-door discussions last week, the council has
yet to decide the fate of City Manager Aaron Bovos over his role in
the loss of $900,000 in taxes because of a missed state deadline.
Bovos didn't tell the council about the mistake until months after it
was discovered.
• The
mayor and state Rep. Jan Jones, the city's legislative founder, have
feuded in community newspaper columns over a variety of topics, such
as city franchise fees and changes to the city charter.
• Two
council members were the subject of ethics charges, which were thrown
out by the city ethics board. But the complainant has taken it to the
state Ethics Commission. The mayor also has been the target of a
campaign-related state ethics complaint.
• A
member of Milton's ethics board was named in an ethics complaint by
another member of the ethics board.
The tone
was set at one of the first City Council meetings when the mayor
pushed for council member Tina D'Aversa to be mayor pro tem. But the
majority wanted council member Karen Thurman.
In
January, an angry Lockwood sent an e-mail to the council complaining
about its "lack of respect" and threatened political reprisals.
The
division on the council has manifested itself on several issues,
including whether to put the city attorney under the city manager
(they didn't), whether to hire an aide for the mayor (they didn't),
whether to allow sewer in the southeastern part of the city (they
dropped it), and whether to overrule the mayor and support changes to
the city charter (they did).
All of
which has left people shaking their heads.
"I was
there when it was positive," said Greg Mishkin, a member of the team
appointed by the governor to lay the groundwork for the new city.
"It's frustrating to see things turning the wrong way after all the
work we did."
Jon
Carroll, a resident who frequently attends council meetings, observed
the council seems to be consumed with infighting.
"They
seem to take everything personally," Carroll said. "They haven't
developed a tough political skin. You can tell the tension is starting
to weigh on them."
Thursday
night, planning commissioner Bob Moheb addressed the City Council,
calling for unity:
"There
came a time when we began to feel a little embarrassed to live in the
city of Milton," Moheb said. "We need to pull together, to work
together, to get over some of this stuff."
Today the
city ethics board will hear a complaint against Mayor Lockwood, filed
by Moheb.
A YEAR IN
MILTON
July 18,
2006
– Residents of northwest Fulton County approve cityhood with 86
percent of the vote.
Sept.
2006
– The Governor's Commission for the city of Milton hires Aaron Bovos
away from new city of Sandy Springs to serve as acting city manager.
Bovos works for free until the city of Milton is official.
Nov. 7
– Five members of the City Council are elected, three without
opposition.
Dec. 1
– Milton becomes a city.
Dec. 21
– Council members clash over who will be mayor pro tem.
Jan. 1
– The city misses a deadline with the state to claim its share of
insurance-related taxes, about $900,000 the city probably won't
collect.
Jan. 11
– The council votes 4-3 to eliminate position of aide to the mayor.
Feb. 1-2
– The
City Council has a team-building session with Carl Vinson Institute of
Government staff.
March
– The City Council is divided over whether to keep city attorney Mark
Scott after Bovos complains the lawyer's billing lacks details. Scott
survives on a 4-3 vote, and changes the way he does his billing.
April 18
– An ethics complaint is filed against council members Bill Lusk and
Neal O'Brien.
May 14
– Mayor Joe Lockwood writes Gov. Sonny Perdue that the city opposes
proposed legislative changes to the city charter, igniting a council
battle that he ultimately loses.
June 7
– Planning commissioner Bob Moheb files an ethics complaint against
Lockwood for allegedly misrepresenting the position of the city to the
governor.
July 10
– The city cancels a group therapy session with an organizational
psychologist because it would have to be conducted in public.
July 16
– The city Ethics Board throws out ethics complaint against two
council members.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/2007/08/05/milton_0806.html |
