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Ellis seeks inspector general
by Brian Egeston
be@brianwrites.com
 DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis is keeping step with the recommendations of his transition team. In April, Ellis used his executive power to appoint William “Wiz” Miller as the public safety director, a move suggested by his transition team. Last week, Ellis established the Board of Transparency and Accountability (BTA). The BTA, according to Ellis, will investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in the county and improve operations while restoring integrity and public trust in government. The BTA will also be responsible for organizing the Office of Transparency and Accountability and recommend an individual to Ellis for the newly appointed office of Inspector General.
“Since taking office in January, my office has been inundated with a growing number of requests from citizens and employees that a variety of departments be investigated because of allegations of waste, fraud and abuse,” Ellis said at a press conference. “While reviewing several departments, we realized that there remains a greater need for a dedicated team to investigate these concerns. We have examined best practices and looked at what other local governments are doing to investigate these issues while promoting integrity and restoring public trust. Transparency in government is an important part of serving the citizens of DeKalb County. We want our citizens to have the highest confidence in the way DeKalb County does business and this board will help to evaluate our government to ensure it is running as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
County officials catagorize the BTA as a citizen-review panel that is composed of seven citizens who represent faith, law, higher education, public service and business.
Former DeKalb County Commissioner Gale Walldorff will chair the BTA. Other members include Neville W. Anderson Sr., Donald R. Byrd, Elizabeth Kiss, Celena M. Matlock, Jonathan Weintraub and Joseph L. Williams.
Anderson is president of his CPA firm and past vice president of the Atlanta Jamaica Association. Byrd is the chief operating officer for Vista Realty Partners, LLC and Kiss is president of Agnes Scott College. Matlock is an attorney and director of financial compliance for Turner Broadcasting System. Williams is pastor of Salem Baptist Church and Weintraunb is a practicing attorney in Decatur.
“As a resident of DeKalb County for more than 30 years and a former commissioner, I am extremely honored to serve DeKalb County in this capacity,” said Walldorff. “CEO Ellis and I often discussed ways to improve transparency in government when he and I served together on the Board of Commissioners. I am happy to know these best practices are finally being implemented. I have always spoken up for transparency and I will continue to do that as I accept this responsibility on behalf of the taxpaying citizens of DeKalb County.”
Ellis said he expects the BTA to recommend an Inspector General by the fall.
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