State Senator Doug Stoner has proposed legislation that would remove control of ethics enforcement from the General Assembly by making the state’s ethics commission an independent agency.

Senate Bill 315 would also change the name of the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission to the Georgia Ethics Commission.

The commission would be appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. Currently, members are appointed by legislators and the governor.

In June, Stacey Kalberman had raised questions about the timing of the commission’s plan to cut her salary and eliminate her chief deputy’s position. In the weeks before her resignation, Kalberman said the two prepared draft subpoenas for Deal and his aides to further their investigation.

The subpoenas were never executed because commissioners would not sign off. The commission did ask Deal’s campaign to voluntarily turn over records, but commissioners have refused to say whether that’s happened.

Some are concerned about how an inspector general appointed by the governor can fairly investigate the governor.

A member of Georgia’s Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission said he is stepping down from the panel after just three months to accept an appointment as a judge. Chan Caudell said he would submit his letter of resignation to Governor Nathan Deal. The Georgia constitution bans individuals from serving simultaneously in two branches of government.

Caudell’s sudden departure is the latest challenge for the five-member panel overseeing campaign finance and lobbying in the state.

The ethics panel has been hit hard with funding cuts that some say have undermined its ability to perform its duties. Earlier this week an open records request revealed that fines for late campaign finance reporting were reduced by millions of dollars because the panel could not afford to send out the required late notices.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal is expected to call for a special election in January to replace Georgia House Representative Len Walker who has accepted a ministerial position with a north Georgia chapel.

Tom Kirby will campaign for Walker’s District 107 seat. Kirby said Walker is expected to resign his term at the year-end and the governor will then call for a special election.

The seat will have to be contested again in November 2012 under the new District 114.

The change is a result of redistricting.

The overhaul split the commission staff into an administrative division, an investigative division, and a compliance-education division. In addition to these changes, a change in the reporting law has resulted in hundreds of delinquencies by local officials who are filing with the state for the first time. The agency has been required to devote time and resources to contact anyone in arrears by certified mail.

Meanwhile, larger investigations have stalled. Earlier this month the commission dismissed a case filed in 2004 because the statute of limitations had expired. A more recent complaint filed against a lobbyist who failed to timely file or register and who paid for a state official’s travel to Europe is now 10 months old and delayed.

Executive Secretary Holly LaBerge is expected to hire staff auditors and receive assistance from the attorney general’s office to aid prosecutorial efforts.

GEORGIA: A special election to fill the state House District 68 seat of Tim Bearden will be held December 6, according to an announcement by Georgia’s Secretary of State.

Bearden resigned his seat last month after being appointed director of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center by Governor Nathan Deal.

If a runoff is needed, it will be held January 3, 2012.

Governor Nathan Deal has issued a Writ of Election setting Tuesday, November 8, 2011 as the date for a special election to fill the vacant seat in state senate district 28.

The seat became available upon the resignation of Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, who resigned the seat in order to accept his appointment to the position of deputy state treasurer by Governor Deal.

The runoff election, if necessary, will be held December 6, 2011.

The Atlanta Board of Ethics has appointed Jabu Sengova as the interim ethics officer, effective September 29, 2011. Sengova, who has been with the Ethics Office since November 2008, currently serves as the associate ethics officer.

Sengova will serve in the interim until a replacement can be found for Ginny Looney, who is resigning effective September 28, 2011. Looney, who announced her resignation in July, has served as the ethics officer since the position was first created in August 2003.

Applications to replace Looney are still being accepted.

The Georgia General Assembly, in special session since August 15, 2011, adjourned on August 31, 2011.

The adjournment comes after reaching agreements concerning legislative redistricting.

Governor Nathan Deal has appointed B. Chan Caudell to replace Josh Belinfante as a member of the State Ethics Commission.

Caudell is an attorney and former commissioner of Habersham County, Georgia. He also serves on the board of directors for North Georgia Technical College and is vice chair of Common Cause Georgia as well as the State Bar of Georgia advisory committee that reviews legislation.

Belinfante resigned last week, stating he was looking into running for state senate.

Josh Belinfante, Vice Chairman of the State Ethics Commission, has announced he is resigning his position in order to consider a run for state senate. While he has yet to commit to running for the position, Belinfante has indicated an interest in the seat for senate district 6 following the release of the proposed maps for redistricting.

Belinfante’s resignation comes on the heels of the recent announcement by Chairman Patrick Millsaps that he will be stepping down from his position due to what he has determined to be his illegal appointment by Governor Nathan Deal.

The State Ethics Commission is also currently engaged in the process of finding a person to fill the role of Executive Secretary for the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission following the departure of Stacey Kalberman.

Kalberman’s departure and the termination of the Deputy Executive Secretary position, once held by Sherilyn Streicker, were the result of cost-cutting maneuvers implemented by members of the Commission this past June.

The Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission has announced two finalists for the position of Executive Secretary.

Holly A. LaBerge, one of the finalists, is a former Budget Analyst for the House Budget Office and presently the Director of Government Relations for the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.

The other finalist is Jerry R. Presley, who has previously been a candidate for public office in the state of Georgia, a registered lobbyist, and the city clerk of Baldwin, Georgia. He is currently the president and owner of Public Policy Consultants of Georgia, L.L.C. No timeline has been set for selecting the new Executive Secretary.

We now provide information on lobbying, political contributions, and procurement lobbying for Gilbert, Arizona; Savannah, Georgia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Springfield, Missouri; and Syracuse, New York on our website.

The image of North America by Bosonic dressing on Wikipedia.

The Georgia General Assembly is scheduled to convene in special session on Monday, August 15, 2011.

The primary topic of discussion is to be redistricting.

Photo of the Georgia State Capitol dome by Connor.carey on Wikipedia.