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Boardmember resigns after endorsing candidate By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
Consultant: City erred in cutting poll location
MILTON, Ga. — Charlie Roberts, former chair of Milton’s Design Review Board, resigned the post after endorsing a city council candidate from the dais at a July 11 meeting. “I will bring politics into the room before we adjourn,” Roberts said, “and say that our good friend Doug is running for City Council … It’s been great working with you for a year and a half, so I’m endorsing you.” Doug Hene, Design Review Board (DRB) member, announced his intent to run for the District 2, Post 2 seat in June. Roberts looped DRB member Reid Casey into his comments, who affirmed his own endorsement of Hene. Roberts then invited the public to attend a “party” to “clap, and jump up and down for Doug.” In a July 12 letter to Roberts, Milton City Manager Steve Krokoff deemed Roberts’ actions “improper” under the Milton Ethics Code and cited Sec. 2-855, “Political recrimination and activity.” The code states “no city official ... shall make use of government time or equipment to aid a political candidate…” “For the Chair of a Milton-appointed board, like the DRB, to publicly endorse a candidate for Council in the course of a meeting carries with it the
Charlie Roberts speaks at a Milton City Council meeting in June. Roberts has resigned from the Milton Design Review Board after endorsing a candidate from the dais at a July 11 meeting. specter that the Milton government, or at minimum an influential Board in the service of the City of Milton, is formally endorsing a candidate for public office,” Krokoff said. Krokoff also said he would work with the city attorney on DRB training to “ensure all are familiar with the rules.” Milton City Attorney Ken Jarrard said the instruction would cover limitations on the use of city resources for political purposes. Jarrard’s office provides some training to city committees over relative subject matter, which may involve
some aspect of ethics. But Jarrard said a training session exclusively focused on ethics and transparency will be new. Krokoff told Appen Media that neither Hene or received a letter from the city in reference to the July 11 DRB meeting. Hene said he does not plan to step down from the Board during his campaign. In his letter to Roberts, Krokoff said the unethical conduct “must cease,” but did not request his resignation.
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ELECTIONS
By AMBER PERRY amber@appenmedia.com
FILE PHOTO
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See RESIGNS, Page 12
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MILTON, Ga. — In a report to officials, Milton’s new elections consultant raised concerns about the way elections decisions were being made, including that some councilmembers were inappropriately involved in the process. Consultant Vernetta Nuriddin writes that SB202, a state elections bill passed in 2021, assigns the elections superintendent as responsible for “selecting and preparing polling locations as well as conducting the city’s elections.” The Milton City Council appointed City Manager Steve Krokoff to the position in April, yet the council voted on the quantity and location of polling places in May. Nuriddin cautions that the decision was, in her view, Krokoff’s to make. She goes on to say it was an
See POLLING, Page 14