Atlanta Hires Outside Counsel To Investigate Reed Administration’s Bonuses, Prizes
Michael Coleman, a partner at Thompson Hine, has been hired by the city of Atlanta to look into payments former Mayor Kasim Reed gave to staff last year.
Thompson Hine
The city of Atlanta has hired a new lawyer, Michael Coleman, to look into payments former Mayor Kasim Reed made to city staff last year.
Coleman knows City Hall well. He was the city attorney under former Mayor Maynard Jackson in the early 1990s. Coleman’s office started the investigation of corruption and bribery between airport contractors and City Council members. He referred the investigation out to federal authorities, who later convicted five people, including two city officials.
Coleman is currently a partner at the Atlanta office of Thompson Hine and had been former Mayor Bill Campbell’s personal attorney.
Last week, City Council members questioned the legality of 2017 bonuses and prizes Reed gave without City Council approval. Reed says they were not illegal under the city code.
Coleman has been hired by the city at a discounted rate of $475 per hour to conduct an internal investigation and “provide written legal opinion” about whether the 2017 payments to city employees were “permitted.” The agreement is ongoing, with updates due monthly.
Angelo Fuster worked as head of communications and deputy chief of staff for former Mayor Jackson. He said Coleman is a good choice.
“Few people would be as prepared to deal with the arcane things within city government as Michael would be,” he said. “This is not just somebody who has great strength in legal knowledge and experience, but somebody who is also familiar with city government and how things work.”
The law department made the decision. The City Council is considering legislation that would give it a say in hiring outside lawyers. Council President Felicia Moore has questioned whether the city needs an outside attorney for the matter and how much that should cost.
At a finance committee meeting last week, Moore said, “I’m really still concerned … about us expending a bunch of money to hire somebody to review something unless they’re going to come back and tell us how to get the money back.”
Council member Natalyn Archibong pointed out at the meeting that an independent opinion might make sense. She said, “As I understand it, Mr. Berry was the beneficiary of one of the bonuses. So to have someone external speak to this may indeed make sense.”
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms accepted City Attorney Jeremy Berry’s resignation last week, along with other top officials. He received a $15,000 bonus from Reed last year.
In a statement about Coleman’s hiring, Bottoms said, “My administration is committed to being a good steward of the City of Atlanta’s resources, and this review is a reflection of that commitment.”
Her office of communications said the investigation will include “an in-depth review of the circumstances surrounding the payment of the bonuses, the legality of the payments, past practices, and, if warranted, any avenues for restoring those funds to the City’s general fund.”
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