City Welcomes New Ethics Officer, Launches Ethics Initiative
Flanked by members of the City Council and Board of Ethics, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Tuesday welcomed the city’s new ethics chief, Nina Hickson. Reed emphasized her experience as a city attorney and judge.
“She has a career that has cut through many levels of government so she has literally seen it all. So the city really scored big when we managed to get her on board.”
Hickson was hired in May after the city’s last ethics officer left for a clerkship with the Georgia Supreme Court.
During the selection process, questions were raised over Hickson’s decision-making. She was forced to step down as chief juvenile judge of Fulton County after her four-year-old daughter was found unattended one night on an East Point street. State officials called it an isolated case of neglect.
The Atlanta City Council went on to confirm her appointment by a 12-1 vote.
In the role of ethics officer, Hickson will report to the seven-member, citizen-appointed Board of Ethics.
Hickson says she’s already reached out to City Council members and staff about existing concerns.
“They didn’t feel the office was accessible as they thought it should have been and that there was more focus on punishing as opposed to providing information,” said Hickson.
During the tenure of the last ethics officer, the ethics board settled cases against council members Ceasar Mitchell, who now serves as council president, Lamar Willis, CT Martin, Kwanza Hall, and Cleta Winslow.
At the event, Hickson launched the Integrity at Work campaign, a city initiative that focuses on educating elected officials, city employees, contractors, and others on the city ethics code. Hickson also promoted a new phone hotline in which employees can file complaints.
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