Deal Proposes Ethics Overhaul As Opponents Remain On Attack

“Throughout its troubled history – dating long before I took this office – confusion, dysfunction and inefficiency have plagued the commission,” said Deal in a press release Monday.

His proposal comes just days after the conclusion of a high-profile whistleblower lawsuit. Friday, a jury awarded former commission chief Stacey Kalberman $700,000 plus back pay and legal fees. She alleged she was forced out of her job in 2010 for investigating Deal’s gubernatorial campaign.

Sunday, in his first interview since the verdict was announced, Deal distanced himself from the case, maintaining his office in no way was connected. He declined to comment on court testimony suggesting his office was involved in recruiting Kalberman’s replacement while she was still head of the commission and investigating Deal’s campaign.  

Tuesday, Deal’s election opponents said the governor is in no position to suggest ethics changes.

Democrat Jason Carter slammed Deal at a press conference outside the state Capitol.

“We’ve been talking about ethics for years and he’s been doing nothing and has failed to lead on the issue and suddenly once he gets caught, once it’s challenging his reelection, he all of the sudden wants to delve into this issue,” said Carter. “He had a chance to lead and failed to do it.”

Carter pushed his own reform plan, which empowers the judiciary alone to appoint the ethics board and separates the commission from the legislative budget process.

He also called on the state to reopen Kalberman’s investigation into Deal’s 2010 campaign.

“Whatever it was that she was investigating was important enough for the governor’s supporters to fire her,” said Carter. “That means we need to resolve that underlying ethics investigation. We have to reopen it.”

Deal’s opponents in the GOP primary were equally critical.

State Superintendent John Barge believes Deal is implicated in the Kalberman case and called on him to step out of the race.

“The issues surrounding the governor are a liability to the party and to the election in November,” said Barge.

And former Dalton Mayor David Pennington referred to a separate pair of pending lawsuits claiming similar allegations as Kalberman. He said Georgians shouldn’t have to pay for Deal’s ethical lapses.

“It’s going to cost Georgia’s taxpayers millions of dollars before all these lawsuits are over with because the governor obviously had these people wrongfully terminated from their jobs,” said Pennington.

In a written statement, Deal campaign spokeswoman Jen Talaber batted back the criticism, stressing the governor has no connection to the Kalberman case.

“Just as no member of the governor’s staff was called to testify—because there’s no connection to his office—neither the governor’s staff nor his campaign bear responsibility for the jury award.”

Talaber added the commission has ruled on the allegations associated with the 2010 investigation. It ended with Deal paying $3,350 in administrative fees for “technical defects” in his campaign and financial disclosures.

“After the most exhaustive review of such a case in Georgia history, independent commissioners last year ruled that the charges levied against Deal for Governor lacked merit. Those commissioners weren’t appointed by Gov. Deal.”

Talaber said Deal will continue leading on ethics reform.

“His latest proposal builds upon his previous efforts, which include a lobbyist gift ban for executive branch employees (one of his first executive orders), increasing the budget and giving rulemaking authority to the [the ethics commission] and signing into law ethics reforms for members of the General Assembly.”

She also included a dig at Carter.

“Gov. Deal won’t be taking ethics advice from someone who has made his living suing the state of Georgia or from someone whose idea of leadership is giving speeches and then running away from votes or making tough choices.”