Because it sounds like a “pay to play” scam from not just the way it is written, but the documentation.
In a nutshell, this website provides documentation that Rep. Tim Bearden (R- H. Dist. 68)
began receiving payments from the City of Carrollton, Georgia for “Consulting Fees” under the city’s budget category “General Administration, Purchased/Contract Services”
nine months after he was sworn into the legislation in 2005. Carrollton, GA, however, does not have any written documentation relating to contract services with Rep. Bearden.
Checks have continued to flow to Rep. Bearden through May 7, 2009, to the tune of $92,400.00. The relationship began under Carrollton’s long time Democrat mayor Waye Garner.
It looks bad. Bearden has thus far refused to comment. He needs to.
UPDATE: Rep. Bearden talked to the AJC after this went up and
acknowledged the payments, which he said were for a part-time consulting job for the Carrollton police department. Bearden is a former motorcycle officer with the city of Douglasville.
“There’s no secret about it,” Bearden said. The lawmaker said he has worked with the police department on outreach programs to school kids, and other on projects he was not prepared to discuss.
Still sounds odd. I assume the Police Department will be forthcoming with the contract for services, etc.
{ 25 comments }
I notice Wayne Garner is another member of this despicable cast of characters! This former undertaker, turned politician, turned lobbyist is the kind of elected official that continue to give Georgia politics a bad name; and there are too many just like him.
I don’t know how Bearden came to be on the Republican ticket; but if it’s like it is in our little county, people started coming out of the woodwork, to run as Republicans, so they could avoid any primary competition. The party name was irrelevant. Of course, there are plenty of long-time Republicans who are equally as unscrupulous and greedy.
Hope they nail this guy!
sounds like he did explain it
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2009/06/15/a-carrollton-blogger-raises-dust-with-news-that-a-state-lawmaker-is-on-the-city-payroll/
DonnaC – i can assure you that Bearden is as Republican as they come. Not sure what they would nail him over? what is it he was supposedly being paid off for?
i dont think there is anything here…
“There’s no secret about it”, but he’s not prepared to discuss it, and there’s apparently no paperwork or proof of any work product?
And that clears it up?
Yeah that makes a lotta sense. There’s no secret but there are some things he isn’t prepared to discuss. So apparently there’s some type of “middle ground” between a “secret” and full disclosure. Not sure what you call this area. Is there a special word for this? Instead of a “secret” they could call it a “kakalucha mango chango”.
“Verbal contract?” Verbal contract between a government entity and a private individual. Hmmm…
Or, “moo goo dog pan in the banana face”.
h/t Steve Martin
so have none of you guys ever had a verbal agreement with a client?
what is it that you think he’s being paid off to do? i don’t think he’s ever done anything with his position for the city of carrollton
Gee, Seth,
Do you think public money is best spent with nothing in writing and on verbal agreements?
This is the best way you think public trust is maintained?
When the client is the taxpayers, and the “consultant” is already being paid to represent these same taxpayers, you think the best way to avoid any appearance of impropriety is by having a “verbal agreement”?
How far down this rabbit hole do you want to travel, Alice?
Donna…it’s obvious you don’t know Wayne or Tim and more than likely don’t know your a– from a hole in the ground.
Hmm..looks like Wayne may not be the guy with the most stellar reputation:
http://carrolltongeorgia.com/home/LocalNewsDisplay.asp?ArticleID=LobbyistNoWork-10102008&NewsTitle=Chappell%20Gives%20$12,000%20SPLOST%20Funds%20to%20Mayor%20Garner’s%20Partner%20(10/10/08)
Well at least Peach Pundit is training its sights on someone other than The Ox for a change.
And while I do fear for Rep. Bearden’s name, I can’t help but mention this oh-so-subtle attack on The Ox was disgusting.
Thank goodness your hyphens are in the right place for “oh-so-subtle”. Otherwise, the Grammar Nazi may rap your knuckles.
Research which GA Departments [headed by elected officials] were smart enough to take the hit early and progressively all year so that ALL their employees will get a FULL paycheck for the last two weeks in June 2009.
Without cooking the books to defer expenses until July or asking Obama for a secret loan.
Seth-
I’d imagine there’s not anything to this. I’ve known Wayne since he was in high school and got to know Tim when he was on the PD here in Douglasville before he got elected. They’re both stand up guys. From reading the rest of the junk on this blogger’s website, it seems like he’s just a bitter man with an ax to grand with either Garner or the city gov’t in Carrollton.
“From reading the rest of the junk on this blogger’s website, it seems like he’s just a bitter man with an ax to grand with either Garner or the city gov’t in Carrollton.”
So instead of insisting accountability for public funds, we’re going to use Ox’s “blame the lib’ral AJC” defense?
Does it bother either of you that public money has apparently been appropriated and distributed with no apparent record of authorization, purpose, work product, or other explanation?
Both men may be “stand up” fellows, but if you’re going to give away/take public funds for work that appears to fall within the scope of what you’re already paid to do in your elected position, you had better be prepared to stand up and answer questions when details like this come to light. That is, if you want to remain a “stand up” guy in the voters’ minds the next time an election rolls around.
I’m not using that defense at all. I don’t know all the facts surrounding this and until I do, I don’t know if this was something Bearden would do anyway under the scope of his office or not. Until I do, I can’t really say how I feel about it. I do know that I don’t see much point in the debating the intricacies of a situation until I, or should I say we, have a more thorough understanding of the specifics of the situation. Maybe some people like to have the conviction and sentencing phases before the trial, but not me.
And do you know why you don’t know any of the facts, yellowhammer? Because a lot of people appear to have gone to great lenghts to make sure there is no paper trail. The only evidence of this arrangement thus far presented appears to be a series of cashed checks.
The Carrollton City Government has produced no records after numerous requests. When asked for comment, Bearden, who has been accepting these checks for years, “was not prepared to comment.” Are you comfortable with someone taking public money but then not being prepared to tell you why he’s taking it? I’m not.
When contacted by an acutal paid reporter (since all bloggers apparently only have axes to grind), the City Manager said it was for things “you can’t talk about”.
So you can sit back and claim nothing has been proven, everyone’s innocent, etc. And you’re correct in those facts.
But if you refuse to acknowledge that all persons involved in this matter appear to have gone out of the way to conceal what is going on, been less than forthcoming when given the opportunity to explain, and otherwise have contributed to the cloud hanging over them, then you are in total denial of the bigger picture of facts.
People who have received the public’s trust, whether elected or appointed, have a duty to act in a manner that is above the appearance of impropriety. When they fall back to “you can’t prove it was illegal”, we’ve all lost.
Slow down, Kathy Lee Gifford, it’s too late for drama queens. I never said all bloggers have axes to grind. I did say that by reading the articles in this particular blogger’s site, I thought that was the case in this case. As far as this situation goes, I know what the blogger said. I know what the city manager said, which was not much. I also know that if the story has any real legs, more information will come out. I don’t know if you have reading comprehension problems or what, but you can come down off the soapbox, because I’m not claiming nothing’s been proven either. I am saying that I prefer to defer judgment until I have a little more to go on. If that’s not how you like to do things, that’s fine. Grab a coke and a smile and have at it. I will say that if what a 61 yr old man in Douglasville, GA thinks about something gets you this riled up, I don’t know whether to laugh or feel bad for you.
Describing your opponent as having an axe to grind doesn’t absolve your wrong. Yellowbelly, make sure you tell the judge in traffic court that the cop who busted you for going 6 miles over the speed limit did it because “he had an axe to grind.” See where that gets you.
I don’t recall Wayne Garner having the most stellar record as head of the Board of P&P. Does anyone else?
Mr. Flintstone- Please give my regards to Barney and Dino. Tell me again who my opponent is? And, I don’t remember getting a speeding ticket, so can you tell you tell me when my court date is? For the 3rd or 4th time, I said it appeared that the blogger in Carrollton had an axe to grind with Garner and after further reading, it seems like he has an axe to grind with a few people around there. A little more research into the guy shows his true character. He tried to sue the local newspaper in Carrollton to find out the names of bloggers who made comments about him, because they caused him emotional distress and adversely affected his social life. Any of you with Lexis or Westlaw, take a gander…..it’s good stuff. Apparently he has a major case of can dish but can’t take it-itis.
yellowhammer,
Cheers! I must say that you must be rather new to the blogosphere. Jumping to conclusions and prematurely throwing people under the bus is what we do here! Patience, thoughtfulness, diligence, moderation, and rationality are not virtues on the anonymous internet.
Unfortunately.
Ain’t it the truth.
geesh… okay, so what has he done again?
Patience, thoughtfulness, diligence, moderation, and rationality are not virtues on the anonymous internet.
Naaaah – Steve Martin
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