Ethics Complaint Against Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid to Be Heard in the New Year

An ethics complaint against Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will be addressed in early January. The complaint, filed in October by Lance Lamberton, president of the Cobb Taxpayers Association, accuses the county of improperly using taxpayer funds to advocate for the passage of a 30-year, 1% sales tax for transit, known as the M-SPLOST. Lamberton alleges that the county’s educational campaign for the M-SPLOST misrepresented its true intent, which he believes violated ethical standards.

The M-SPLOST measure failed by a wide margin on the November ballot, but Lamberton is pursuing the complaint on principle, stating that taxpayer money should not have been used in such a way. “What I want to do is shed light on the fact, in my opinion, that she took taxpayer money to promote passage of the M-SPLOST based upon the content of the materials that the county put out,” he said.

The complaint was originally scheduled for a hearing last week, but it was abruptly canceled due to a lack of quorum on the Ethics Board. The absence of board members led to accusations from some in the audience, who claimed that the missing members were attempting to delay the hearing at Cupid’s request. However, Board Chairman Carlos Rodriguez clarified that the absences were due to emergencies, and board attorney Lynn Rainey dismissed the allegations in a statement.

The rescheduled hearing is set for 3:30 p.m. on January 6, 2024, at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta. At that time, the Ethics Board will decide whether to proceed with further investigation of the complaint or dismiss it.