Misuse of $200K in taxpayer dollars under Lisa Cupid’s leadership, funding for tours and more consultants

When elected leaders prioritize personal gain, wealth, or power over the well-being of citizens, it is trust and morale that are eroded. This can lead to the exploitation of citizens as they watch their government make decisions solely for their own personal gain, not that of the citizenry.

This brings us to the case of greed and poor management in Cobb County government under the leadership of Lisa Cupid. In the most recent incident involving Chair Cupid, she led ‘Yes Votes’ on the Board to move $200,000 in contingency funding to the county’s operational budget for her use. Cupid requested the shift, which would allow her to spend the funds in three buckets: professional services, programs and events, and office activity. In the professional services category, Cupid says she plans to use $100,000 of the funds to pay for policy research to hire independent researchers to aid in identifying the best policy before presenting it to the board.

Please be reminded that Cupid is paid a six figure salary, as well as funding for her office staff. She also has at her disposal the utilizations of county staff on any issue involving county matters, so why does she need access to another $200k?

The lone vote against Cupid’s proposal was Commission Kelli Gambrill, who had no hesitation in telling Cupid that she is not someone to be trusted. Said Gambrill, “I don’t trust you with transparency.” Gambrill made this statement while raising concerns that Cupid is using the funds to finance her re-election campaign, and pointed to the “Cupid Loves Cobb Tour” that began last week. Cupid described the tour as one to highlight businesses and people around Cobb, but Gambrill saw it differently as she described the tour as “more of a campaign endeavor — to which I am opposed to a sitting commissioner using county resources to sway voters.”

Gambrill is not alone with this thought as others have shared similar sentiments and concerns regarding this recent decision and other actions taken under Cupid’s leadership. This $200K decision has sparked significant public outcry, with phones at Spotlight ringing incessantly. Citizens criticize the Board of Commissioners’ (BOC) action, contrasting it with Cupid’s previous refusal to provide relief to citizens in need in 2023. Despite months of pleas to roll back the mileage rate for recession relief, Cupid demonstrated insensitivity to the plight of Cobb citizens and quickly voted NO. The situation draws parallels to Marie-Antoinette’s infamous statement, “let them eat cake.” As citizens suffered, the BOC did nothing, yet Cupid and her colleagues are comfortable voting yes to this $200K allocation.

Cupid’s questionable use of taxpayer money extends well beyond this controversy and also involves significant sums of taxpayer money awarded to consultants to tell her how to do her job.

Despite assurances during her race for the top job in Cobb government that she could make sound decisions on behalf of voters, the reality that citizens have experienced over the past three years paints a startlingly different picture. Cupid’s reliance on consultants with six-figure contracts indicates a troubling pattern that citizens say they cannot support. It further raises doubts about her ability to make decisions without external assistance. It has also induced citizen concerns about the judicious use of taxpayer funds under Cupid.

We are in the midst of an election year and citizens we have spoken to emphasize the importance of remembering the actions of their elected representatives. When entering the voting booth, they urge fellow voters to remember who took care of the well-being of the community and who prioritized their own interests and took care of themselves.