Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident questions legal and ethical conduct of Commissioner Hoyte during public comment; commissioner declines to resign
Summary
During the Aug. 6 open forum resident Steve Wagner raised allegations about Commissioner Damon Hoyte's court filings and ethics, asked for a resignation, and said he plans to file a complaint with the Georgia State Ethics Commission; Hoyte declined to answer some questions during the meeting and later said he would not resign.
During the Aug. 6 regular meeting resident Steve Wagner used the open‑forum segment to raise a series of allegations and questions about Commissioner Damon Hoyte’s legal actions and conduct.
Wagner asked whether Hoyte had pleaded guilty in magistrate court on Dec. 8, 2022, whether Hoyte had filed subsequent pleadings, and whether county taxpayers were incurring costs because of legal filings. County Attorney Bin Minter reminded the meeting that commissioners are not required to answer questions during open forum. Hoyte declined to answer many of Wagner’s questions during the public comment period; Wagner said he intends to file a complaint with the Georgia State Ethics Commission and requested in‑writing notice if Hoyte did not resign within 14 days.
At reconvening after an executive session, Commissioner Hoyte told the board he had considered resigning after recent election results but decided not to, saying the voters of Chattahoochee County had chosen a direction he would not obstruct. The minutes record that Hoyte said he will remain on the commission.
The minutes capture Wagner’s allegations and requests and the commissioner’s public refusal to resign; they record no formal disciplinary action, no official response from the ethics commission, and no county charge or finding recorded at the meeting.
