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Resident alleges Commissioner Damon Hoyte has filed multiple lawsuits; commissioner declines to answer
Summary
At the Aug. 6 Cusseta–Chattahoochee County commission meeting, resident Steve Wagner accused Commissioner Damon Hoyte of filing multiple court actions and an EEOC complaint and said the litigation is costing taxpayers; Hoyte declined to answer and later said he would not resign after briefly considering it.
At the Aug. 6 meeting of the Commission of the Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County, resident Steve Wagner publicly accused Commissioner Damon Hoyte of filing numerous court actions and an EEOC complaint and said those filings are imposing costs on the county.
Wagner, who said he has "over 35 years" of experience in law enforcement and criminal justice programs, named a superior‑court case (23CD072) and asserted multiple magistrate and superior court filings. "I voted for Mr. Hoyte," Wagner said, and told the board he planned to file a complaint with the Georgia Ethics Commission if he believed abuses continued.
When Wagner asked Hoyte whether he had pleaded guilty in magistrate court on Dec. 8, 2022, and whether he had filed further motions, Hoyte declined to answer questions on the record. County Attorney Bin Minter reminded the public that commissioners are not required to answer such inquiries at the meeting.
Wagner urged the commission to demand a written resignation from Hoyte within 14 days, saying the financial burden from litigation should not fall on taxpayers. He also said he would continue investigating and search court records for the alleged claims.
After the meeting went into executive session for legal and personnel matters and later reconvened, Commissioner Hoyte told the board he had considered resigning after the election results and "did decide to write a resignation letter," but said he ultimately discarded it. "I threw it out, and I am not going to resign," Hoyte said, adding that those who want him gone could continue to seek that outcome through whatever processes are available.
No formal action or vote related to Wagner's allegations was recorded at the Aug. 6 meeting. The county attorney and chairman stated that the matters discussed in executive session were within the legal exceptions to open‑meetings law and that no votes were taken during the closed session.
