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Resident accuses Commissioner of repeated legal actions; commissioner declines to answer
Summary
During open forum a resident alleged Commissioner Damon Hoyte has filed multiple court cases against the county and an EEOC complaint; Hoyte declined to answer some questions and later said he considered resigning but decided not to.
A citizen used the public comment period of the Aug. 6 regular meeting to press Commissioner Damon Hoyte about court filings and an EEOC complaint that, he said, have cost the county money.
Steve Wagner told the commission he had reviewed filings he believes were submitted by Commissioner Hoyte, asked whether Hoyte pleaded guilty in magistrate court on Dec. 8, 2022, and said he counted "three magistrate" and "seven superior court" motions as of about a week earlier. Wagner said taxpayers bear the cost of litigation and said he planned to file a complaint with the Georgia Ethics Commission.
Commissioner Hoyte declined to answer some of Wagner's questions at the meeting, saying there were matters he could not discuss publicly. The county attorney reminded speakers that commissioners are not required to answer public questions. Later in the meeting Hoyte said he had considered resigning after the election and had drafted a resignation letter but ultimately chose not to resign, saying, "I'm not going to resign." Wagner said he would continue to investigate and to pursue formal complaints.
The commission did not take any formal action on the allegations during the meeting; an attorney at the session noted legal and personnel matters were discussed in the executive session later that night.
