Resident questions commissioner’s court filings during open forum; commissioner declines to resign

During the Aug. 6 regular meeting’s open forum resident Steve Wagner publicly questioned Commissioner Damon Hoyte about litigation and magistrate court matters he said involved Hoyte.

Wagner asked Hoyte directly: "Beginning with on Dec. 8, 2022, did you not plead guilty to a county ordinance within the magistrate court?" and later told the commission he had located multiple filings, naming what he said were three magistrate and seven superior-court motions related to Hoyte. Wagner said those filings were costing county taxpayers money and that he was preparing a complaint to the Georgia Ethics Commission; he asked Hoyte to resign and requested that a written resignation be submitted within 14 days or that the chairman call an election or take a removal vote.

Commissioner Hoyte declined to answer some questions at the meeting, saying certain matters could not be discussed there. After the commission’s executive session concluded, Hoyte addressed the board and said he had considered writing a resignation letter after the election results but ultimately decided not to resign, telling opponents "please continue the process." County Attorney Bin Minter reminded attendees of standard policy that commissioners are not required to answer public questions.

The meeting record shows Wagner said he would continue researching and said he had documents and recordings; the transcript does not record whether any formal ethics complaint was filed by the time the minutes were prepared. The commission did not take an on-the-record personnel or removal action at the Aug. 6 meeting; the executive session was described by the chairman as covering personnel and legal matters but the chairman said no votes were taken in the closed session.