Gov. Deal suspends indicted Dougherty school board member Velvet Riggins

Governor Deal signed an executive order suspending Dougherty County Board of Education member Velvet Riggins, who is under indictment.

Riggins was indicted in April on four felony counts — two counts of theft by taking, one count of public record fraud and one count of providing false information to obtain free school meals for a child.

Deal empaneled a committee to review the situation and make a recommendation; the committee recommended Riggins’s suspension.

Riggins is suspended pending disposition of the indictments or the end of her term, but is running unopposed for reelection. It is unclear whether the whole mess will have to be repeated when Riggins is re-elected.

“The law is ambiguous because it authorizes the governor to appoint a replacement unless there is a local ordinance in place,” school board attorney Tommy Coleman said. “There is an ordinance in place to ‘appoint to a vacancy,’ but I think it means a permanent, rather than a temporary vacancy. But if she is convicted of a felony then she can’t hold office.

“I am still trying to get some direction from the governor’s attorneys.”