Ex-chairman blames finances for upheaval in ethics commission | www.myajc.com

The state ethics commission was “broke” and needed fixing, and that’s the only reason its former director had her salary cut, former commission Chairman Patrick Millsaps testified Tuesday.

Millsaps was the first witness called in the trial involving the commission and its investigation into Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2010 campaign. Former commission director Stacey Kalberman sued the agency, claiming she was forced from her job for investigating Deal’s campaign.

“I don’t remember the specifics, but we were looking at overhauling the whole thing,” Millsaps said. “It was broke. We were trying to fix it.”

Kalberman attorney Kim Worth asked Millsaps why the budget concerns he used as the rationale for cutting Kalberman’s salary never came up before the Deal investigation gained steam. Millsaps rejected the implication and said there was no conspiracy.

“It wasn’t just about the governor,” he said. “I wanted to know if we were going to be able to afford the minimum. You keep calling it ‘Deal, Deal Deal,’ and that was one investigation. The commission was not designed or tasked only to investigate the governor of the state.”

Kalberman’s suit has helped toss the ethics commission into turmoil. Depositions in the case have alleged, among other things, that the commission’s current director claimed that Deal owed her after his case was settled with the governor facing only a minor penalty. Holly LaBerge, the director, has denied the accusation.

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