Brookhaven Named 'City of Ethics'

The Georgia Municipal Association has recognized Brookhaven as an ethical city.

The Georgia Municipal Association’s Ethics Certification Committee determined that Brookhaven meets the qualifications to be certified as a Georgia Certified City of Ethics.

The city will be awarded a plaque and recognized June 24 at GMA’s annual convention at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

Approving a code of ethics was one of the first actions the city council took after being installed in December. The council adopted a resolution requesting certification by GMA’s ethics committee in February.

“It is an honor and testament to our city to be recognized for our steps to be ethical and transparent, especially in such a short time frame since our incorporation as a city,” Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis said.

Davis, along with council members Rebecca Chase Williams, Jim Eyre, Joe Gebbia and Bates Mattison will accept the award at the GMA conference scheduled for June 22-25.

The mayor and council members will also attend classes on ethics, economic development, planning, utilities and open meetings. City Manager Marie Garrett and City Clerk Susan Hiott will also attend.

To address concerns of public confidence in elected officials, GMA appointed an Ethics Task Force in 1998. The task force drafted the Model Code of Ethics for Georgia city officials in 1999 and launched the ethics certification program. The ethics certification program is not approval of an individual’s conduct but promotes awareness about ethics issues at the local level and provides a local forum for the airing and resolution of legitimate concerns.

GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy and educational services to its members, which include 512 municipal governments in Georgia.

This article was prepared by the city and edited for publication.