Levent calls censure vote “retaliation” for his opposition to the City of Sharon Springs

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. –On Thursday (Aug. 20) the Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 (Commissioner Todd Levent and Cindy Mills recused themselves) to censure District 3 Commissioner Todd Levent.

The censure, which was read by Chairwoman Laura Semanson, states: “The Board does hereby censure Commissioner Todd Levent for accessing Commissioner Cindy Mills’ county email account without her knowledge and without using Ga. OCGA 50-18-70 Open Records Act and obtaining un-redacted lists of current emails compiled for county business without using the Open Records Act and forwarding them to his campaign email account apparently for his campaign or other non-county business use.”

On Friday, Levent responded. “I did nothing wrong,” he said. “It was a one-sided, steered investigation. I spoke with my attorney (Daran Burns) today and we are considering our options.”

Levent added, “The commissioners behind the investigation have issues with me over my opposition to the City of Sharon Springs. I believe this is retaliation for that.”

He particularly objects to the accusation that he did not file an open records request.

O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 Paragraph B states “A request made pursuant to this article may be made to the custodian of a public record orally or in writing. He said he verbally requested the emails from then Assistant to County Commissioners Carol Haag.

“The words she put into the investigation are not true,” he said. “When we as commissioners ask things of her she knows she has to go through the proper avenues. She knows her job. Her title is big and she gets a big paycheck.”

Haag was given a one-day suspension and transferred to the Voter Registration and Elections Office.

 

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