On Monday night, City Council saved the best for last.  At the conclusion of city council’s meeting, two items concerning elections were raised.  The first item was the termination of Milton’s elections consultant, Vernetta Nuriddan, with speeches by both Ms. Nuriddan and partisan activist Lisa Cauley . . . both of which were odd in their own ways.  The second item was a speech by Council Member Rick Mohrig from the council dais where he dishonestly and feebly defended the indefensible actions of Milton’s Elections Feasibility Committee (EFC).

Termination of Milton’s Election Consultant (and Hiring of Another Consultant).  Milton’s long and shameful elections saga took another embarrassing turn on Monday night.  City Council’s last agenda item was the termination of Milton’s elections consultant and the hiring of another elections consultant.  The background to this story was provided in my previous post:

Election Interference (Part 3):  Termination of Election Consultant and Hiring of New Consultant . . . City Is Reaping What Moore, Mohrig, and Lunatic Fringe Have Sown

I attended last night’s city council meeting.  And surprise of surprises . . . Ms. Nuriddan showed up to contest her termination; to question the qualifications of her successor; and to (politely) blast the City for its elections planning and preparations.  Apparently, Nuriddan was only made aware (by “neighbors” in Milton) of her termination just hours earlier (at 4:15pm).  (This lack of notification shows a lack of professionalism and courtesy by the City and frankly strikes me as slimy.)  Ms. Nuriddan was cut off when she exceeded the 5-minute time limit for public comment.  I would have enjoyed hearing more; it was juicy stuff.  Nuriddan alleged numerous election irregularities in her comments.  Although terminated for convenience (vs. cause), clearly the city had (perhaps justified) concerns about Ms. Nuriddan’s performance.  I do not think the City has heard the last from Ms. Nuriddan.  Clearly, Ms. Nuriddan is not pleased with the City.  I suspect there will be additional chapters in this election consultant story that will bring further embarrassment to the City and that unfortunately fit into a much bigger picture of elections dishonesty, incompetence, non-transparency, and hyper-partisanship at the City.

Following is a detailed and insightful Milton Herald story by Amber Perry about last night’s contract termination:

Milton Herald: Milton Replaces Elections Consultant

Lisa Cauley, a partisan activist and EFC member, also appeared before council to protest Ms. Nuriddan’s termination and to blast city staff, especially the City Manager, for their handling of this situation.  However, I do not want to waste many pixels on Ms. Cauley.  Suffice to say that Ms. Cauley seems increasingly isolated and marginalized.  She has been demoted to just an ordinary private citizen (like the rest of us).  Cauley’s elections project is falling apart and she is helpless to do anything about it.  Karma! Sweet Karma!

After public comment and without discussion, Nuriddan’s termination was put to a vote and passed unanimously.  Both Moore and Mohrig, who strongly pressured Krokoff and Nuriddan into a consulting contract, uttered not a peep in support of Nuriddan (and Cauley).  (Note:  Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne will also have to answer for her endorsement of Nuriddan.)  Not fully recovered from their humiliating defeat over the addition of a District 3 voting location, Moore and Mohrig were dealt another body blow to their reputations with Ms. Nuriddan’s firing.

Mohrig’s Lame and Untruthful Defense of the EFC’s Clandestine Conduct.  In the wake of Ms. Nurridan’s termination, you would have thought Council Member Rick Mohrig might have been chastened and perhaps slunk out of council chambers with his tail between his legs.  Instead, an unbowed and unhinged Mohrig followed Milton’s last agenda item with an eight-minute prepared statement rationalizing the clandestine workings of the EFC.  Clearly, the Milton Herald and I have struck a nerve with Council Member Mohrig.  I am pleased.  Through mostly self-inflicted injuries, Mohrig is mortally wounded.  Punch-drunk, the bobbing-and-weaving Mohrig is staggering in Milton’s political arena swinging wildly at his opponents.  Last night, Mohrig demonstrated yet again that he is untethered from ethics, citizens’ concerns, and political reality.  From the comfortable safety of the council pulpit, the pusillanimous Mohrig lashed out at his critics.

Mohrig’s main purpose in his comments was to refute my assertions that the EFC operated in secret . . . violating Georgia’s Open Meetings and Open Records Act and other laws governing Milton’s committees.  Mohrig’s main justification for the EFC’s clandestine activities is that Milton’s EFC was initially an “informal” committee and therefore exempt from Milton (and sometimes Georgia) laws governing the formation and operation of committees.  For example, Mr. Mohrig acknowledges that the EFC did meet behind closed doors, kept NO records of its proceedings, published NO public notices, and did NOT provide opportunities for general public participation and observance.  However, Mr. Mohrig’s reason—actually his excuse—for the EFC’s lack of transparency is that “informal” committees are not bound by Georgia’s Open Meeting and Records Act or any other rules for that matter.  Ethics laws?  Legal liability?  Forget about it.  Slap the adjective “informal” on a committee and you can do whatever you want and keep no record of what you did.

The irrefutable rebuttal to Mr. Mohrig’s reasoning (or lack thereof) is there is no such thing as an “informal” committee.  It is entirely fictional.  A figment of Mohrig’s and the City’s imagination, like Big Foot, the Tooth Fairy, and the Loch Ness Monster.  It’s a lie and an insult to the intelligence of Milton’s fine citizens.  Surely, if there was such an entity as an informal committee, there would be some mention of “informal” committees somewhere in Milton’s municipal code.  So I did a search of Milton’s municipal code using the term “informal committee.”  Following is a screen shot of the results:

That’s right . . . there are exactly ZERO mentions of “informal committees” and accordingly no rules for such committees.  Georgia’s Open Meetings Act requires that meetings of every “department, agency, board, bureau, office, commission, authority, or similar body of each such county, city, or other political subdivision of the state” be open to the public. PERIOD. No exceptions, Mr. Mohrig. Furthermore, Georgia’s Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Colangelo stated that the “informal” EFC should have followed guidelines of the Open Meetings Act (source: Milton Herald). Again, “informal” committees are a fiction merely intended by Mr. Mohrig to dupe citizens.

However, it gets worse.  The city does, of course, have rules for convening and operating committees . . . explicit and strict rules that City Council and the EFC should have followed, but did not.  The City engaged in illegality, but has not admitted it.

The rules for committee formation and operation are to be found primarily in two sections of Milton’s municipal code:  1) City Charter:  Section 4.11 – Boards under Article IV and 2) Local Acts:  Division 1 under Article V – Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Authorities contained within Chapter 2- Administration.  Following are links to both sections of the Milton Municipal Code.

Milton City Charter – Boards

Milton Local Acts – Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Authorities

The “informal” EFC violated Milton’s (and some state) laws pertaining to establishing and operating committees.  By my count, the City violated at least eight of its rules for city committees:

1. The date and time of each EFC meeting and the associated EFC’s agendas were NOT publicized as required by both city and state law.  The EFC’s meetings were not even included on the city’s calendar.
2. The EFC’s meetings were NOT open to the public (as required by both city and state law).
3. Minutes of meetings were NOT kept and filed with the city clerk’s office.
4. City council did NOT establish the period of existence, duties, and powers of the EFC.
5. City council did NOT appoint members of the EFC by a majority vote.
6. City council did NOT establish a seven-member board with one member nominated by each member of council and the mayor.
7. City council allowed elected officials to serve on the EFC, which is a violation of the City Charter.
8. EFC members served on the EFC without 1) taking an oath administered by the mayor and 2) executing and filing that oath with the city clerk.

I am attaching files of the relevant sections of the Milton Municipal Code, highlighting the rules violated by the City.  Considering all the malfeasance around Milton’s elections, it is likely that someone will sue Milton.  The City’s multiple and serious irregularities in establishing and running the EFC would certainly figure prominently in such a lawsuit.

In conclusion, as with so many other issues surrounding the 2023 elections (e.g., Mohrig’s exaggerated and recently discredited election savings claims), Rick Mohrig’s lies about “informal” committees demonstrate he is a person of low character and little integrity . . . just another lying, dissembling politician who has no respect for the law or for the citizens he supposedly serves. 

Advocating For Free, Fair, Honest, and Transparent Elections,

Tim Becker

Note: Go to Bits & Pieces to read latest post: Orwellian Mohrig: Too Dangerous For Milton . . . Elections Have Been Moh-rigged. You might have to scroll down the page.