Cobb ethics board unanimously dismisses complaints against Cupid

The Cobb County Board of Ethics voted unanimously Wednesday, Oct. 21, to throw out two complaints against Board of Commissioners Chair Lisa Cupid, finding the filings were technically deficient.

The complaints, filed by District 1 residents Tom Davies and Ed Zenner, alleged Cupid acted unprofessionally and improperly closed discussion during an Aug. 18 commission meeting, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. Both complainants are members of the Preserve West Cobb Citizens Alliance.

The board treated the nearly identical complaints as a single case. Members found they lacked a notarized affidavit, supporting documentation and specific code-of-ethics citations, all required under the board's rules.

Adam Rozen, attorney for the Board of Ethics, said the board reached out to Davies and Zenner about correcting the deficiencies but never received updated filings, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

Ethics board member Ron Younker said the complainants pointed the board to a YouTube recording of the commission meeting but did not provide timestamps or other specific documentation. Younker said the length of commission meetings made it difficult to identify the conduct at issue without more precise references, the paper reported.

Board member Larry Sernovitz questioned whether the complaints belonged before the ethics board at all, saying they concerned parliamentary rules rather than the county's code of ethics.

The dispute traces to a contentious Aug. 18 commission vote on rezoning roughly three acres at the intersection of Stilesboro Road and Dennis Kemp Lane for a daycare center. The commission voted 3-2 to allow Creative World Schools to build the facility, WSB-TV reported. District 1 Commissioner Keli Gambrill and District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell opposed the project, citing traffic concerns.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal, Gambrill's motion to deny the rezoning failed, and Cupid then moved to approve the development with stipulations. That motion passed 3-2, with Gambrill and Birrell voting against.

Davies and Zenner have 15 days from the Oct. 21 dismissal to refile corrected complaints.