The Honorable Teddy Lee

Politics bites state's top watchdog: Teddy Lee was fired!

On January 4th the state Ethics Commission voted 4-1 to remove Mr. Lee from a post he held for fifteen years. He served the state well as executive secretary of the Ethics Commission. He had the job of investigating complaints against elected officials, applying Georgia’s laws and recommending to the full commission whether a lawmaker was guilty of an infraction.

Back in 2001 I had opportunity to work with Mr. Lee and got a real education about the law, its history and how it can be applied. As a common citizen involved in researching an ethics complaint it was impossible to know enough about conflicts of interest or how the law would apply. Mr. Lee gave me a detailed explanation that legislators make the laws to prescribe things as they ought to be. Georgia law uses words like should and ought, and the only penalties involve specifically proven indiscretions dealing with money. The legislature failed to provide specific remedies or any way to penalize a wide variety of improprieties. This is the world Mr. Lee worked in. And he was good at it.

Mr. Lee believes no individual or political party is above the law. Appointed by Governor Zell Miller in 1990, he always treated Democrats and Republicans fairly. He was never even accused of partisan leanings. He made decisions about politicians taking gifts from lobbyists. He determined whether they had abused their office for personal gain, or failed to properly disclose campaign contributions. Last year the Ethics Commission sanctioned both Republican Governor Perdue and Democrat DeKalb CEO Jones for campaign violations. They also heard a complaint against two Henry County officials. Ted Lee said that both Harper and Maddox should be named as respondents in the action (a hard line approach), but the full commission decided against it. Instead consent orders were allowed and the improper donations were repaid.

During Sonny Perdue’s campaign for governor in 2002 I was honored to interview him for a local television show. He was strong in his positions, especially about reforming the state’s ethics laws. We talked about land deals for the outer perimeter and how money too often influences the job of governing. I was very impressed with him personally and was drawn to his passionate arguments. Although stronger ethics legislation was introduced, the legislature did not accept it. Compromises were made that, for people like me, destroyed one of Perdue’s best campaign promises.

Governor Perdue denies having any part in Mr. Lee’s dismissal from the Ethics Commission. But Perdue tried to force Lee’s resignation in 2003, because he was a hold-over from previous Democrat administration. But Lee refused, saying that allowing political pressure would undermine everything the Commission stood for. The Commission has suffered a hostile legislature, a low budget and not enough staff. It is clear that Perdue wanted Lee removed. Although the commission hires the executive secretary, the governor appoints the commissioners.

Teddy Lee served with distinction under four governors. What is disappointing is the new ethics laws passed last year are touted as being bigger and better than we ever had. But another Perdue campaign point was left out: no limits were placed on gifts made to elected officials. The real disgrace in Lee’s termination is the self-policing provision of the new law. It creates ethics committees in the House and Senate to determine ethical misconduct by its own members. Remember the compromises that were made? In order to put the foxes in charge of the henhouse, Mr. Lee could not be left in his job!

I know Teddy Lee and cannot express enough gratitude for his fight for ethical and honest government. The state’s lawmakers hail the new law as proof of higher ethical standards. They say the bar was raised. More likely, citizens know that no elected official will squeal on a comrade. Sliding under that higher bar we can expect political wrongdoing that will not appear on Teddy Lee’s desk.