Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is defending the big cash payouts given to senior officials in his administration for unused sick and vacation time, despite some city council members raising concerns the payments were improper. According to a report from WABE, police chief George Turner, whose annual salary is about $240,000, received a one-time cash payment of $79,000 last year for 700 hours of unused vacation time. Councilwoman Felicia Moore says that payment should have never happened. Eight other city employees have also received cash payouts for unused sick time and vacation days.
The Atlanta City Ethics Department will look into the spending of Councilman Michael Julian Bond after an investigation by 11Alive. Some of the questionable expenses include party favors he bought for his own high school reunion, a private math tutor that he paid to teach him at City Hall and a recent four-day trip to Washington, D.C. that happened to coincide with his family reunion.
Some Edgewood residents are calling for a boycott of the Edgewood Retail District on Moreland Avenue because of public safety concerns following two assaults in the shopping center. A man was robbed and assaulted by four men back in June, then in July a woman was carjacked at noon in the underground parking area. According to a report in Creative Loafing, residents want more lighting, panic buttons, surveillance cameras and security personnel at Edgewood.
