MILTON, Ga. — At the July 24 Milton City Council meeting, Mayor Peyton Jamison asked the city’s chief administrator in his capacity as the elections superintendent whether he was confident in Milton’s ability to run its own election and what he would need for it to be successful.
“Mechanically, we can definitely run our own election,” City Manager Steve Krokoff said. “… But as you know … Trust and legitimacy are a critical piece. They’re more important than the financial piece at the end of the day, and it’s important that if we move forward, we can maintain a level of trust and legitimacy.”
Milton officials have come under fire recently after records surfaced that showed some councilmembers may have overstepped ethical bounds in the hiring process for the city’s new elections consultant.
According to the Milton city charter, the city manager has the authority to hire staff who would act as department heads or directors. While Krokoff was solely responsible for hiring the consultant, he saw outside pressure to interview Vernetta Nuriddin, the former vice chair of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections.
Nuriddin was hired in late May.
Citizens lodge complaints
Appen Media reported June 6 Nuriddin had been hired based on nominations from Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne and Milton City Councilman Rick Mohrig. While she had never worked as an elections superintendent — a minimum qualification — Krokoff said Nuriddin was “quite knowledgeable.”
The recommendations from Thorne and Mohrig were confirmed by texts and emails obtained through an Open Records request, though not directly quoted.
Tim Becker, former Milton resident of nearly 30 years, expanded on the personal exchanges among city staff and councilmembers on his blog “Milton Coalition,” providing screenshots of emails and text…
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