In an email to the Cobb County Courier, Travis Lindley, who is challenging incumbent Councilwoman Maryline Blackburn for Smyrna’s Ward 3 city council seat, denied initiating an ethics complaint that was filed against Blackburn.

The complaint, submitted to the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission by William Perry of Georgia Ethics Watchdog, made the following allegations:

• Failing to disclose in-kind and/or expenses for her campaign office located on Concord Road on her campaign disclosure reports, and,
• Exceeding in-kind contribution amounts for that office space if it was indeed an in-kind contribution, and,
• Repeatedly omitting address and employer information on several campaign reports for donors, only reporting a name and dollar amount, and,
• Seemingly failing to file several campaign finance disclosure reports.

Blackburn did not address the specific allegations in the complaint when asked by the Courier for comment for our earlier article, but said, “I have not been contacted by anyone from Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission regarding the allegation from the 2017 campaign. If the commission contacts us we will, of course, respond appropriately.”

She then said, “The timing of this complaint during the last week of the campaign appears to be yet another desperate attempt by my opponent to distract the voters from the issues they care about; Sterigenics, Traffic, Schools, the Environment and more.

Lindley said in his email to the Courier, “I, nor my campaign, have been in contact with the Cobb Courier, Mr. Perry or anyone with the GA ethics commission.”

He said, “The appropriate response for a public servant would have been to address the claim and answer the questions within the ethics complaint. “

“I call on Ms. Blackburn to address the ethics complaint, answer the complaint. If you failed to follow the law, amend your report and own your mistake. It is actually pretty simple,” Lindley said.