"What can I do?"

I asked.

"Try Jimmy Webb."

At that time Jimmy Webb was

Fulton County Solicitor General. I quickly had an

audience and had my say regarding Commissioner Eaves. Mr.

Webb immediately assigned me to an assistant solicitor

whom I greatly respected.

"Mr. Webb sent you to

me?" said the AS. "About a year ago, Mr. Webb

met with all the associates and told us that if any AS

investigated any corruption charges committed by any

elected official, he (Mr. Webb) would fire that AS. Why

don't you call (Georgia Attorney General) Mike

Bowers?"

Less than an hour later I

was talking over the phone with the most powerful elected

law enforcement official in Georgia. The gist of Mr.

Bowers' comments that related to Commissioner Eaves

attempting to sell influence was this:

"Mr. Bryan, Georgia

has some pathetic laws regarding corruption committed by

elected public officials that, actually, are worse than

nothing. The Georgia Legislature has attached so many

`poison pill' amendments to Georgia's ethics laws that

any conviction of an elected official, who's still in

office, will be overturned at the appeals level. At best,

Georgia's ethics laws can embarrass the corrupt official

and cost him (or her) money for lawyer's fees, lost

income and (hopefully) reelection.

"Usually, though,

Georgia's ethics laws target idealists, `whistleblowers,'

and honest people who testify against the corrupt

official. Retribution ranges from dirty looks, threats

and adverse job evaluations to beatings, unexplained

deaths and murder. Mr. Slaton and Mr. Webb have realized

for years that any corruption investigation is an

exercise in futility and a needless expense for Fulton

County. What Slaton and Webb should have done was send

you to the only person in Georgia who has the authority,

power and ability to take on Mr. Eaves. Call Bob Barr

(U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of

Georgia)."

I did. Apparently, so many

people had called Mr. Barr, that I never had to give him

a deposition or testify. (Mr. Barr commented that the

level of corruption in Fulton County and City of Atlanta

was on par with that of Chicago during the height of

Prohibition. I agreed).

About six months later,

newspapers announced that Mr. Eaves and his fellow

Commissioner, Chuck Williams, were to be prosecuted for

corruption. Both were convicted. Both served prison time

in the Federal Prison System.

Unfortunately for

Georgians, Georgia's Ethics Laws are worse now than they

were ten years ago. Whistleblowers, honest people,

concerned citizens, Carl Avrit and Steve Brown: Beware!

Bill Bryan

Peachtree City