The City of Atlanta’s main corruption investigation agency is seeking to raise its public profile and attract more tips to head off more problems.
After six years investigating corruption in New York City government, Shannon K. Manigault came to Atlanta in 2020 as the City’s first-ever inspector general – heading an office created in the wake of bribery cases in the administration of former Mayor Kasim Reed.
“The office was born in the aftermath of the City Hall corruption scandal, where members of the highest levels of the administration were engaged in self-dealing as opposed to serving the public as they were required to do,” said Manigault in a recent phone interview. “…So it was a no-brainer for me to be able to come and help build this office and this program and this function to better serve the citizens of Atlanta.”
Two-and-a-half years later, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched a publicity campaign called “Eyes on ATL” to raise its profile and solicit tips on City Hall fraud, waste and abuse. The effort also coincides with a recent rearrangement that removed the Ethics Office from OIG’s control amid discussion of conflicts and funding. Manigault says the cost of the PR campaign – up to $120,000 paid to an outside firm – will more than pay for itself in losses prevented or recouped.
The publicity also helps to explain the somewhat complicated and overlapping realms of City corruption-investigation agencies and practices, which can confuse even those of us who spend time pursuing scandals.
Many major cities have an anti-corruption department, but Atlanta was not among them up to the time of the bribery scandal that began rocking City Hall in 2017 when federal prosecutions were announced. In 2019, a City-created “Task Force for the Promotion of Public Trust” recommended various reforms, including the OIG, which began work in 2020.
Today, OIG has two divisions. The Compliance…
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