Over 35 lawmakers demand probe into Kemp and Dooley contracts
Lawmakers demand independent school contract investigation
Rep. Shea Roberts and more than 35 state legislators are demanding that Gov. Brian Kemp launch an independent investigation into school safety contractor Centegix during this month's special session. Lawmakers allege a corruption and pay-to-play scheme involving tens of millions in taxpayer dollars and 100,000 dollars in campaign boosts for candidate Derek Dooley in Atlanta. Spokespersons for the governor and the Dooley campaign have not yet offered a response to the accusations.
ATLANTA - Dozens of state lawmakers are demanding that Gov. Brian Kemp use an upcoming special session to launch an independent investigation into a possible multi-million dollar corruption and pay-to-play scandal involving Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley.
Georgia taxpayer dollars investigated
What we know:
More than 35 Democratic state legislators signed a joint statement calling for an independent probe into state contracts awarded to the Dooley family company, Centegix, according to press conference statements. State records show the school safety firm received tens of millions of dollars in state contracts under Kemp's direct supervision.
The lawmakers allege the Dooley family subsequently funneled more than $100,000 into Kemp's political action committee. Kemp then used those funds to aggressively boost Dooley's U.S. Senate campaign, creating what opposition lawmakers call an obvious conflict of interest.
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What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed if Kemp will add the contract investigation to the agenda for this month's special session. Neither Kemp nor Dooley have answered direct questions regarding the timeline or ethics of the taxpayer-funded contracts.
It remains unclear exactly how many non-competitive, no-bid contracts were awarded to Centegix across Georgia school districts. Investigators have not yet determined if other school safety vendors were locked out of the state bidding process entirely.
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What they're saying:
"Our constituents deserve so much better and we have a lot of questions that must be answered," Rep. Shea Roberts said. "Today we are demanding that the governor open an independent investigation into Centegix and no-bid contracts during this month’s special session."
Sen. RaShaun Kemp noted that Dooley frequently presents himself as a political outsider on the campaign trail, even distributing a "Georgia first contract" promising not to use public office to get rich. "So now you can understand why it would be concerning to learn that new reporting revealed Derek Dooley’s deep insider connections as he tries to run as a political outsider in the Republican runoff," Sen. Kemp said.
The other side:
Gov. Kemp's office released the following statement:
"In a new low, Georgia Democrats are now attacking $520 million in locally-controlled school security funding that protects students, teachers, and faculty—and ultimately saves lives. The school safety grants these same Democrats previously voted overwhelmingly to support were disbursed to local school districts, not administered by the state. Decisions on how to spend these grants, which vendor(s) to select, or what method of security chosen rests solely with local authorities, and any contracts would be between the local district and their selected recipient. Even beyond these specific grants, by Georgia law the Governor's Office has no role whatsoever in any procurement process at the state or local levels. Any unfounded partisan accusation to the contrary should be treated as such."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a Georgia Capitol press conference held by state House and Senate lawmakers.