Commissioner too busy trolling constituents on Facebook to follow ethics laws
It appears Forsyth County Commissioner Todd Levent has violated Georgia ethics laws again. Levent was cited for an ethics violation in 2010 for failing to reveal his personal financial interests as required by Georgia law. Levent acknowledged guilt, and signed a document committing to following the law in the future.
County records indicated Levent has committed the same violation in 2022 as he did in 2010. At the time of writing, his report is currently over 50 days overdue. The primary election has passed without voters having this essential information. UPDATE: After this was brought to light, Levent has since filed his report.
The purpose of law is to provide transparency into potential conflicts of interest by elected officials. Without this information, voters are in the dark about potential conflicts and special interests. This revelation comes as Levent is under fire for changing the County Land Use Map to facilitate higher density zonings in West Forsyth. This change began just 21 days after a new company was created to build a high denisty mega development in Levent’s district.
So what was Commissioner Levent doing while he could have been following state law? Records show he was on Facebook arguing with and insulting his constituents, claiming an elected official has taken “hush money”, defending high density zoning, accusing a community member of being racist, and posting/commenting about State Representative Sheri Gilligan and candidate Carter Barrett over 200 times.
“Levent has become unhinged” said one person who was victim of his insults “He has slandered me and said I am breaking state law, and now I find out he is the one breaking state law. This is unconscionable! His conduct is unbecoming of an elected official.”
A sample of how Commissioner Levent has been spending his time can be found below.
