ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta’s economic development authority will have to wait and see if it will be granted premium seating at the new Falcons stadium.
Invest Atlanta asked the city's ethics board to overturn a previous ruling and allow the authority free, premium seating at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The seats would be used to attract business, but the group argues it has essentially paid for the seats through bond financing.
Channel 2's Nicole Carr learned about the request this week, ahead of Thursday night's ethics board meeting.
The board heard Invest Atlanta’s formal request then, but a source told Carr that Invest Atlanta’s recent letter outlined its “intent to include premium seating in the contract for the new stadium for economic development purposes.”
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On Thursday afternoon, Invest Atlanta forwarded Carr its letter to the ethics board. The seven-page letter outlines the $200 million investment the city of Atlanta has made in the Atlanta Falcons and the stadium. The authority argues that’s the payment for the seats.
[READ: Invest Atlanta's letter to ethics board]
Invest Atlanta is largely responsible for recruiting, retaining and attracting business, both internationally and nationally.
"We all respectfully request you all rescind the 2013 advisory opinion and issue a new one," Rosalind Rubens Newell, with Invest Atlanta, asked the board Thursday. "(It will) showcase the city to the businesses we are trying to attract here."
But local watchdog groups say allowing Invest Atlanta such a request could lay the groundwork for bribery.
“Greasing some folks with some tickets or gifts or things like that can happen in this situation,” said William Perry, with Georgia Ethics Watchdogs. "They should be especially diligent when it comes to economic development.”
Perry was a part of the watchdog group that argued against Invest Atlanta’s request in 2013. At that time, the independent ethics board ruled the group ineligible for free tickets, citing Section 2-816 of the Atlanta City Code. The code states:
(a) No contract or lease with the city may require passes, tickets or gratuities to be
given to officials or employees or permit reduced fees to be paid by officials or
employees. The contracting party shall not provide gratuities or prerequisites to
any official or employee in connection with execution of or performance under the
contract or lease.
The code was a result of what was happening prior to 1997, during then-Mayor Bill Campbell’s tenure. The ruling states that, at that time, “members of the Atlanta City Council received free tickets to sports and entertainment events, often as a part of a city contract.”
“The ruling is correct,” Perry said. “This is something of value. They shouldn’t get it.”
On Thursday, Invest Atlanta initially declined to comment on the request ahead of the ethics board meeting. The request letter detailing its stance was sent shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday.
“These are gifts and they’re being used to bribe either public officials or the ones that they’re courting,” Perry said, “and with those little gifts could come bigger problems later.”
Cox Media Group
