Blog: Rep. Bearden, R-Glock, paid by Carrollton — but for what?
Monday, June 15th, 2009
Remember state Rep. Tim Bearden, R-Villa Rica, the lawmaker who pushed for schoolchildren to be able to brandish assault rifles in Moon Jumps? Or maybe it was the right to carry guns in some public places. Yeah, that was it! We gave him a Golden Sleaze award in 2008 when he helped pave the way for gun-toting MARTA riders.
Well, Bearden’s back in the news.
According to documents obtained by news service CarrolltonGeorgia.com, the state lawmaker’s been paid nearly $93,000 since October 2005 by the City of Carrollton for “consulting fees.”
The site tried to inquire about Bearden’s work on behalf of the city’s taxpayers and requested a contract of their relationship. The city, in response, said no such document exists and that its relationship with Bearden is based on a “verbal agreement.” When asked for evidence of what Bearden’s consulting has produced, the city told the news site it didn’t have any documents that matched the request. (The site has PDFs of its communications with the city, as well as a list of the checks and amounts paid to Bearden.)
Throw into the mix Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner — who’s also a Gold Dome lobbyist — and you’ve got some small-town political intrigue that makes Georgia such a wonderful place to grow old and die.
