PAGE SEVEN

posted : Aug 06, 2015

UPDATED REPORT: Republican ruckus reverberates among DeKalb politicos. Assaults, insults and videotapes!

Police investigates. Senate expects ethics complaint, possibly criminal charges. politicians run for cover. Millar, Womack, Maner, Anderson, Shelton speak or hide out. Womack wouldn't release an unedited copy of the tape.

 

UPDATED REPORT

by: Pat Fox

For: Georgia Weekly Post

 

A fight at a recent DeKalb County GOP meeting involving Georgia State Sen. Fran Millar has generated a flurry of in-house chatter among local Republicans.

And one of the people in attendance at the meeting, Millar’s Republican opponent for his Senate seat, has come forward to lodge his outrage.

The incident occurred July 30 during an evening meeting at the county’s GOP headquarters in Dunwoody Village. County GOP member Tony Delmichi claims he was physically grabbed and forced toward the exit when he stood to take a photograph of Millar who had stood to address the crowd of some 35 party members and visitors. The incident was reported to the Dunwoody Police Department. It is  under investigation, according to police sources. 

Delmichi, who is elderly, is a dues-paying member of the organization and is on its County Committee. He is also one of the publishers and reporters for the Georgia Weekly Post, an online publication that covers political issues primarily in the north metro area.

▲ Senator Fran Millar

  

Delmichi had covered and written about county GOP meetings previously without issue and had spoken during the July 30 meeting in his official capacity as a precinct representative.

The meeting was attended by several elected officials, including Millar, State Rep. Tom Taylor and Dunwoody City Councilman Terry Nall.

As part of the meeting, candidates for office were afforded an opportunity to speak to the gathering. 

One candidate who spoke is Michelle Miller, who is running for Georgia Public Service Commissioner for District 2. 

The second announced candidate to speak was Paul Maner, a financial adviser, who is running for the 40th District Georgia Senate seat currently held by Fran Millar. In his remarks, Maner accused Millar of bypassing voters by supporting an increase in the state gas tax. Maner also said the tax hike had been overwhelmingly opposed by residents.

During both speeches, Delmichi took notes and rose to take photos of the candidates.

However, after Maner’s remarks, the incumbent senator stood, somewhat flustered, to answer the charges. When Delmichi approached to take a photo, Millar reacted violently.

“As a good reporter, I went for the picture,” Delmichi said.

According to Maner, who was seated nearby, Millar screamed at Delmichi “Sit, sit, sit, sit!” then grabbed the camera and shoved it back at the reporter.

▲Henley Shelton is under investigation by Dunwoody Police Department. seen at The Meng House of Dunwoody, GA.

  

At that point, Henley Shelton, a former candidate for Dunwoody City Council, rose using foul language and stormed toward Delmichi, grabbing him by the arms and forcing him toward the exit. 

“Yelling and screaming and pushing of voters, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable,” Maner said. “There’s a video out there, and the person that has the video claims that Mr. Millar was a gentleman during the incident.”

Maner’s Facebook page includes a post by former DeKalb School Board Member H. Paul Womack who claims to have shot the video. Womack related that Millar behaved like a “perfect gentleman” after the reporter shoved the camera in his face.

“I reviewed that recording before posting and you(r) statement is way over the top and misleading as to the truth of what happened,” Womack’s post reads.

The Facebook entry also includes close to a dozen residents asking that the video be uploaded so they can form their own opinions about the incident. 

▲Paul Womack defends Fran Millar, pledges $1,000.00 to his campaign. Claims having a video, he wouldn't release it.

  

“I would love to see the video. I have heard a lot about it. I want to make up my own mind as to what happened,” wrote Steve Fincher.

“Please post the video,” wrote Scott Drumm.

Meg Norris posted: “Post the video. I'd like to see Fran Millar be remotely polite. I don't think he can.”

Despite the pleadings and more than one offer from people volunteering technical assistance, the video has not been uploaded.

While state Open Meetings Law is not clear about whether political party events are open, one recent case involving a citizen-reporter against the City of Cumming resulted in a $200,000 settlement against the city. Roswell resident Nydia Tisdale was forcibly removed while filming a Cumming City Council meeting in April 2012. She was removed by the Cumming police chief after Mayor Ford Gravitt told her filming was not allowed in the chambers. 

Tisdale continued filming as she protested the action.

Michelle Miller, candidate for PSC Commissioner.  She spoke to the DGOP gathering before things went ugly.

“Respectfully, Mayor,” she shouted, “ ... I am exercising my right as a citizen to record this meeting.” 

The case caught the attention of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office who demanded an explanation. In all, three court actions were filed over the incident. 

Tisdale also was arrested at a political campaign event in Dawsonville last August. The event had been advertised as open to the public and Tisdale said she’d been given permission to cover the event by the property owner. Tisdale was arrested for filming a political speech. Those charges have not been pursued.

Just recently, Tisdale was honored by Georgia’s First Amendment Foundation for her work in making public meetings available to the citizens.

Outside the confines of the Open Meetings issue at the DeKalb Republican meeting, Delmichi has pointed to the Georgia Senate Rules governing conduct by its members. The rules state that “All contact with constituents, staff, lobbyists, representatives of the media, and others interested or involved in the process of government shall be conducted in a courteous, professional, and discreet manner," according to a  State Senate source.

Catherine Bernard, attended the meeting, sat by the exit door and didn't make statements. She was defeated by Taylor Bennett, a Democrat and Max Davis, a republican. She refused to endorse or support the Republican candidate for District 80.

  

In addition, the physical confrontation between Shelton and Delmichi left the reporter shaken and with marks on his arms and left hand.

Delmichi said he has been advised to pursue legal or criminal action on the matter.

Under Georgia Law, simple assault is the attempted commission of a violent injury on someone else or if you put them in a situation where it is reasonable they can be injured in such a manner. The charge is elevated when the assault occurs against certain people, including senior citizens. This type of offense is punishable by one year in prison and $5,000 in fines.

“The funny thing is that if Fran had behaved like a gentleman, a statesman, and let Tony take his picture, Tony would have sat down,” Maner said. “He yelled at him, screamed at him. He was completely out of bounds.”

Maner said he waited for a week before coming forward publicly, saying he wanted to see what the DeKalb GOP would do. But, when nothing happened, he decided to say something.

“I have heard nothing, and there’s a big problem with that,” Maner said. “It’s just not OK to be pushing and shoving people around.”

Another source at the meeting provided the same account, saying that other attendants soon stepped forward to diffuse the situation and lead Shelton back to his seat.

Delmichi says this is the latest case of frustration he has run into in trying to obtain or report information about local government and political leaders. 

During the Dunwoody Charter Commission hearings held two years ago, Delmichi said he had to request police assistance to gain access to a public meeting held on the second floor of a building whose elevators had been switched off. 

“This appeared to be another attempt by Dunwoody's city officials to hide from the public a decision-making process that would change the direction of the city charter,” Delmichi said. 

 

 news.desk@georgiaweeklypost.com 

 

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