Waycross City Commissioner Alvin Nelson became the fourth city official to give testimony to the Waycross Ethics Board during its meetings on a citizen complaint against City Commissioner Katrena Felder’s expense reports.
Nelson was questioned by the five-person panel during its Thursday, November 7 session in City Hall. City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford, Finance Director Greg Smith and Commissioner Sheinita Bennett had earlier testified at the board’s October 31 meeting.
Rayford and Smith were again called before the board, following Nelson, in Thursday’s questioning. The board entered executive session after the period of questioning and emerged to adjourn until 2 p.m. Friday, November 15 in City Hall for a hearing on the matter.
The five-person board was seated in September 2024 to study a complaint filed September 3 by citizen Clayton Nelson. It questions the validity of items on an expense report filed by Felder, who represents District 3, earlier in the year while on city business in Atlanta.
The complaint also alleged Felder attended partisan events while on city business.
Alvin Nelson, who represents District 5, was questioned about the components and frequency of ethics training commissioners receive. Bennett, who represents District 2, was subject to a similar line of questioning when she appeared October 31.
Nelson is in his second stint on the commission and previously received training during his initial term in 2012-15. He said he seeks out training beyond what is offered by the Georgia Muncipal Association for administrators, and what is available at numerous conferences during the year that commissioners or other city officials can attend.
The commissioner acknowledged handling expenses for city business was a key element of the training.
He also pointed to his background in the military as the foundation for his attention to detail when accounting for expenses related to city business.
“I leave nothing in doubt when I come back (from city business),” said Nelson, who also answered commissioners are budgeted $5,000 annually for training and travel.
“I don’t want to have something that will get you on the back end,” he said.
Nelson was asked about the WIN (Women Impacting the Nation) political action committee, which is part of the complaint in the context of expenditures for partisan events while representing the city. When asked if it was his knowledge using a cityissued credit card or vehicle was permissible for attending a partisan event, Nelson said he wouldn’t do it.
“And if I had a question, I’d ask the city manager first,” he said.
Board member Felicia Brown said she would like to know if the City Charter had language dealing with partisan events while on city business. Nelson said he would seek that information.
Rayford was asked if he’d had a conversation with Felder about attending a meeting of the organization. He said he did, but only briefly, and it was his understanding that it was in conjunction with something else at the same time and a grant had been received to cover the cost.
Rayford said it was later learned some city funds appeared to have been used.
Committee chairperson Shawn Taylor asked Rayford if there had been another question of ethics with Felder that had taken place in which he had spoken to her about.
Board member Martin Gray questioned the relevance of this addtional instance.
Taylor said she had an affidavit from a city employee about the instance and it pointed to a possible pattern of behavior related to ethics.
Acting City Attorney Huey Spearman said that should remain a separate situation, and if that person had a complaint they needed to file it with the board to consider on its own.
Smith was questioned again about the expense reporting process as well as allowable expenses such as use of the card in Waycross and payment for others being included on receipts.
Taylor enumerated a number of expenses contained in the complaint related to that line of questioning.
Smith acknowledged if the expenses had nothing to do with the city, they would be under question.
Taylor also questioned his opinion on the use of a city vehicle for transporation to Atlanta, but once there using other tranportation like Uber to travel to the site of events.
Smith said he could understand that, especially if safety is a concern.
“I could see that as an allowable expense,” he said.
