The Georgia State Ethics Commission finalized cases involving Villa Rica Mayor Leslie McPherson and Villa Rica City Councilpersons Anna McCoy and Stephanie Warmoth.
According to documents obtained by WLBB Radio, Warmoth was found to have violated the law by not terminating her most recent campaign account and failing to file a termination statement within the required timeframe. Warmoth was elected to the Villa Rica City Council in 2023.
“She had 1 violation, violation of OCGA 21 – 5 – 34 m for failing to terminate her campaign account and file a termination statement within 10 days of dissolving her campaign. She agreed to pay a $125 late fee and $125 civil penalty for a total penalty of $250.”
The Georgia State Ethics Commission revealed findings from an investigation that Councilperson Anna McCoy did not submit her Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports (CCDRs) for several periods, including the election year of 2021 and subsequent non-election years.
The Commission discussed the implications of these violations, noting that Ms. McCoy’s late filing of a personal financial disclosure statement (PFDS) was 21 days overdue. The legal counsel confirmed that once a violation occurs, there are no remedies available to backdate filings, leaving Ms. McCoy with limited options for rectification.
Following the analysis, the Commission moved to vote on each violation. A series of seven motions were presented, each finding reasonable grounds to believe that Ms. McCoy had violated the ethics of government act. Each motion was seconded and passed unanimously, confirming the findings of the Commission regarding her non-compliance.
“Multiple violations were presented against City Councilperson Anna McCoy, including failures to file election year and non-election year campaign finance reports.
The complaint against McCoy originated from an internal audit, and procedural errors were acknowledged in the complaint filing.
Discussions included the misunderstanding of campaign finance rules and the implications of failing to file necessary documents.”
Mayor McPherson faced five violations related to her campaign finances, including failing to file a termination statement. She accepted a total penalty of $1,000, which consists of late fees.
“Case number 24-12-C, in the matter of Leslie McPherson. Mrs. McPherson was the successful candidate for Villa Rica city council board 3 in the 2021 election cycle. In December of 2023, she resigned that position and then became the successful candidate for mayor in the 20 23 election cycle.
She agreed that she had 5 CCDR violations, violations of OCGA 21 – 5 – 34 c. She also agreed that she failed to file a termination statement in the time of resolving her campaign. That’s a violation of OCGA 21 – 5 – 34.
For those penalties, she agreed upon payment of $750 in late fees, $500 civil penalty, total penalty of $1,000.
Usually, we block out the late fees because those by statute are a hundred and $25. And then I probably look at a lot of things in terms of the civil penalty. I’ll look at the size of the campaign. I’ll look at how cooperative somebody is, whether they’re getting their stuff in or not.”
