MACON, Ga. — Soon, Central Georgians will head to the polls to choose a new District 2 Macon Water Authority board member.
Lindsay Holliday is in a runoff against Desmond Brown for the seat. Brown held the District 2 seat until March, when he stepped down to run for chair as the board investigated him for possible state ethics violations.
"He approached her. She never approached him," said Shieka Fordham in March, recalling how Desmond Brown got in touch with her aunt, Deborah Little. "Her house is all that she really has. That's her pride and joy."
Little's house needed roof repairs, and Brown said his company would do them. After Brown received a portion of the insurance money, the family says the work never got done, and Brown became distant. Little's testimony was part of a report from former District Attorney David Cooke to the Macon Water Authority earlier this year. That report says Brown took money from two women, possibly violating state ethics rules.
"He received insurance proceeds based on her claim, and according to what she provided, he did not complete the work that he was paid to do," Cooke told 13WMAZ in March.
Brown is a contractor by trade, and tried to convince the Macon Water Authority to make the insurance payments to one of his companies. Cooke's report states that's a conflict of interest.
After the report, the board was set to vote whether to ask Gov. Brian Kemp to remove Brown from office. Brown stepped down to run for chair, and the investigation stopped. Now, Cooke says the board could decide to pick it back up if Brown is re-elected. There's no guarantee that would happen.
The report also mentioned a possible law enforcement investigation. District Attorney Anita Howard says her office has no plans to investigate Brown because the board never sent her the report.
Desmond Brown did not respond to several requests for comment.