Press Releases

 Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Sonji Jacobs, Director  404-330-6558, office  404-276-6866, cell  sajacobs@atlantaga.gov

Reese McCranie, Deputy Director 404-330-6006, office 404-886-2334, cell rmccranie@atlantaga.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 08/21/12

News Release

Mayor Kasim Reed Kicks off Integrity at Work Campaign
Initiative focuses on educating City of Atlanta employees on creating an ethical work culture

ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed and the Atlanta Board of Ethics today launched the City of Atlanta’s Integrity at Work campaign at City Hall in front of hundreds of city employees. The new initiative focuses on educating employees, elected officials, board members, NPU officers, contractors, and vendors on the core values of an ethical culture in city government while continuing to ensure officials and employees comply with the Ethics Code.

“Citizens expect integrity and accountability from their elected leaders and City employees every single day,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “The Integrity at Work campaign really begins with each and every one of our city’s employees and their pledge to act ethically and responsibly.”

City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, Ethics Board Chair Caroline Johnson Tanner, and Nina Hickson, the City of Atlanta’s newly appointed Ethics Officer, also joined the kick-off event.

“As the Ethics Officer for the City of Atlanta, I take my responsibility of educating our employees on the necessity for ethical behavior very seriously,” said Nina Hickson, City of Atlanta Ethics Officer. “This initiative speaks right to the heart of our most important mission – trust in government. It really boils down to doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason.”

During the press conference, City of Atlanta employees were reminded of the Board of Ethics’ six core values:
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Transparency
• Respect

Employees were also encouraged to report any unethical, fraudulent or illegal conduct by calling the Integrity Hotline. The phone number is 1-800-884-0911 and callers to the hotline can remain anonymous.

Nina Hickson was appointed as Atlanta’s Ethics Officer in May 2012 and began serving in that capacity in June 2012. As the Ethics Officer, Hickson provides leadership and direction for the administration in the areas of advice, training, public education and outreach, financial disclosure, and enforcement process. She has more than 20 years experience in the legal field, including private practice, in-house counseling and governmental experience. She has served as City Attorney, Interim Human Resources Director and Acting City Manager for the City of East Point. Prior to that, Hickson was the Presiding Judge for the Juvenile Court of Fulton County.


About Atlanta Board of Ethics
The Ethics Department is an independent city agency that works to ensure honesty, integrity, accountability and trust in city government through enforcement of the city’s ethical standards.

The department is responsible for bringing the City into compliance with the Code of Ethics and instilling a culture of ethics within city government. It educates and advises city officials, employees, board members and citizens about conflicts of interest and gift rules; investigates ethics complaints and brings enforcement actions for violations of the Ethics Code; and administers the financial disclosure program.

Headed by the Ethics Officer, the department is the smallest one in city government with three staff members. The Ethics Officer reports to the seven-member Board of Ethics, which is composed of city residents appointed by business, civic, educational and legal organizations. For more information, please visit www.atlantaethics.org

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @City_of_Atlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook and Twitter @Kasim Reed.