White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner was forced to pay a civil penalty after he was found to have violated Georgia ethics requirements, though the infraction itself was deemed minor by state officials.
An investigation into the matter found Turner “failed to disclose his fiduciary interest and direct ownership interest, and that of his spouse, on his personal financial disclosure statements filed in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023,” according to documents Now Habersham obtained from the State Ethics Commission.
The third-party complaint filed on Feb. 1 claimed Turner, an elected official, failed to disclose ownership of a real estate holding, ACTTT Investments, with the Secretary of State’s Office in accordance with Georgia’s Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act.
The matter was resolved after Turner said he recently paid a $500 civil penalty in acknowledgement of the violation. A determination by Georgia’s Ethics Commission also states: “It is clear, after a full review, that this failure to comply was inadvertent and without malice or bad intent.”
Origin of complaint
Turner, elected in 2009, told Now Habersham the violation was a “technicality” and a minor oversight. He said also that the complaint was initially filed by a disgruntled resident who has publicly expressed opposition to his leadership.
“A number of years ago,” Turner explained, he and his wife “reserved a name” for a business with the Secretary of State’s Office that never held assets until recently.
“Technically, I should have disclosed that,” Turner said. “I own that, and when it was brought to my attention by the ethics commission, I corrected that earlier this year…this (business) had no assets, so I didn’t realize I needed to disclose that. I corrected that.”
Other accusations
Other allegations against Turner, specifically involving short-term rentals like Airbnb, are alluded to in the documents obtained from the State Ethics Commission, but both Turner and the commission state those accusations are false.
“I have never owned a short-term rental, and as of today, I have never owned a short-term,” Turner said Thursday, Dec. 19. “The ethics commission has gone through an exhaustive process, and I’m pleased to share that any and all allegations raised against myself are deemed to be unactionable or unfounded.”
In White County, short-term rentals are defined as a unit that offers a person a stay for a period of 30 days or less, according to Turner.
The State Ethics Commission’s investigation appears to reflect Turner’s remarks, stating other allegations filed by the third-party complainant have been “deemed to be unactionable, unfounded or otherwise permissible under the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act.”
“Any and all other allegations raised against (Turner)…are deemed to be unactionable or unfounded or otherwise permissible under the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act,” a final report by the commission states.
Turner reiterated that the matter has been corrected, emphasizing ACTTT Investments has never reaped financial benefit or done business with White County’s government.
“I made the mistake. I amended those returns, filed the corrective papers and paid a late-filing penalty, and the case is closed,” he said.
