It’s over: Supreme Court won’t hear recall appeal

Thompson team vows to recoup legal fees

The recall is over. Again.

On Wednesday, the Georgia Supreme Court denied the application for discretionary appeal filed by Walton In Action, the local political activist group which appealed its case to the court in hopes of reviving its attempt to recall Walton County Chairman David Thompson.

The move puts an end to the recall effort, at least in this form, based on a claim by WIA that Thompson acted unethically when he presided over a vote to annex land in which he reportedly had a financial stake into the city of Between during a meeting of the Walton County Board of Commissioners.

Kevin Epps, attorney for Thompson, said the ruling was the right decision in a case he described as farcical.

“That ruling ends the recall effort,” Epps said in a press release. “It is over. This recall was built on a lie.

“The sole factual premise of the recall was the claim that Chairman Thompson voted on an annexation involving a supposed conflict of interest. He did not. That allegation was false when it was made, and it remained false every time it was repeated.”

Epps built much of his argument against the recall on the fact that Thompson never officially voted on the annexation, as there was not a tie in the matter, in a vote that was primarily a formality anyway.

And while the recall proponents argued Thompson’s failure to recuse himself from even presiding over the vote still rose to the level of unethical behavior, Epps had no patience with that argument.

“There was no vote by Thompson,” Epps said. “There was no conflicted action. There was no misconduct.

“Despite this objective evidence, the recall proponents continued to push accusations suggesting corruption, self-dealing, and personal financial gain. Those are not minor claims. They accuse an elected official of betraying the public trust. And in this case, they were made without a factual basis and in the face of evidence proving them wrong.”

Epps arguments carried the day in superior court, where an Augusta judge held the recall did not have enough evidence to support its arguments and threw the recall out.

“Rather than accept that ruling, the recall proponents pressed forward and asked the Georgia Supreme Court to intervene,” Epps said. “The Supreme Court declined. Its denial of review leaves the Superior Court’s decision intact and confirms what the record already showed: this recall never belonged in court.”

Epps continues to beat the drum that the recall was extremely damaging to his client.

“False allegations of corruption cause real harm,” Epps said. “They damage reputations, undermine public trust and abuse legal processes designed for serious and legitimate grievances. Chairman Thompson has served Walton County honorably. The suggestion that he used his office for personal gain was completely false.”

Thompson has faced major criticism in recent months over his role in passing a tax increase which saw the county millage rate rise by nearly 20%, but the recall was based on the annexation vote, but Epps said Thompson is moving forward.

“Chairman Thompson remains proud of his service and committed to serving all the citizens of Walton County,” Epps said. “This failed recall changes that in no way.”

Walton In Action released a press release saying the recall effort was over but it would continue to work to improve Walton County government.

“Walton in Action acknowledges that the Georgia Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in the legal case arising from our recall petition effort,” the press release read. “We accept that the matter is settled by the courts. We thank all of our thousands of supporters across the county who participated in this challenging initiative. The Board thanks Gareth Fenley for serving as chairperson during the recall effort and welcomes Laura Campbell as our new chairperson going forward. Walton in Action, as a registered political action committee, will continue in our mission to uplift the voices of the community for better, more accountable government in Walton County.”

The recall saga may not be entirely over, however, as Epps said he will take legal action over the attempt.

“Because this recall was pursued on a demonstrably false premise and maintained after that premise was disproven, Chairman Thompson will now seek recovery of attorneys’ fees incurred in defending against this frivolous and abusive legal action,” Epps said. “Georgia’s recall statute is not a political cudgel, and it is not a free pass to smear public officials without consequence.

“Those who misuse the legal system to advance false narratives will now be held accountable.”