ATLANTA, GA – This winter, three staff members at the Georgia State Ethics Commission wrote letters accusing director Stefan Ritter of poor work habits – including mishandled personnel matters, as well as watching porn in the office.
For members of the adult industry, to varying degrees, not watching porn in the office would be considered a “poor work habit,” however that’s pretty industry-dependent. And even though Ritter may have been hoping for a career in the adult industry – heck, perhaps he was even “researching” a career change — the fact remains that he didn’t have one.
As such, Ritter was placed on leave with pay while the powers that be investigated the complaints.
According to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, Ritter continued to draw his $181,000 salary while the accusations levied against him were being investigated. He and the commission cut a deal, however, before the investigation was over, which brings us to today.
Ritter has now resigned — with a $45,000 severance, according to WSB-TV — and it’s still unknown whether accusations against him were ever substantiated. Was he actually watching porn in the office?!
Chairman Jake Evans was asked by WSB-TV if the investigation confirmed the allegations or if they found any evidence of wrongdoing on Ritter’s part overall.
“I can’t respond to that,” Evans told WSB-TV. “I think at that point, the public can evaluate the claims. The investigation did not come to a full completion, and so we can’t make an opinion one way or another.”
Evans told WSB-TV that they’re paying the $45,000 severance/settlement to protect the agency from any future action by Ritter.
Ritter had been the commission’s chief since 2015 and was praised for helping cut down on the agency’s backlog of cases according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This bit of information is very interesting considering the most recent developments in this story.
Apparently, recent revelations from WSB-TV have uncovered even more serious allegations against Ritter. Reporters working for the news outlet obtained letters from senior staff members at the commission that describe the complaints levied against the former director. The letters accuse Ritter of delaying investigations of political campaigns, including Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
Isn’t it interesting that it took (allegedly) watching porn in the workplace for this to come out?
Ethics director Stefan Ritter has resigned. Internal investigation halted. Story at 6. #gapol pic.twitter.com/mGxlVsqE0i
— Dale Russell (@DaleRussellATL) February 8, 2019
Image via Mya Leigh.
