Tony Adams' attorney questions police probe of Columbus Parks and Recreation Department

The attorney representing embattled Columbus Parks and Recreation Director Tony Adams asked people to keep an “open mind” Wednesday as he spoke in Adams’ defense.

Criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Stacey Jackson questioned the way an audit of the Parks and Recreation Department was made public before Adams had a copy of it.

“Mr. Adams never had a chance to respond,” Jackson said.

Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington last year ordered internal auditor John Redmond to conduct the operational audit. The mayor last Friday called for the Columbus Police Department to investigate the Parks and Recreation Department, and that investigation began this week.

Jackson said he was representing Adams and “select members of his staff.”

Adams and Herman Porter, a recreation program specialist for Parks and Recreation, attended the Government Center news conference, sitting at a table in the back of the Marshal’s Office conference room. Neither man spoke and Adams declined comment as he was leaving.

Jackson also declined to answer questions.

“This will be the only public comment for now,” Jackson said at the start of the five-minute statement.

Wetherington did not attend the brief news conference in the West Wing of the Government Center and declined comment when contacted.

Jackson questioned the police investigation, being coordinated by Chief Ricky Boren.

“The chief of police reports to the mayor,” Jackson said. “The process is not independent.”

Stopping short of calling the police probe a criminal investigation, Wetherington said Friday that he had concerns about the audit findings, which did not report any criminal misconduct.

“Saying it’s not a criminal investigation is disingenuous,” Jackson said.

The investigation should have been assigned to the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Jackson said. The investigation will be a waste of man hours, Jackson said.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley has given Adams until Tuesday to respond to the audit findings. Adams has made no public comment on the audit findings and was not present at Columbus Council a week ago when the audit process was discussed.

Jackson was critical of the fact that the audit focused on the Innovative Sports Program, where more than half of the 152 boys and girls on travel basketball teams come from outside Columbus.

About 50 of the out-of-town players come from towns more than an hour drive from Columbus, according to rosters obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer under the Georgia Open Records Act.

The top teams in the program traveled extensively to play in tournaments across the state, southeast and nation, with entry fees and some expenses being paid from the department’s $10 million annual budget, according to records associated with the audit.

Jackson pointed out that the city spends $200,000 annually for upkeep at the Woodruff Farms Soccer Complex and that facility is used by out-of-county players. Local baseball and softball fields maintained by the city are used by travel teams in those sports.

Shortly after the audit was made public two weeks ago, Adams ordered all out-of-town travel for the Innovative Sports Program to be halted.

Despite the travel ban, the under-17 Georgia Blazers team went to Los Angeles over the Memorial Day weekend to compete in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. The Nike-sponsored team, which has one Columbus player on its 13-man roster, has played games in Hampton Roads, Va., Houston and Los Angeles in the last six weeks. The team, coached by Adams, operates out of a Nike agreement with East Marietta Basketball Inc., a non-profit organization. East Marietta officials have refused to release details of that agreement to the Columbus city attorney’s office. The Ledger-Enquirer, under the Open Records Act, asked the city for the Nike contract.

Hugley said before the trip to Los Angeles that East Marietta Basketball Inc. was paying for the travel for the players and coaches.

Jackson said putting the spotlight on the elite team is not right.

“It is unfair to single out the under-17 team,” Jackson said.

Other questions raised in the audit included:

City purchasing cards were sometimes used to buy gift cards from Sam’s Club. “Unfortunately, using a purchasing card to buy a gift card opens the door for a lack of accountability,” the audit stated.

Profit margins at the aquatics centers and marina were low; about 5 percent at the marina as opposed to an “expected margin of 30-33 percent.”

A review of hiring procedures indicated that at least two employees, previously terminated, were rehired despite the fact they were not eligible for rehire.

The report advises delaying a proposal to transfer the operation of Cooper Creek Tennis Center to the private Columbus Regional Tennis Association up to 18 months while measures such as increasing fees are implemented.

It questioned the operation of pools at Shirley Winston Park and Rigdon Park.

This story was originally published June 3, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Tony Adams' attorney questions police probe of Columbus Parks and Recreation Department."