A statement released June 4 by the Augusta Judicial Circuit in response to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee’s (CJCC) investigation into the pay of Dacara Brown attempts to clear all involved of any wrongdoing, but questions remain.
Dacara Brown is daughter of former Superior Court Judge Carl Brown who stepped down in May amid an investigation by the Judicial Qualifying Council (JQC) for several allegations, including nepotism involving his daughter who works as an attorney and grant writer for the Augusta Juvenile Court.
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Prior to Judge Brown’s resignation, the CJCC sent a length letter to Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, demanding clarification on Decara Brown’s pay.
The CJCC letter gave the city 30 days to respond to “concerns regarding whether or not grant funds were used in an allowable manner during the FY19 and FY20 Incentive Grant year.”
At issue is whether Dacara Brown was inappropriately paid using money from state and federal grants to increase her stated salary.
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The official response from the Augusta Judicial Circuit, signed by Nolan E. Martin, the court administrator, briefly states that “there is no expected change to Ms. Brown’s current rate of compensation, protocols have been put into place to ensure no conflict of interest or special treatment (and) Ms. Brown’s immediate supervisor is Chief Juvenile Court Judge Keith Johnson.”
The response from Martin did not include any supporting evidence, such as a ledger showing all monies paid to Brown over the time period requested, even though the CJCC specifically asked for that information.
Meanwhile, Dacara Brown responded immediately to an interview request and stated flatly that she has never received any pay over the amount listed as her official compensation.
According to Dacara Brown, she was hired as an administrator level II, but her experience as an attorney and grant writer meant that the pay was not commensurate with her backgound. That is why her father and the late Judge Doug Flanagan went to bat for her and others.
“I do this for the kids. I love those kids. But I know that as an attorney, I could be making six figures in private practice. So, my position was upgraded to reflect that,” Dacara Brown said.
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Augusta Press columnist Sylvia Cooper remembers covering the attempts by Judge Brown to influence the pay of employees of the Juvenile Court. Cooper wrote in a February 16, 2019, The Augusta Chronicle story:
“He outfoxed commissioners a few weeks ago when he asked for $120,000 worth of raises for seven Juvenile Court employees, one of them being his daughter. Commissioners approved the raises, but rescinded them the next week, then quickly approved $41,000 for those employees, no questions asked. He made $41,000 worth of raises seem reasonable by asking for $120,000 worth first.”
However, Dacara Brown insists everything was above board and that she has not received one dime more than the $55,218.48 she is entitled to annually.
“Money that is paid from grants I have secured, such as the Gang Suppression Grant that we were among only four counties in the nation to receive, goes to the Juvenile Court. None of it goes to me personally,” she said.
Yet, in the CJCC letter to the city, a spreadsheet provided to the CJCC seemed to indicate that Brown’s pay in 2020 was upped to $59,000 and that supplemental payments over and above her salary in the amount of $48,700 were made to Brown that year.
The CJCC letter states emphatically that “(T)he financial department confirmed on March 19 that, ‘these amounts were paid at the direction from the Judge of the Juvenile Court, Douglas Flannigan. These amounts were charged to and paid by the County’s general fund, as was her regular salary. A portion of her regular salary was then charged to the grants. No part of the supplements were charged to the grants.’”
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While the language of the CJCC letter is convoluted, it implies that Brown was paid more than her allotted salary in 2019/2020.
Brown refutes this and said the issue should be able to be cleared up immediately by the city Finance Director Donna Williams simply releasing the check logs to show exactly what Brown was paid.
However, Williams’ office responded with what has been an on-going tactic many city government departments have used. The Finance Office answered The Augusta Press open records request for relevant documents with a bill for $350 to cover copy and search fees and a demand for a 15-day extension for the production of said documents.
City departments routinely run out the clock and then ask for another 15-day extension, as allowed by law, before documents are supplied.
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Meanwhile, Brown cites her devotion to helping troubled youth and chalks up all the attention to her being the relative of a powerful former superior court judge.
“I know this is political. No one would even know my name if I wasn’t Carl Brown’s daughter. But I can take it. I do what I do for the kids, not the money,” Brown said.
Scott Hudson is the Editorial Page Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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