"He Who Pays The 100 Piper, Picks The Tunes"

Dirty Money Funds Sheffield in Commission Race

The MDJ recently shared with voters where the candidates in the race had received their funding. It revealed that I donated to Candidate Shelia Edwards, along with SCLC President Ben Williams. It revealed that Attorney Garvis Sams, who represents some of the most noxious companies that will harm communities in District 4, has given money to candidate Monique Sheffield in the amount of $3,000.00.

Candidate Shelia Edwards and Garvis Sams are no stranger to each other, which makes his involvement in Sheffield's campaign even more problematic. Shelia fought Garvis Sams years ago when the lawyer and his client were trying to bring 150 tons of household waste and other toxins into District 4, next to communities and within walking distance of the Chattahoochee River. Shelia led the fight on behalf of our community. To understand that fight, take a moment to Google Garvis Sams, Shelia Edwards, and the Bankhead Transfer Station. This will tell the true story about Garvis Sams and dismiss the positive story that Sheffield is now peddling to voters about him being an advocate for our community. Failing to do her homework before accepting the donation, Sheffield displayed poor judgement and cannot be trusted to not sell our community out when Sams comes calling for a favor or a request that she support him over us. You can read about the grassroots fight Shelia led to stop the chaos and environmental racism that Sams was causing in our community and the illegal activities of his client which Sams tried to justify.
It took Shelia's leadership, her governmental experience, and knowledge to fight this fight against him and his client and win on behalf of our community, not herself. Shelia used her talents for the betterment and protection of families and our community, and she will do so again and again once we elect her Commissioner for District 4. Leadership and experience matters to voters and poor judgement, on the part of Sheffield, should be rejected.
It took an encounter at a Zoning Meeting for Sheffield to throw common sense out the window and our community under the bus by accepting "tainted money" from the zoning lawyer who once described our community as the best location for "household garbage and other toxins".
Sheffield cannot be trusted to make decisions for our community, because she is now indebted to this lawyer, his waste station and concrete company clients, special interest groups, and companies like Sterigenics who believe our community should be a dumping ground. Remember the cliché "he who pays the piper, picks the tune".
Sheffield can correct her mistake by removing the tainted money she accepted from the race and donating it to charity or an organization that fights environmental racism. Sheffield lacked good judgement in accepting that money, let us see if she has "good moral sense: to remove it from the race for Commissioner.
For voters, every Monique Sheffield sign that you see along the roadway, every call that you receive on your phone and every piece of literature placed in your mailbox has been financed by lawyers and other dubious characters that's waiting to harm our community.
Sheffield and Sams should know that it takes money to run a campaign, but it takes votes to win an election.
Sheffield wrote that Sheila Edwards campaign was self-funded, with no monies coming from community people, which is not true. When viewing Sheffield's campaign disclosure, you'll find most of her funds came from people outside the district and outside the State of Georgia.
We are in extremely challenging times dealing with a pandemic without an end in sight. Families in our particular area were affected heavily by this pandemic. Many voters couldn't give money but they gave Sheila Edwards what was most needed, THEIR VOTE, allowing her first place status in the primary election. I am with Shelia Edwards and I ask other voters who care about our community, our property rights as well as our quality of life to join the campaign to elect Shelia Edwards as our next Commissioner and demand that Monique Sheffield DO The Right Thing and Get the Tainted Money Out of District 4.

Edwards, a businesswoman and longtime community activist, made a name for herself when she fought off plans to place a waste transfer station in south Cobb several years ago. The attorney representing the waste transfer station was Garvis Sams, a fixture of county zoning hearings. Sams' firm, Sams, Larkin and Huff, has donated to Sheffield's campaign. Sheffield did not respond to the MDJ for a request for comment.

I have reviewed all candidate disclosure reports and that amount is the most money donated to Sheffield in the race. I have checked and Garvis Sams does not live in the area nor is his business located in District 4. In reading some of the MDJ stories, it seems that he comes to our community when he wants to put the latest public nuisance next to our homes and destroy our quality of life.

Now that candidate disclosure reports have been filed, it is clear to voters that dirty money has been funneled into election for District 4 Commissioner by dubious characters and outsiders in a blatant attempt to impede the will of the voters and get their "preferred" candidate elected.