Fulton commissioner criticized for failed millage rate vote while attending film festival

It’s a delayed vote towards finalizing Fulton County’s millage rate that critics are blaming Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. for.

“I cannot understand for the life of me that we have people that we’ve paid that are sitting in Martha’s Vineyard. I don’t know what that’s all about,” Fulton County Bob Ellis said during last week’s board meeting.

Sources tell Channel 2 Action News that the criticism from county commissioners was echoed after videos of Arrington partying with celebrities and the former and current Atlanta mayor at a film festival in Martha’s Vineyard were posted to social media.

“It’s a completely false narrative,” Arrington said.

Arrington spoke exclusively with Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln on Thursday and defended his actions.

He said he was at the film festival in an official capacity on behalf of Fulton County.

“There was a panel that I was a part of a presentation. The board approved $500,000 a year for the last four or five years for film festivals, and I have been to most if not all of them and we do a presentation,” Arrington said.

Channel 2 Action News found a flyer online promoting the event. However, Arrington was not listed as a panelist.

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“This is all a part of some type of setup. I’ve been on every other flyer for the last five years, so the idea that they removed me from the flyer this year for the first time is suspect,” Arrington said.

For more than an hour, county commissioners attempted multiple times to pass the millage rate last week.

Several times Commissioner Natalie Hall abstained from voting and with Arrington being absent, commissioners were unable to reach a majority vote to pass the milage rate.

“The millage rate is a big deal. That is where we get all of our money as county government. We certainly need to get a mileage rate passed, but they haven’t acted like they need my vote in any other situation,” Arrington told Lincoln.

Records from the county’s clerk’s office show of the last 10 years that Arrington has served as county commissioner, he’s only been absent three times.

County commissioners will attempt to pass the new milage rate during next week’s commission meeting.

Arrington will not be there in person for that. He said he would be in Chicago to attend the Democratic National Convention.

He did say he’s gotten approval from the county to give his vote via Zoom, so the vote does not get delayed again.

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