COVINGTON, Ga. — The Covington City Council presented the new members of the Citizen Review Board at their Aug. 18 meeting. 

Per the city ordinance, a total of seven members are appointed to the board; three from the west, three from the east and one by the mayor. The city opted to have every member of the council bring forth an appointment for consideration. 

After voting to approve all proposed candidates, the review board’s members – and their respective appointees – are:

• Greg Shy (brought forth by Councilman Anthony Henderson, West Ward)
• Scotty Scoggins (brought forth by Councilwoman Kim Johnson, West Ward) 
• Rosie Crawford (brought forth by Councilwoman Charika Davis, West Ward)
• Brian Jackson (brought forth by Councilman Travis Moore, East Ward)
• Bill SanFelice (brought forth by Councilman Travis Moore on behalf of Councilwoman Susie Keck, East Ward)
• Scott Willis (brought forth by Councilman Jared Rutberg, East Ward)
• Tommy Davis (brought forth by Mayor Fleeta Baggett)

Some of the selections are reappointments who have served on the board previously. Shy and Crawford were both appointed to the board in June 2021 and have remained in its service since.

Baggett’s choice, Tommy Davis, has previously served as the Newton County Coroner. He was elected to the position in 2008, 2012 and 2016 but lost in 2020. Following the resignation of the former county coroner Dorothea Bailey-Butts just a few months into 2021, Davis was asked to assume the role and serve out the term. He ran for coroner once more last fall, but was unsuccessful. 

Willis has been a Covington resident for over two decades. He has previously served on and chaired a number of local boards, including the Main Street Board, the Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce Board, the Covington Municipal Airport Authority, the Newton County Partnership and the Community Foundation Board. 

Jackson is a retired Army Captain MP (military police), according to information provided by Moore.

SanFelice is a former policeman from DeKalb. He also serves in the United States Marine Corps. 

Scoggins is actively campaigning for election to city council, Post 3 West. He unsuccessfully sought election to the Covington City Council in 2021 and the Newton County Board of Commissioners in 2022. If elected this November, Scoggins would not be permitted to retain his position on the Citizen Review Board. 

Councilwoman Johnson also brought forth a backup member. Jeffrey Johnson was approved as a backup for the West Ward. Though this approval was made a few days before Scoggins publicly announced his candidacy for city council, it is possible that a backup was sought with that in mind. 

The chief of the Covington Police Department appoints an eighth non-voting member to the board. Interim Chief Brent Fuesting appointed Marty Zon. 

The voting board is responsible for weighing in on complaints pertaining to alleged overt use of force by the city’s police officers. They meet on a case-by-case basis.