Why is Keisha Waites Filing Fraudulent Campaign Disclosures?
What is She hiding Other than Her Theft of Public Money, and General Incompetence?
First, let's look at two quick videos
Here is Keisha Waites attacking Peter Hubbard with false information.
The next video is of Keisha Waites’ first forum, where she can’t explain how the Public Service Commission sets rates (That’s the core job of the PSC)
Meet Keisha Waites
Keisha Waites being served a cease and desist letter from the City of Atlanta for using the City Seal in campaign materials.
Keisha Waites is a serial campaigner and serial quitter who has a habit of not filing required campaign disclosures, filing fraudulent campaign disclosures, misusing public funds, shady real estate deals, defrauding the State out of legally owed taxes and running for offices she’s unqualified for, all of which is detailed below WITH receipts.
Quick Facts:
In March 2022, Waites was fined $5,000 by the State Ethics Commission for failing to file campaign disclosures in her Atlanta City Council Race.
We still don’t know who funded her campaign, but we DO know she has accepted money from Georgia Power in the past. She also used campaign funds to pay the fine.
In 2024, the City of Atlanta fined Waites $5,000 for 13 violations of the City’s ethics code, and demanded she repay $25,000 of Atlanta taxpayer money that she illegally used for personal gain to campaign for Fulton County Clerk.
The December 2024 runoff election required to fill the Council spot she quit mid-term cost Atlanta taxpayers $1.7 Million.
Waites took a $1,600 donation from an AirBnB Political Committee (based in California) while on City Council.
Waites received multiple donations from Republican operative and lobbyist Bernie Tokarz, who also has a $3 Million contract with the City of Atlanta.
Waites’ apparent campaign manager, former Chief of Staff and apparent business partner Vincent Watkins is a staunch Republican.
Rodney Stephens, who filed the successful challenge against Daniel Blackman’s PSC candidacy, purchased a house from Waites for $1, and was her direct employee at the City of Atlanta. Waites had previously reported the value of the property to be in excess of $200,000.
Keisha Waites is a Serial Campaigner and Serial Quitter
Keisha Waites has quit mid-term in every elected position she's held.
According to Wikipedia, Keisha Waites has run 15 times, mostly unsuccessfully.
Those races include:
- 2001 Atlanta City Council Post 1 (lost)
- 2002 GA State Senate District 36 (lost)
- 2004 Applied for appointment to Atlanta City Council (unselected)
- 2005 Atlanta City Council (lost)
- 2006 Fulton County Commission (lost)
- 2008 GA State Senate District 61 (lost)
- 2009 Atlanta City Council (lost)
- 2011 Fulton County Commission (lost runoff)
- 2012 GA State House District 60 (won but quit)
- 2017 Fulton County Chair (lost)
- 2020 US Congress District 13 (lost)
- 2020 US Congress District 5 (lost)
- 2021 Atlanta City Council Post 3 (won but quit)
- 2024 Fulton County Clerk (lost)
- 2025 GA Public Service Commission (lost)
- 2026 GA Insurance Commissioner (yikes!)
Quitting Atlanta City Council half way through her term cost Atlanta taxpayers $1.7 million.
Source: Atlanta Open Checkbook
Keisha Waites is Painfully Unqualified for the Public Service Commission
Setting electric bill rates is the core function of the Public Service Commission (PSC). In a recent candidate forum, when asked how the PSC sets rates for consumers, Waites’ answer was, “I don’t know the answer to the question.”
Note that this was AFTER early voting had already started. Waites couldn’t be bothered to google basic information about the PSC.
Next, Waites viciously attacked Peter Hubbard’s record of public service.
Waites claimed that she couldn’t find any information about Hubbard prior to April 2025. A very cursory search shows this information is EXTREMELY EASY to locate dating back to 2019.
After getting caught not knowing how the PSC works, Keisha then decided to steal her opponent's material, word for word.
Here’s a screenshot of Peter Hubbard’s webpage:
And here’s a post on Keisha Waites’ facebook page:
Keisha Waites Files Fraudulent Campaign Disclosures
Fraudulent disclosures were filed throughout her time on Atlanta City Council
In 2021, Keisha Waites ran for the Atlanta City Council – Post 3.
All candidates are REQUIRED to file accurate campaign disclosures on a set schedule. These disclosures list donations received (both cash and in-kind), campaign expenditures, and any loans made.
Qualifying was in August 2021, and disclosures were required on September 30 and October 25 before the November election.
Additional disclosures were required 6-days before a runoff, and on December 31.
Keisha Lied on Her Atlanta City Council Disclosures
These are the first four disclosures Waites submitted. They’re available from the City of Atlanta’s Easy Campaign Finance portal
Although riddled with errors and typos, the notable thing is that she reports $0.00 donations, $0.00 expenditures, and $0.00 loans.
This is a flat out lie on multiple legal documents. There is ample evidence that campaign spending occurred.
There were yard signs, large signs, at least $16,000 in text messages, robocalls, radio ads, mailers, phone banking, campaign phones, t-shirts, an election-night watch party and more.
Curiously Waites also held a Debt Retirement Fundraiser. Why would she need to retire $0.00 in campaign expenditures?
Apparently the attendees donated $0.00 each to retire her $0.00 debt, because no donations were EVER listed on any future disclosures.
The simple fact is that Waites flat out lied on her disclosures and no one knows who truly funded her campaign.
Enter the State Ethics Commission and Waites FIRST Fine
The AJC reported that Waites was fined $5,000 for failing to submit disclosures on time.
In the article, Waites responded:
“The Georgia Ethics Commission’s role and process is integral in helping restore the confidence of voters in our political process and elected officials. While my tardiness was unintentional, I recognize the importance of filing timely,” Waites said in a statement.
This was clearly also a lie. Waites filed a SINGLE disclosure with numbers in June 2022 (which don’t add up), then went back to reporting zeros on the next 9 disclosures.
That’s the political equivalent of spitting in voters’ faces. Waites’ level of disrespect for both transparency and voters is off the charts.
Taking a look at the only disclosure with numbers:
June 30, 2022 was the only disclosure in which Waites actually listed any numbers.
In the June 30, 2022 disclosure, Waites lists total contributions of $16,050 and expenses totaling $20,233.90
Of those $16,050 receipts, none of them were made in 2021 during the campaign. All have dates listed in 2022 when Waites was on city council.
Taking a look at the $20,233.90 in expenses, none of the expenses were from the campaign. All were 2022 expenses. How she was able to pay out $20k with only $16k in the account was never explained.
The $4k deficit NEVER shows up again. Nor does any spending or any donations for the remainder of her stay in city council.
One other thing that stands out in this disclosure is that over 13 transactions Waites paid herself a total of $7,300.50 for “reimbursement.”
What the reimbursements were for was never itemized or disclosed. It appears Waites was using her campaign account as a personal slush fund.
In fact, Waites used her campaign fund to pay part of the $5,000 State Ethics fine:
Here are the remaining disclosures from her time on council. They’re populated with all zeros:
Illegally Using Atlanta Taxpayer Funds to Run for Fulton Clerk - Waites' SECOND Fine
Also, even more fraudulent campaign disclosures.
Around March 8th, Waites quit her Atlanta City Council position to run for Fulton County Clerk.
On her way out the door, Waites put together an 8 page campaign booklet which she then used $25,000 of Atlanta taxpayer funds to mail throughout Fulton county.
Thousands of voters FAR outside of city limits received these mailers that Atlanta residents paid for.
The mailers hit mailboxes 2 months later, timed to arrive just before early voting started in the Fulton County Clerk race.
City of Atlanta received multiple complaints and launched a full Ethics investigation.
The City was also forced to issue 2 separate “cease and desist” letters to Waites for continuing to use the City seal in her campaign materials.
Waits apparently doesn’t believe any rules apply to her, because she ignored the letters and continued using City property in her campaign materials.
Waties Found Guilty of 13 Ethics Violations. Fined $5,000 and Ordered to repay $25,000 of Taxpayer Money
Waites stole public funds for personal gain
The Ethics Department of the City of Atlanta spent 7 months investigating the apparent use of City funds and City property by Waites for her Fulton County Clerk race.
It was determined that Waites used public funds to campaign, used the City seal to fraudulently represent herself to the voters, used her City email for campaign purposes AFTER resigning, and used her City office, employees and email for campaign purposes BEFORE resigning.
Furthermore, the mailer contained a link to Waites’ campaign website, and was sent to addresses far outside of City limits. Waites instructed the mailhouse to add her campaign link and Waites provided the mailing list herself.
For all of those reasons and more, Waites was found to be guilty of 13 ethics violations and ordered to repay the $25,000 of taxpayer money, and fined her an additional $5,000.
Despite notice of the ethics violations and fines, Waites continued to use the City seal in her campaign, forcing the City to issue 2 separate cease and desist letters.
The Ethics Report and Cease and Desist letters were acquired from the City of Atlanta through an open records request.
Although only the Final Decision and Cease and Desist letters are here, the open records provided were voluminous and comprehensive.
Waites Doubles Down on Non-Transparency
You would think that after $35,000 in fines, a candidate might make an attempt to file at least ONE accurate campaign finance disclosure.
You would be wrong.
From the 1st disclosure to the last, Waites once again filed zeros for donations and expenses.
And once gain, there is plenty of evidence showing that there was real campaign activity including mailers, printed walk cards, signs, etc.
These documents are available on the Fulton County Easy Finance Portal.
Keisha Waites Is a Hypocrite
Waites has zero credibility when it comes to transparency.
Someone who respected transparency and who respected voters and our community would file timely, complete and accurate disclosures.
They would also NOT steal public funds for personal use.
Keisha Waites FAILS both tests.