State ethics officials decided Monday they will investigate whether there are reasonable grounds that show Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders violated lobbying guidelines. Neill Herring, a longtime registered lobbyist, filed a complaint last week with the State Ethics Commission against Borders. He accused Borders of appearing at the state Capitol during the 2007 legislative session to lobby state lawmakers to support two pieces of legislation supported by Cousins Properties, the company for which she worked. Borders was not a registered lobbyist during the 2007 legislative session, records show. Herring said Borders told someone she was visiting friends and not lobbying.
