Julia Pierce | August 8, 2026

Today, I was sent an email from a citizen who was attempting to perform and Open Records Request with the Tax Commissioner of Marion County for questions about Marion County SPLOST. He was not from this county, so it was his understanding that Phyllis Blocker was the Tax Commissioner of Marion County. He was unaware that Phyllis had retired as of April 1, 2026, and that Georgina Harvey was now sitting as the Tax Commissioner of Marion County, Georgia.

What he shared with me was quite concerning, and I felt it appropriate to share it with the public.

What Happened?

This citizen sent an email in July of 2026 to Phyllis Blocker. Under normal circumstances, when a county official retires or vacates his or her office, he or she no longer has authority to use the title of their previous office, and as an employee of the county who has retired, they are not supposed to have their county email anymore, and they are definitely not authorized to conduct county business. (You can click on each image to enlarge it).

This email is organized from most current communication to earliest communication, so the earliest communication is at the bottom of the first screenshot and the last communication is at the top of the second screenshot. This conversation took place between 10:00 AM and 1:18 PM on July 9, 2026.

Notice that Phyllis’ Signature line says, “Retired Marion County Tax Commissioner.” Notice also that after this citizen indicates that she is retired, she removes “Retired” now identifying herself as “Marion County Tax Commissioner,”

There are several problems with this, and they are as follows:

1. Phyllis retired from the county as of April 1, 2026, possibly even before – the citizens were notified through The Journal that she had already retired, so we are not certain as of the date of her retirement.
2. As of April 8, 2026, Georgina Harvey, was sworn in as the Marion County Tax Commissioner, so Phyllis should not have been responding as a Tax Commissioner in July of 2026, three months later.
3. If Phyllis was retired from her office as Tax Commissioner in April 2026, she should not be claiming she is a Tax Commissioner or even a Retired Tax Commissioner of Marion County.
4. Phyllis’ email should have been deleted, or in the case of the need for preservation, she should have been removed from any access previously allowed by Phyllis to her county email or any other system in which she previously accessed in her previous duties for the county.
5. Phyllis should not have responded to this citizen at all but instead should have sent this email to Georgina to address.
6. Phyllis’ communication with this citizen was rude and very unprofessional.
7. Phyllis has also inserted herself to answer on behalf of the county about anything for which this citizen was inquiring, with no authority from the county – she was not elected.
8. Notice how Phyllis indicates that she was concerned why he was inquiring about “my excess funds” as they relate to SPLOST. How are they her funds if she is no longer the Tax Commissioner?

It is now August of 2026, and just to make sure that Phyllis Blocker no longer had an email – or maybe she still had an email – I sent her an email. And what do you know, it didn’t come back as undeliverable. It actually went through.

So this means that Phyllis did not go to county manager who is responsible for employee access, and if she did, the county manager has not ensured that Phyllis no longer has access to county systems and email. In government and in any corporation, this is a no-no and presents risk for a previous employee to compromise business functions, clients, contractors, finances, etc.

Questions that Need Answers

1. Why does Phyllis Blocker still have access to her email, over 4 months after notification was given to the citizens that she retired?
2. Why was she still conducting county business as a Retired Tax Commissioner, where a Tax Commissioner is an electable office?
3. Why did she respond so unprofessionally to this citizen who was asking legitimate questions so that he knew where to direct his open records request?
4. Why did Phyllis remove “Retired” after he inquired about her “Retired” status in her signature line?
5. Does it seem like Phyllis’ tone is combative or defensive?
6. Is the county still paying Phyllis Blocker for work performed on behalf of the county?
7. Why did Phyllis not just send this email to Georgina Harvey, who is in the office as Tax Commissioner?
8. Is Phyllis in violation of O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20 which addresses false statements, concealment of facts, and fraudulent documents in matters within state or local government jurisdiction. It makes it a felony to knowingly and willfully lie, use fake documents, or hide material facts, which carries a penalty of 1 to 5 years in prison, a fine up to $1,000, or both?
9. Is Phyllis Blocker in violation of O.C.G.A. § 16-10-23, which addresses impersonating a public officer or employee, which is a felony offense in Georgia, and targets anyone who intentionally misleads others by pretending to hold an official public role?

What do you think?

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