One of the two remaining candidates for DeKalb County chief executive officer promised in a solo debate Tuesday that he would unify one of metro Atlanta's most diverse counties while tackling problems from run-down properties to a tight budget.

Burrell Ellis, who is now a county commissioner, said that if he is elected CEO he will tap DeKalb's colleges and faith-based organizations to help him lead.

"I'm going to build a consensus that will govern our county in a way that we've never seen before," said Ellis, who was the front-runner in the July 15 primary.

Ellis was the only candidate to show up for the debate at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studios. The event was coordinated by the Atlanta Press Club, which asked all the candidates three weeks ago to clear their schedules for Tuesday's event. But Stan Watson, who will challenge Ellis in the Aug. 5 runoff election, told the debate organizers Monday that he had a scheduling conflict.

The two Democrats emerged as the leaders from among five candidates for the party's nomination. Ellis won 45.84 percent of the 68,456 votes cast for CEO — nearly twice Watson's 26.11 percent but not enough to win outright. To win in Georgia, a candidate must secure a majority — half plus one — of the votes.

The victor of next week's runoff will run unopposed in November's general election, and will be the next CEO.

The debate Tuesday was structured around questions from three local reporters. Candidates also usually have time to ask questions of each other.

Ellis used the opportunity to criticize Watson's failure to appear. He noted how a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article reported that Watson, who is a state representative, had missed nearly a quarter of the votes in the state House.

"He failed to show up to vote 23 percent of the time, in fact, he failed to show up today," Ellis said. How can Watson manage the county, Ellis asked.

The one-sided debate will air on WPBA at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.