DeKalb considers abolishing CEO position

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Urged by voter feedback, legislators again will consider changing DeKalb County’s government leadership from its elected CEO to a professional county manager.

More than 16,600 Republican voters -- 80 percent of the voters in Tuesday’s Republican primary -- said the county should alter the format at the top. The DeKalb Republican Party placed the inquiry as part of an eight-question straw poll on the ballot.

On Wednesday, state Rep. Howard Mosby (D-Atlanta), chairman of the DeKalb delegation, said legislators will convene next month to discuss possible changes to the county’s Organizational Act, which is similar to a charter.

“Seeing that [the straw poll] out there, it may be time to bring it to the table,” Mosby told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The first step is to look at the Organizational Act and make sure there is a better flow of information between the CEO and commissioners.”

Mosby and several commissioners said they will ask that a similar straw poll is placed on the Democratic ballot and they will consider a referendum question. DeKalb is the only county in Georgia with the CEO form of government.

Commissioners have complained about a lack of communication and little control over the budget, which is established by the CEO but approved by commissioners.

“DeKalb County is at a point now that we all have to work collaboratively,” said Commissioner Larry Johnson, the board’s presiding officer. “We want to let the CEO know that we must be part of the budget process now. We can’t wait until December to get the budget.”

On Wednesday, Johnson announced a new office and transition team for Stan Watson, who was elected to the Commission’s District 7 seat. District 7 was the only opposed commission seat on Tuesday’s ballot. Watson, a former state legislator, received 68 percent of the vote directed at four candidates.

Watson said he plans to use his experience in the state House of Representatives to move forward with a review of switching the county’s government leadership.

“We need to review that right now,” he said. “We need to talk about it as a community and on the board and with people at the state level. I think one of the things I bring as far as experience is my ability to talk to state and federal leaders.”

CEO Burrell Ellis, who is in Reno, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Watson lost a bid for CEO against Ellis in 2008.

The DeKalb Republican Party, which placed the county manager question on the ballot on Tuesday, also plans to discuss the results next month.

“It’s still not scientific, but you get the sense that a lot of people are not satisfied with the CEO form of government," said Frank Auman, the party’s chairman. “It does tell us the direction the party wants to go in. Our phone lines are already burning up about it. Clearly, we could use some change.”

This is the latest in an ongoing struggle for the county to change its leadership format.

Two years ago, Watson led the fight in the legislature to amend the county’s balance of power that now allows commissioners -- instead of the CEO -- to run meetings and set agendas.

In December, the commission advocated for a change in the government and then voted 4-3 not to ask legislators to abolish the CEO position.

That vote could change now that Watson will assume the seat of Commissioner Connie Stokes, who voted against the power switch. Stokes lost a bid on Tuesday to unseat U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson.