Stonecrest wasn’t supposed to hold any elections in 2022 — but now it will hold two.
Because of a special election to replace a disgraced mayor, Stonecrest will also have to fill a vacant council seat. Jazzmin Cobble, who was elected last November to a second term representing District 3, resigned her post earlier this month to run for mayor, requiring a special election to fulfill the rest of her term.
The Stonecrest City Council voted Monday to hold the District 3 special election on Nov. 8, coinciding with federal races for Congress and statewide races for governor and the state Legislature. The city formally asked the DeKalb County Board of Registrations and Elections to run the election.
The two elections are the result of Jason Lary, the city’s founding mayor, resigning in early January so he could plead guilty to concocting a fraud scheme to steal more than $650,000 in federal pandemic relief funds. A special election will be held May 24 to fill the rest of his term, which will expire at the end of next year. Cobble is among four candidates vying for the city’s top job.
Until new leaders are elected, the city will move forward with four councilmembers and no mayor. Mayor Pro Tem George Turner will handle the mayor’s responsibilities — which include acting as the figurehead of the city, appointing members to boards and committees and voting in the event of tie — until a new mayor is elected.
The city has yet to determine the qualifying period for the District 3 seat, but it will cost candidates $450 to get their name on the Nov. 8 ballot. Councilmembers earn an annual salary of $15,000, while the city’s mayor makes $20,000.
Any Stonecrest resident who has lived in the city’s District 3 since Nov. 8, 2021, can qualify. The city charter limits its mayor and councilmembers to two consecutive, four-year terms. Residents have until Oct. 11 to register to vote in the special election for the council seat. They have until April 25 to register to vote in time for the mayoral special election.
For polling location information, visit your My Voter page at the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
