Finally, after almost three years with an interim head of government, DeKalb County voters go to the polls this month to choose a new chief executive.
One of the most pressing issue facing that person? Restoring public trust in local government after a barrage of corruption allegations and convictions.
All three Democratic candidates for DeKalb CEO insist they’d stabilize a 735,000-population county at a crossroads: Business growth has lagged, and several new municipalities have formed as as residents try to distance themselves from malfeasance.
Front-runners in the May 24 Democratic primary are Michael Thurmond and Connie Stokes; Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May isn't running. A third Democrat, vehicle services business owner Joe Bembry, also will be on the ballot.
The winner of the primary will face Republican Jack Lovelace, a retired businessman, in the November general election.
Thurmond, a former county schools superintendent and state labor commissioner, presents himself as a unifier whose campaign slogan is "let's fix it together."
Stokes, a former state senator and county commissioner, emphasizes better policing and government services to address complaints of ineffective government.
Both come from humble beginnings.
Thurmond, the son of a sharecropper, picked cotton as a child on a farm in rural Clarke County near Athens. Stokes, whose mother was an alcoholic, processed pork rinds in a Virginia Highlands skin factory after elementary school.
Thurmond said his experience in the DeKalb school system while its accreditation was in doubt shows he can get results.
“The biggest issue facing DeKalb County right now is the divide between north and south, and black and white, and rich and poor,” Thurmond said at a recent Atlanta Press Club debate. “I have a history of bringing people together, addressing critical and sometimes apparently intractable issues, and finding solutions that work.”
Stokes said she’s in touch with the needs of the community for safer streets and more job opportunities.
“When I talk to people around DeKalb County, that’s what they talk about. They want to be able to go out at night,” Stokes said at the debate. “I think it’s reasonable that I will be able to sleep and night and not worry about someone kicking my door in. … We have to do something about crime.”
Bembry has played the role of the outside agitator, saying Thurmond and Stokes have been corrupted by their time in office. Bembry has run for various elected office at least 17 times without a win.
“You can’t elect folks anymore and not watch them because they’re a bunch of thieves,” Bembry said at the debate. “It’s a complete mess.”
DeKalb has the only CEO position in any of Georgia’s 159 counties, a powerful post responsible for running a county with more than 6,000 employees and a $1.3 billion budget. The CEO job pays a $153,000 salary.
The county’s last elected CEO, Burrell Ellis, was convicted last year of attempted extortion and perjury.
May, who replaced Ellis after he was indicted, tried to address concerns about illegal behavior by hiring independent investigators to examine the county. But their report last fall called for May to step down and alleged "widespread misconduct," especially when it came to officials' spending of taxpayer money.
It’s this kind of contentious environment that the county’s next CEO will have to navigate.
Stokes said she wants to hire more police officers and increase their coverage of the county. She also would partner with the public school system to offer after-school programs and job training and promote college opportunities.
“We have to focus on making sure people have an enhanced quality of life in this county,” Stokes said in an interview. “We need to get rid of all this corruption and scandals, and then it will be easier to tell the story of DeKalb County, and then people will come and build here.”
Thurmond said he supports a broad review of DeKalb’s government structure — including the potential elimination of the CEO position — as part of an effort to improve government accountability. He would also seek to add more police officers and 911 operators to ensure that residents aren’t put on hold when there’s an emergency.
“I’ve been in executive-level positions with organizations in crisis,” Thurmond said. “I don’t think we should have any sacred cows. We should look at the government from top to bottom.”
Thurmond has raised the most money in the race, bringing in more than $144,000, according to campaign finance disclosures. Stokes reported $25,270 in fundraising. Bembry didn’t file a campaign finance report.
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