About DeKalb District 5
Population: 143,558
Race and ethnicity: 92 percent black, 3 percent white, 3 percent Hispanic, 2 percent other
Median household income: $48,432
Residents below the poverty line: 17 percent
Source: 2010 U.S. Census
Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May on Friday plans to resign his position on the county commission, clearing the way for a special election that will restore representation to more than 140,000 residents in the DeKalb’s southeastern district, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The area has lacked a commissioner for almost two years, since May was appointed in July 2013 to lead the county while corruption charges are pending against suspended CEO Burrell Ellis.
May, who wasn’t reachable for comment, has scheduled a Friday press conference to discuss “a major announcement.”
Until now, May has resisted calls to resign the commission seat he was elected to, saying they were politically motivated. By holding on to the position, May has retained the option of returning to the commission if Ellis is acquitted and resumes his role as the county’s leader.
But after repeated failures by the deadlocked DeKalb Commission to agree on a nominee to serve as a temporary commissioner for the area, May will step aside, the TV station reported.
A special election to fill the rest of May’s term, which expires at the end of 2016, could be held sometime this summer.
Candidates are already lining up to run. A state representative and most of the five finalists for the post said Thursday they were considering a campaign.
“Given the amount of time that it has taken for us to move forward to fill that seat, a special election is the only way to fill that seat,” said Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, D-Lithonia, who may seek the position. “The people have been unrepresented for way too long.”
Another potential candidate, Kenneth Saunders III, who was a finalist for the job, said May may have decided to resign after hearing from residents during a recent neighborhood meeting.
“It’s something he could have done a while ago, but at least there’s action,” said Saunders, the vice president with the Hidden Hills Civic Association. “He understand everybody’s frustration.”
Residents have been increasingly pushing for a resolution after political solutions fell short.
The DeKalb Commission, divided into factions of three commissioners each, couldn’t achieve a majority on any of the candidates that emerged from their selection process. Whoever fills May’s former seat has the potential to become an instant swing vote. The Georgia General Assembly also wasn’t able to pass a law that would have broken the impasse.
About two dozen protesters wearing green “District 5 Matters” T-shirts urged commissioners at their last full meeting to find a path forward.
Some of them wanted the commission to stay out of it and wait until after Ellis’ retrial, which is scheduled to begin June 1. But if Ellis is found guilty, the district could remain in limbo for the months or years if the verdict is appealed.
“Most of the people have wanted a special election, and now it looks like they may get a special election,” said Faye Coffield, a Lithonia resident. “I think it’s a little bit pathetic that as much as people have called for (May) to step aside … that he waits until less than 30 days before the Ellis trail to make this decision.”
Markus Butts, a finalist for the position, said the voice of the people will now be heard.
“The wishes of the people is that they would prefer to have a special election and put the decision in the hands of the voters,” said Butts, a member of the DeKalb Planning Commission.
George Turner, another finalist, said the district has suffered by not having a district representative to protect its interests on land use, economic development and countywide issues. The area still had some representation through Superdistrict Commissioner Stan Watson, but his attention was divided among the 350,000 residents he’s responsible for.
“You need someone there to listen and address the issues and try to solve them,” Turner said.
The two other finalists were Gina Smith Mangham, an attorney, and Kathryn Rice, the leader of the movement to create a city of Greenhaven in South DeKalb. Mangham said she wasn’t comfortable commenting until she learned more about the circumstances of May’s resignation, and Rice didn’t return a phone message.
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