DeKalb Commission remains 2 representatives down
The DeKalb County Commission’s five remaining members delayed a vote Tuesday to select a temporary commissioner, leaving the body with five of seven seats filled.
The Commission had been scheduled to vote on the appointment of George Turner, an involved member of the southeast DeKalb community, to fill the seat previously held by Interim CEO Lee May, representing about 140,000 residents. But Commissioner Stan Watson made a motion to hold the vote next month, and it passed unanimously without debate.
The other vacant seat belonged to former Commissioner Elaine Boyer, who resigned Monday. Her north DeKalb seat will be filled in a special election.
The southeast DeKalb district seat hasn’t been filled for more than a year since May became the county’s chief executive when Gov. Nathan Deal appointed him to replace suspended CEO Burrell Ellis, who is scheduled to go on trial next month.
Ellis faces charges that he pressured and threatened county contractors for campaign contributions.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
