Local News
DeKalb County election results: DA, CEO and more
By Mark Niesse
May 25, 2016Voters shook up DeKalb County's elected leadership in Tuesday's elections, choosing new candidates for CEO and district attorney while sending other key races to runoffs.
Here’s a look at the results of the primary:
- DeKalb Solicitor-General Sherry Boston will become DeKalb's next chief criminal prosecutor after she defeated District Attorney Robert James.
- Michael Thurmond, a former DeKalb schools superintendent, easily defeated two opponents in the Democratic primary for the county's powerful CEO position. He'll face Republican Jack Lovelace in November's general election.
- DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton and challenger Steve Bradshaw will meet in a July 26 runoff. DeKalb Commissioner Kathie Gannon won a race against political consultant Warren Mosby.
- Former DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson lost a three-way race for DeKalb tax commissioner. The top two candidates, Tax Commissioner Irvin Johnson and attorney Susannah Scott, will compete in a runoff.
- Former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones will face legal support consultant Rhonda Taylor in a runoff. They received the most votes in a four-way race for House District 91, which covers parts of DeKalb and Rockdale counties.
- Renitta Shannon, a medical sales manager, unseated Rep. Rahn Mayo, D-Decatur, in a race for House District 84.
- Former Rep. Tonya Anderson and Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler will compete in a Democratic Party runoff for Senate District 43, which covers parts of DeKalb, Rockdale and Newton counties. The winner of the runoff will face Republican Sen. JaNice Van Ness in the November general election.
- All other incumbent DeKalb legislators won re-election, including Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody; Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur; Sen. Fran Millar, R-Atlanta; Rep. Michele Henson, D-Stone Mountain; and Rep. Earnest "Coach" Williams, D-Avondale Estates.
- Three incumbent judges facing challenges won re-election. They are Superior Court Judge Clarence Seeliger, Superior Court Judge Gail Flake and State Court Judge Dax Lopez.
- Sheriff Jeff Mann won a five-way Democratic primary, avoiding a runoff. He'll face Republican Harold Dennis in November.
- Donna Coleman-Stribling, an assistant DeKalb district attorney, won the race for county solicitor-general, defeating DeKalb Chief Assistant District Attorney Nicole Marchand-Golden.
- Voters overwhelmingly approved a penny sales tax for school improvement projects throughout DeKalb.
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.
