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DeKalb government overhauled following scandals

By
July 29, 2016

A broad transformation of DeKalb County's government is taking place after years of corruption scandals.

Disgruntled voters took to the polls to replace some of their elected leaders, and criminal prosecutions removed others.

By January, DeKalb will have a new CEO, district attorney and Board of Commissioners. Four members of the commission will have been elected in the two years since former Commissioner Elaine Boyer pleaded guilty to defrauding taxpayers of more than $100,000.

The changes continued Tuesday when DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton was voted out. Steve Bradshaw, a business development manager who campaigned on honest government, defeated Sutton.

Two more major DeKalb races will be on the ballot in November. Democrat Michael Thurmond and Republican Jack Lovelace are running for county CEO, and eight candidates are competing for a DeKalb Commission seat covering the eastern half of the county.

About the Author

Mark Niesse covers 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.

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