DeKalb News: Stonecrest city attorney steps down, names successor

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary, speaking at the Sept. 17, 2018 City Council meeting.  TIA MITCHELL/TIA.MITCHELL@AJC.COM

Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary, speaking at the Sept. 17, 2018 City Council meeting. TIA MITCHELL/TIA.MITCHELL@AJC.COM

Thompson “Tom” Kurrie Jr., the first person to serve as city attorney in Stonecrest, is stepping away from the role.

He notified Mayor Jason Lary in December that he would no longer be working for the city. Kurrie recommended that Winston Denmark be designated for the position.

A spokesman for Lary said the Stonecrest City Council approved the change at its Jan. 2 meeting.

Denmark currently serves as city attorney in Lithonia and is a former DeKalb County assistant attorney. He is a partner at one of two firms hired to perform legal services for Stonecrest.

VIDEO: Previous coverage of Stonecrest city government

Lary signed an agreement that authorized paying $185 per hour for attorneys under a joint partnership between Coleman Talley LLP, where Kurrie works, and Fincher Denmark LLC.

Lary was elected mayor in March 2017, just a few months after voters authorized Stonecrest’s creation. Kurrie and Lary both worked with the Stonecrest Cityhood Alliance, an organization that backed the effort.