DeKalb race heading for runoff between Johnson and Turner
Mereda Davis Johnson, an attorney and the wife of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, will face George Turner, a retired MARTA manager, in a runoff to restore local representation to southeast DeKalb County for the first time in almost two years.
Johnson and Turner received the most votes Tuesday among 10 candidates competing for the DeKalb Commission District 5 seat, which represents about 144,000 residents.
The area has lacked a commissioner since July 2013, when Gov. Nathan Deal appointed then-Commissioner Lee May to serve as the county's interim leader. May replaced CEO Burrell Ellis, who is on trial fighting corruption charges.
The election is being held because May resigned from his commission seat last month, creating a vacancy that candidates rushed to fill. The winner of the race will serve the last year and a half of the four-year term.
“I’m glad they’re trying to get someone in there because it’s been vacant for almost two years,” said Roy Knight after casting his ballot. “We didn’t have any representation. I felt neglected.”
Voters said they were concerned about the economy, potholes and government corruption.
Monique Smith, who voted at Fairington Elementary, said she carefully researched each candidate before making her decision about who to vote for.
“I paid attention to years of service in the community and whether I’ve been hearing any negative gossip,” she said.
- Gregory Adams, an Emory University police officer and pastor
- Harmel Deanne Codi, a former DeKalb Community Development Financial Officer
- Jerome Edmondson, a call center owner
- Gwen Russell Green, a DeKalb library media specialist
- Vaughn Irons, CEO of a property development company
- Mereda Davis Johnson, an attorney and wife of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga.
- Gina Mangham, an attorney who worked to prevent a biomass facility.
- Kathryn Rice, the leader of an effort to form a city of Greenhaven in South DeKalb
- Kenneth Saunders III, a technology consultant
- George Turner, president of the District 5 Community Council
A runoff will be held July 14.
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.
