Meet the candidates:
• On Tuesday, The Clayton branch of the NAACP and the Partnering Academics and Community Engagement ( PACE) program at Clayton State University are hosting a meet-the-candidates event at the university. Candidates in the commission and school board races will be at the 5:30 p.m. event at the Student Activity Center Ballroom at Clayton State, 2000 Clayton State Blvd. in Morrow. A similar program will be held at the campus at 5:30 p.m. April 26 at the same venue for candidates running for county judges and state representatives.
• On April 21, the Clayco HOAs United for Change, a consortium of five homeowners associations, is hosting a political forum at 5:30 p.m. at The Heart (formerly Hearts to Nourish Hope), 640 Ga Hwy 138 in Riverdale. More than 18 candidates from a wide-range of races are slated to be there. People are asked to bring a non-perishable item for The Hearts, a nonprofit organization that provides various services to the community.
When to vote
Early voting begins May 2 at the Board of Elections office on North McDonough Street in Jonesboro from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Saturday voting begins May 14; Sunday voting is May 15. Go to www.claytoncountyga.gov/departments/elections-and-registration for locations of advance voting sites and other details.
Clayton County is heading into what promises to be one of its most contentious - and exciting - election seasons.
Some 40 people have qualified to run for county commission, district attorney, school board, sheriff and other local offices. It is the most candidates of any election season in the last decade and residents will have a chance to hear candidates’ views at several political forums in coming weeks. The May 24 primary essentially will be the main election for local candidates since no Republican chose to run for any local offices in Clayton.
“It’s going to be an exciting year,” said Pat Pullar, chairperson of the Clayton County Democratic Party and a political consultant who tracks southside politics. “People are paying more attention to what’s going on and who wants to be an elected official.”
The May 24 election is interesting for a number of reasons:
• Most qualifying fees collected in a decade. Candidates plunked down nearly $62,000 in qualifying fees to run in some 20 races - the most qualifying fees collected in at least a decade, said Pullar, a member of the county board of elections. The money will be used to hire poll workers, maintain voting machines and print ballots.
• About a quarter of those running are people under the age of 35. "This is the first time I've seen this number of young people in Clayton and in general running for office," said Pullar who has been tracking political activity statewide since 2003. "We normally get one or two each election cycle. More young people are engaged and paying attention than ever before because of this presidential election. More of them are deciding they're not going to wait until somebody dies or not run anymore before they seek office."
• Will voters turnout? Not only will candidates be competing against each other, they'll be competing against a string of high school graduations on May 24.
Several races could prove to be juicy showdowns. Races to watch:
• Commission Chairman. Incumbent Jeff Turner squares off against two people for the county's top elected job, one of whom is Wade Starr, the former county manager whom Turner fired during his first commission meeting as chairman in 2013. Starr is executive director of Clayton's Housing Authority. School teacher Junior Jackson is the other candidate for chairman.
• District Attorney. DA Tracy Graham Lawson is being challenged by one of her former subordinates. Jason Green was a top prosecutor of violent crimes in Graham Lawson's office until 2014 when he was fired. Green said he was fired after Graham Lawson heard rumors that he planned to run for district attorney. Graham Lawson declined to discuss the matter at the time.
• Sheriff. Sheriff Victor Hill, a popular but controversial lawman, has four competitors vying for his job. The eligibility of Clarence Cox, is being challenged in court by a Clayton resident who claims Cox does not meet eligibility requirements for the job. Cox is the former head of security for Clayton Public Schools. The other contenders are Dwayne Fabian, Chris Pigors and Satira Walker, all law enforcement veterans. Hill also made news recently after a woman he accidentally shot last year endorsed the sheriff in a robocall to voters. Hill is awaiting trial in the shooting incident which occurred at a model home in Gwinnett County.
“Four challengers suggest that a number of people view Sheriff Hill as being vulnerable,” said Charles Bullock, professor of political science at The University of Georgia. “When you see an incumbent with such a large number of challengers, that’s a warning sign that people believe they have a shot at this. Otherwise why waste your time or resources?”
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