20 people seek interim DeKalb Commission seat
Twenty people have applied to become a temporary DeKalb County commissioner representing the southeastern portion of the county.
A panel of three citizens will narrow the field to two candidates, and then Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May will choose a finalist for the Board of Commissioners’ consideration. May said he wants to nominate a candidate within the first two weeks of August, if not sooner.
The interim commissioner will serve at least until the end of suspended DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis’ trial, which is scheduled to begin in September.
If Ellis is found not guilty, he would immediately return as CEO and May would retake his commission seat. If Ellis is found guilty, May would still return to the commission and a special election would likely be held.
The candidates for the District 5 seat are Tarnisha Dent, George Turner Jr., Gina Smith Mangham, Charles Smith Hill, Kenneth R. Saunders III, Markus J. Butts, Kathryn T. Rice, Randal Mangham, Faye Coffield, Jacqueline Tumbling, Pierre Louis, Melvin D. Mitchell, Belinda M. Myers, Harmel Deanne Codi, Joscelyn C. O’Neil, Andre R. White, Geraldine A. Champion, Kamau K. Mason, Angela Moore and Wendolyn Peters.
The citizen panel is made up of Lithonia resident and community activist Lisa Allen, Stone Mountain resident and attorney Rosalind Newell and state Rep. Rahn Mayo, D-Decatur.
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.
