Greg Adams wins DeKalb Commission runoff
Greg Adams won Tuesday's runoff election for DeKalb County Commission Super District 7, defeating Randal Mangham, according to unofficial results.
Adams, an Emory University police officer, will represent about 350,000 people in the eastern half of the county, including Doraville, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Pine Lake and unincorporated areas.
"I've got my sleeves rolled up, and I'm ready to go to work for DeKalb County," Adams said in an interview Tuesday night. "I intend to work and serve the people of DeKalb County with honesty, integrity, transparency and accountability."
Adams said he'll focus on developing blighted areas and encouraging economic growth. He also supports increasing pay and benefits for police in an effort to encourage officers to stay with the county’s force.
The election was being held to replace former DeKalb Commissioner Stan Watson, who resigned in March to make an unsuccessful run for county tax commissioner.
Adams and Mangham advanced to the runoff after receiving the most votes of nine candidates on the ballot last month.
Adams plans to take office next week, in time for the next meeting of the DeKalb Commission on Tuesday.
He'll be part of a newly elected DeKalb government, along with incoming CEO Mike Thurmond, District Attorney Sherry Boston and Commissioner Steve Bradshaw.
Please read more about the transformation of DeKalb's government on MyAJC.com.
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.
