A fresh group of DeKalb leaders elected Tuesday will be responsible for turning around the county's tarnished government.
Come January, DeKalb will have a new CEO, County Commission and district attorney, along with four incoming state legislators. Voters also approved creating the new city of Stonecrest in southeast DeKalb.
The incoming class of elected officials has made integrity, accountability and competence a priority for a government that has struggled through numerous corruption scandals in recent years.
They’ll quickly confront several major problems: out-of-control water bills, more than 400 miles of bumpy roads, high crime rates in some areas, a spill-prone sewage system and lack of trust in local government.
CEO
Mike Thurmond will become DeKalb's fifth elected CEO, and he has said he'll focus on fixing the fundamentals of government service.
Thurmond also hopes to bring stability to the county’s most powerful office after three and a half years without it.
DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis has been suspended since July 2013, and he was later found guilty of attempted extortion and perjury. Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May, a former county commissioner, oversaw the county’s transition since then.
Thurmond will be responsible for managing a county of 735,000 residents, more than 6,000 government employees and a $1.38 billion annual budget.
Stonecrest
The new city of Stonecrest will include more than 50,000 residents near Lithonia and Stonecrest Mall in the southeastern corner of the county.
Stonecrest will instantly become DeKalb’s second-largest city, trailing only Brookhaven’s 51,910 residents. It’s the fourth city formed in DeKalb since 2008, joining Dunwoody, Brookhaven and Tucker.
Stonecrest’s supporters say their municipality will help recruit businesses to the area, which they believe hasn’t gotten the attention it needed as an unincorporated part of DeKalb.
County Commission
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners is going through a major transformation, but it’s unclear whether it will be able to overcome factionalism and divisiveness on key votes.
Tuesday’s election of Steve Bradshaw to the seven-member commission will likely swing its balance of power.
He could provide a fourth vote to a group of commissioners that currently represents northern and western parts of the county, giving them control over policy decisions. Three other commissioners from south and eastern districts generally vote together on key issues.
Bradshaw, a Democrat who will represent District 4 covering Stone Mountain and east-central DeKalb, defeated Republican Willie Willis, a tax examiner. Bradshaw unseated incumbent Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton in a July primary election runoff.
Another race for the commission is heading for a runoff to represent Super District 7, which covers the eastern half of the county.
Greg Adams, a Emory University police officer, will face Randall Mangham, an attorney, in a Dec. 6 runoff. The winner will replace former Commissioner Stan Watson, who resigned in March to make an unsuccessful run for county tax commissioner.
Georgia General Assembly
Two incumbents were unseated in Tuesday’s election, one Democrat and one Republican.
Republican Meagan Hanson, an attorney, defeated Democratic Rep. Taylor Bennett, who is also an attorney, in a race for House District 80 in Brookhaven, Chamblee and Sandy Springs.
Democrat Tonya Anderson, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, won a race against Republican Sen. JaNice Van Ness, founder of Peachtree Academy Private School and Early Childhood Centers, in a race for Senate District 43 in DeKalb, Newton and Rockdale counties.
In addition, former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones, a Democrat, defeated Republican Carl Anuszczyk, the CEO of a software development company, in an open race for House District 91 in DeKalb and Rockdale counties.
A fourth freshman legislator will also take office in January. Renitta Shannon, a medical sales manager, unseated Rep. Rahn Mayo, D-Decatur, in the May Democratic primary election for House District 84 in the Decatur area.
Other races
DeKalb Solicitor Sherry Boston was unopposed in Tuesday's election to become the county's next district attorney. Boston defeated District Attorney Robert James in the May Democratic primary election.
Sheriff Jeff Mann, a Democrat , won re-election against Harold Dennis, a Republican and business owner.
A property tax break for homeowners was renewed for another five years. It protects homeowners from having to pay more in county taxes when their property assessments increase, unless it's sold or renovated.
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