Senate backs bill to make top DeKalb job nonpartisan

The state Senate has approved a bill that would turn election of the chief executive officer in DeKalb County into a nonpartisan vote.

State Sen. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, sponsored Senate Bill 95 so that only counties that have a CEO would elect candidates outside the party primary system. But the bill is specific to DeKalb, which has the state’s only elected CEO job. County commissioners in DeKalb would continue to be elected by party, as they are in all Georgia counties.

Tuesday’s vote on the measure was 29-23, a close margin that prompted a vote to reconsider the bill Wednesday. That vote failed, 17-35, which means the proposal now heads to the state House for consideration.