Dekalb’s
Super District 7
DeKalb County
Commissioner Lou Walker passed away on August 2nd
after a car accident, leaving a vacant seat on the
county’s Board of Commission for Super District 7.
Each commissioner is elected for four years, and
since Mr. Walker’s term was to expire in 2006,
more than half the term is still remaining. Based on
the law, a new commissioner must be elected within
45 days of the seat being vacated. The special
election for the district has been set for September
21st.
Before Mr. Walker’s funeral had ended, several
candidates had already announced their intentions to
run for the position. Now, 11 individuals are on the
ballot for the seat representing Super District 7,
one of the largest constituencies of DeKalb.
Why is this race important and what powers does a
Board of Commissioners have?
Dekalb’s seven member, part-time Board of
Commissioners are elected, by district, to four-year
terms. DeKalb is divided into five districts, each
served by a commissioner. Additionally, there are
two "super districts" commissioners, each
serving roughly one-half of the County's population
(see diagram). Each citizen of DeKalb is, therefore,
served by two commissioners.
All metro-Atlanta counties, including Dekalb County,
have a Board of Commissioners. DeKalb, however, is
the only county government in metro-Atlanta with a
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in addition to the
Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners
has the authority over how tax payers’ money is
spent, and it serves as the legislative branch of
the County.
Therefore, any budgetary or contractual needs that
the CEO or any other constitutional county official
may have must be approved by the Board. The CEO must
submit an annual proposed budget with accompanying
data.
Mr. Walker was an ally of DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones
and kept the four-commissioner majority on the Board
that would push through Mr. Jones' initiatives. The
newly elected commissioner may not be so favorable
of Jones’ plans.
As you can see in the diagram, the district covers
the eastern half of DeKalb, from the Gwinnett County
border in the north to the Henry County boundary in
the south. Voters in the north will look for a
candidate that supports a fiscally conservative
government, while voters in the south prefer a
supporter of commercial development, improved public
transportation, and expanded county services. Either
way, the direction of a new four-commissioner
majority on the board will be watched with great
interest.
The candidates are: 1) State Senator Connie Stokes,
who lost in the race to be the Democratic nominee
for the 4th Congressional District (previously held
by Denise Majette) in the July 20th primaries. 2)
Former Commissioner John Evans, who was convicted of
extortion and income tax evasion in 1989, and is on
leave as president of the DeKalb chapter of the
NAACP; 3) Adrion Bell, who lost in the runoff to Mr.
Walker in 2000; 4) Joe Bembry, who recently lost to
Vernon Jones in the race for Dekalb CEO; 5) Tom
Bowen, who was unsuccessful as a candidate for the
DeKalb school board and the Georgia Legislature; 6)
Retired Atlanta Police Sgt. Faye Coffield; 7) Yvonne
Hawks, DeKalb NAACP’s supervisor for voter
registration; 8) Angela Moore, who tried for the
Commission District 5 in July; 9) Jash Perry, who
pulled out of the race with state Rep. Michele
Henson in November; 10) Billy Wingo Jr. of Lithonia;
and 11) Mikhail Hill of Decatur.
And, as always, I appreciate any feedback on what
races or issues you would like to see covered in
this column. Please send your feedback to contact@nripulse.com.
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