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.