DECATUR, Ga. — A lively contest is currently underway for the elected office that will lead DeKalb County’s government.
Three elected commissioners are vying to replace current CEO Michael Thurmond, who is retiring after eight years on the job.
"I think our CEO, Michael Thurmond, is a transformational leader," longtime commissioner and current candidate Larry Johnson said during an Atlanta Press Club debate that aired on GPB this week.
Thurmond is a former state Labor Commissioner who steadied DeKalb’s sometimes erratic leadership over most of the last decade. In that same televised debate this week, Johnson noted that one of Thurmond's great successes in office was rebuilding the county's aging water and sewer infrastructure.
"He made (water and sewer) a cabinet-level opportunity. I would do the same thing by making an office of violence prevention," Johnson added.
But while Johnson touted himself as a continuing Thurmond's legacy, rival candidates Stephen Bradshaw and Lorraine Cochran-Johnson noted other issues they hope to tackle.
Commissioner Cochran-Johnson was among the candidates who said affordable housing remains a county-level issue, describing it as "problematic at this point, but it’s one of the issues that we as elected officials must address."
Meanwhile, Commissioner Bradshaw claimed DeKalb County is doing a lousy job simply answering questions when residents call for services.
"One of the things that’s broken is our service delivery," Bradshaw said. "I’m going to embark on a massive program to retrain our folks on the ways and means of customer service."
Because no Republican qualified to run for CEO in this heavily Democratic county, whoever wins the Democratic primary—or a runoff—can expect to take office in January.