Fresh Loaf

It seemed like only yesterday we liveblogged the July 15 primary results. Since then, we’ve also covered a rainstorm, the sun rising, and the dude stocking our vending machine — all in real time. Next week I’m going to start wearing a camera on my head and documenting my therapy sessions.

Tonight, however, we stick to politics. CL Editor Ken Edelstein and myself will hunker down at Manuel’s Tavern in Poncey-Highlands to document the results of the undecided races, including the U.S. Senate Democratic runoff, the Fulton County Sheriff’s race and the DeKalb CEO contest. I’ll be closely watching the Clayton County elections, as folks down there have a lot hinging on who comes out victorious. (Click here to read CL’s runoff voter’s guide.)

Join us here around 7 p.m. BECAUSE FREEDOM DEPENDS ON IT©.

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Tomorrow we’ll find out the answer to the most pressing issue of the Jim Martin and Vernon Jones runoff: Who is the least like George W. Bush and who loves Barack Obama more?

Sounds pretty irrelevant, right? Tell that to the reserved former state lawmaker and his opponent, the flamboyant two-term CEO of DeKalb County. Since the two found out on July 15 they’d be facing each other in tomorrow’s runoff, there’s been little more than talk about each other’s past voting records. (Just to refresh your memory: Jones has slammed Martin for casting a vote on Super Tuesday for John Edwards, who had already ended his campaign, and not Barack Obama. Martin has slammed Jones for his back-to-back votes for George W. Bush. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that voting for Bush is not something that will endear you to Democrats, CEO Jones. Plus, what’s up with all the contributions to the state Republican party?)

Perhaps the reason they’re focusing so much on the past is because they share a similar vision for the future. Both want clean energy, both want out of Iraq, and both think No Child Left Behind is an unfair and unsuccessful program. Those are all laudable goals, but the last three weeks have been a rather boring ping pong match of accusations and ambitions rather than ideas.

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Yes, we’re trying to get you pumped about voting tomorrow. It may seem a tall order to get titillated over runoffs for such down-ticket races as Fulton County Sheriff and Clerk of Fulton Superior Court (what, no dog catcher?), but you gotta try. That’s because, this year, doing nothing is tantamount to supporting incompetence and graft.

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“Forget it, Jake. It’s South DeKalb.”

With apologies to Chinatown, that’s what DeKalb voting patterns make me think of. Who imagined, back in 2004, that Cynthia McKinney would win back her Congressional seat without a runoff against such heavy hitters as Lianne Levitan and Cathy Woolard? Ditto for embattled CEO Vernon Jones, who easily won re-election that same year against six challengers, including a sitting commissioner, also without a runoff.

South DeKalb politics is like a sealed box; you can speculate all you like about what’s inside, but you never really know until you take the lid off on election day. (more…)

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Need to figure out who’s running for what before now and 7 p.m. when the polls close? You may want to review our Voter Guides for several major races:

• DeKalb CEO
• Fulton Sheriff
• Public Service Commission
• U.S. Senate

Also, check out the AJC/League of Women Voters guide. Now, go vote!

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All nine Democratic candidates for Fulton County sheriff took part in a Thursday morning Atlanta Press Club debate that will air on GPB-TV Sunday night. But we’ll try to fill you in about these guys as best we can now. The sheriff’s race has been surprisingly below-the radar, but some details can be gleaned from the candidates’ appearances, websites and campaign literature.

Here are the candidates: (more…)

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We’ve called the DeKalb CEO possibly the most powerful local elected official in Georgia, by virtue of the position’s administrative clout and its influence over the County Commission. A fall referendum may rein in that power a bit, but the job is still a big deal in metro Atlanta – most important, actually, than similar posts in other counties.

Because DeKalb is Georgia’s most Democratic county, Republicans need not apply for CEO. Accordingly, the race will be decided in the primary, most likely in a runoff election. The candidates are:

• We’ve called Joe Bembry a recreational candidate because he’s run for various offices more than two dozen times in recent years. You may be tempted to vote for someone with the chutzpah to identify himself on the ballot as “Joe from Decatur.” Resist that temptation.
• By most accounts, Commissioner Burrell Ellis is the man to beat for CEO. He’s raised over $400,000 – more than his four opponents combined – has near-universal name recognition, and enjoys wide support across the county. A frequent opponent of Vernon Jones, Ellis – who’s also well-spoken, clean-cut and youthful – has especially endeared himself to residents of the north end of the county. His supporters look to Ellis to undo the racial polarization that has occurred under Jones. Ellis is endorsed by the AJC.
• While Ann Kimbrough seems well-liked by many neighborhood leaders, as Jones’ chief of staff, she’s been forced into the unenviable role of defending the current administration during debates. Also, the legions of Jones-haters, a group that includes much of north DeKalb, seem unlikely to support the notion of a Jones dynasty. She must poll well in South DeKalb to earn a runoff berth.
• Steen Miles is familiar to much of DeKalb, having covered the county for 15 years as a WXIA-TV reporter. She has a calm, dignified, authoritative presence in debates and can claim two years of experience in the state Senate. But she has had poor showings in the 2000 race for CEO and in 2006 for lieutenant governor; there’s little reason to expect a better performance this time around, when she has the least funding and visible organization of any of the candidates.
• State Rep. Stan Watson has strong support among his House colleagues, who see him as a skilled mediator and bridge-builder, but it’s difficult to gauge what impact that will have on voters. A scrappy pol of the old school, Watson must expand his appeal beyond the boundaries of his Lithonia House district in order to make the runoff. As of Wednesday evening, he was the only CEO candidate who hadn’t filed his campaign disclosure; the deadline was Tuesday.

You can read more about the candidates in the AJC and the website GoDeKalb.

Got a take on any of the candidates for CEO? We welcome your comments.

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This information should help you decide who to vote for Tuesday in the primary for state Public Service Commission. It’s the first of several 2008 primary voter guides we’re putting up on Fresh Loaf this week.

Two seats are in play — an open seat now held by a pro-consumer Commissioner Angela Speir and the seat being defended by utility-friendly Commissioner Doug Everett.

Although candidates for each seat must live in a particular part of the state, the seats are voted on statewide — so the “districts” are basically irrelevant to you as a voter.

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As the July 15 primaries approach, we at CL wanted to give our readers a recap of some of the most important races. Let’s call it our Ad-hoc, Incremental, Online Voter Guide!

Let’s start with the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate. They’re fighting for the honor to take on first-term Republican (and Bush hand-maiden) Saxby Chambliss.

Polls taken at different points in the race have shown a close race, generally with Vernon Jones ahead, followed by Dale Cardwell, Jim Martin and Rand Knight. But a recent Rasmussen poll showed Martin (a late entry, but the best-funded candidate) on an upward trajectory. None of the polls has shown candidate Josh Lanier gaining much traction with voters.

But, apart from their poll numbers, what do we know about these guys? (more…)

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