Fresh Loaf

Politicos know that a bulging campaign war chest doesn’t guarantee victory. (Paging Roy Barnes…) Next to incumbency, however, it’s usually the best indicator of which candidate has the edge.

And by all known rules of thumb, Commissioner Burrell Ellis looks to be running away with the runoff race to become the county’s next CEO. For starters, before the end of June, Ellis raised $421,000 – more than all four of his opponents put together.

We didn’t have a chance to compare his contributions with those of the runner-up, state Rep. Stan Watson – mainly because Watson was several days late in filing his report. But now that we have both sets, we see that Ellis has all the earmarks of a sure thing.
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State Rep. Stan Watson, a leading Democratic candidate for DeKalb CEO still has not filed his June 30 campaign disclosure report.

Disclosures were due last Tuesday, but, as of 11:15 a.m. this morning, Watson’s was six days overdue, according to the filing officer with the county election department.

We couldn’t reach Watson by phone, so we can only speculate on why he’s so late. Frankly, we wonder if it has something to do with the fact that Commissioner Burrell Ellis, the presumed front-runner in the CEO’s race, reported contributions totaling a staggering $421,000, while Ann Kimbrough, chief of staff to CEO Vernon Jones, reported just under $89,000. If Watson had come in third in fund-raising, it could potentially shift some undecided voters to Kimbrough in tomorrow’s primary.

C’mon, Stan. Turn in your report so we can compare all the candidates’ finances fairly.

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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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