Fresh Loaf

Due to technical difficulties, I wasn’t able to take part in last night’s live blog, so I’ll recap some of observations from the Democratic bacchanal at the downtown Hyatt. As I arrived, the Rev. Joe Lowery was onstage offering encouragement to an excited crowd in a downstairs ballroom. I was told Senate candidate Jim Martin had stopped by a little earlier and that I’d just missed Mayor Shirley Franklin. I was surprised Shirley had left before the election was called, but her son, Cabral, told me she was helping babysit his kids. I guess after a hard day as mayor, it’s nice to go home and just be grandma.

However, I did see state Attorney General Thurbert Baker; DeKalb CEO-elect Burrell Ellis; Atlanta Councilman Kwanza Hall; Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves; and state Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown, D-Macon. In an unexpected sighting, former Fulton Commissioner Michael Hightower — who spent some time behind bars a few years back for taking bribes from a developer — was making the rounds and shaking hands. A relieved-looking U.S. Rep David Scott, fresh from re-election, came in just after the presidential race had been called for Obama, as the DJ played “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”

A little later, I found myself sipping scotch in the Obama suite while watching McCain’s concession speech next to former Congressman Buddy Darden. Also there were state Sen. David Adelman, D-Atlanta, who chaired Obama’s Georgia campaign, and fellow Sen. Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna. Both had cruised to election earlier in the day.

Back downstairs, a giant conga line had formed as ecstatic Democrats celebrated the historic victory. Hanging at the back of the ballroom, just watching the revelry, was Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell, looking dapper as always. Leave it to Eldrin to find the happenin’ party.

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We haven’t seen turnout figures yet for yesterday’s runoffs, but the results in most cases seemed to confirm predictions.

The Democratic Senate nominee, of course, is former Atlanta lawmaker Jim Martin, having trounced DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones 60% to 40%.

Some folks might look at this result as the triumph of funding, since Martin entered the race late, spent little time stumping across the state and instead focused his efforts on collecting enough money from PACs and other sources to wage a TV campaign. That’s all true, but Martin did have high name recognition and none of the negatives that Jones brought to the table.

Martin’s victory opens the door for an aggressive, high-dollar assault on GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss this fall. It all but ensures that top Senate Democrats will attempt to turn Georgia into one of their key battleground states.

(more…)

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If you want to get an early jump on currying favor with DeKalb’s next CEO, you can do so tonight – after you’ve voted, of course! – at one of two locations:

• Commissioner Burrell Ellis has rented out a ballroom at the Holiday Inn, 130 Claremont Road, in downtown Decatur
• State Rep. Stan Watson can be found at Seasons Bistro,  2077 Northlake Pkwy., in Tucker

Choose wisely. Only one of these men will win and, from our experience, concession-speech parties are a real buzz-kill.

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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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Damn, Stan!

Viewers tuning into the Atlanta Press Club debate for DeKalb CEO on GPB this coming Sunday will see a rather one-sided affair. The debate was taped earlier today, but State Rep. Stan Watson wasn’t there, apparently having called to cancel last night. That left only Commissioner Burrell Ellis, an empty podium and three print journalists – myself included – trying to make things look as interesting as possible in the absence of any real debating.

Watson missed more than his share of the numerous CEO debates before the July 15 primary, but then he was in good shape to make the runoff over several less well-funded opponents. Now, however, he’s the apparent long shot against Ellis, who took a solid 46 of the primary vote.

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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.
(more…)

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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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The DeKalb Commission is dealing this morning with a resolution to use legal action to block the proposed city of Dunwoody. I pointed out in a blog yesterday that, because of recent legal precedents, such an effort would be doomed to failure. But that depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

Reader John Heneghan has pointed out that the legislation, put forward by Commissioner Lee May, is likely not intended to affect the Dunwoody referendum, but rather the primary election for CEO, which takes place the same day, July 15.
As he explains on the Dunwoody North Civic Association blog:

This matter is politically charged and was probably placed on the agenda not because (Vernon) Jones wants to take expensive legal action against the State of Georgia for the City of Dunwoody’s creation, but because it could be used as a wedge issue dividing the County in half. If that is the case, it will probably be played as North DeKalb vs. South DeKalb, and sadly probably also along racial lines too.

Although Heneghan doesn’t say it explicitly, I’ll extrapolate that the measure was perhaps intended to force Commissioner Burrell Ellis, a CEO candidate who’s been no friend to Jones, to take a public stand on the controversial issue of Dunwoody cityhood. If he votes for the resolution, he loses Dunwoody votes. If he votes against it – the more likely scenario – he may lose South DeKalb votes. Or so the thinking goes.

Anyway, TotH to Heneghan for sharing his analysis. (That’s blogspeak for Tip of the Hat – I just learned that!)

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It’s arguably the most powerful local elected position in metro Atlanta, perhaps all of Georgia. And yet, by most accounts, the race for DeKalb CEO really hasn’t caught fire yet. Frankly, with only two weeks to go before the July 15 primary, there’s a good chance it won’t.

Even state Rep. Stan Watson, one of five hopefuls in the all-Democratic contest, concedes that he’s seen more excitement in the community over the November presidential election (You say, “Obamania!” I say, “Obamamania!”) than the CEO’s race.

In the northern end of the county, all attention seems to be focused on the Dunwoody cityhood referendum. And DeKalb Republicans, historically an important swing vote in Democratic primaries, will mostly cast GOP ballots instead because District 1 Commissioner Elaine Boyer has drawn opposition. (Her challenger, by the way, is Terri Burdine Fischer, owner of Clarkston strip club Strokers. Make that a schwing! vote.)

Another reason for the apparent disinterest in the race is the possibility that, apart from recreational candidate “Joe from Decatur” Bembry, most voters are fairly confident that any of the four serious contestants would be, well, perfectly adequate.

Along with Watson, who serves as chairman of the DeKalb state House delegation, the candidates include two-term Commissioner Burrell Ellis; former state Sen. Steen “Newslady” Miles; and Ann Kimbrough, chief of staff to outgoing CEO Vernon Jones.

With no formal polls done, the consensus among local political mavens seems to be that the primary will result in a runoff election between Ellis and either Watson or Kimbrough.

Ellis, a real estate attorney, is running a well-organized campaign and recently nabbed the endorsement of the AJC. Watson was the earliest to get into the race and is well-known in South DeKalb, but has – at last count – trailed far behind Ellis in terms of fund-raising.

(more…)

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DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones will step down from his county job at the end of the year, but his influence will still be felt if Ann Wead Kimbrough has anything to do with it.

Kimbrough, who has served as Jones’ chief of staff for several years and was his official spokesperson before that, has filed paperwork with the state to form an exploratory committee to run for her boss’ seat – the first step in any campaign for office.

Kimbrough was noticed making the rounds of Easter services at a couple of prominent South Dekalb churches, telling parishioners of her intent to run for CEO.

“I’ve been listening to neighborhood leaders and will be making my mind up pretty soon,” perhaps within the next week, she confirms to CL.

Critics are likely to see Kimbrough’s candidacy as a bid by Jones to maintain his grip on political power in DeKalb. He’s currently running a long-shot Senate race against Saxby Chambliss. Not surprisingly, Kimbrough – who describes herself as having “understudied” for the CEO job – says Jones is “very supportive” of her plan to succeed him.

Before becoming Jones’ Girl Friday, Kimbrough worked in the communications office of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, then was a business reporter for the AJC and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She has also taught journalism classes at Clark-Atlanta University and Florida A&M University.

Kimbrough says she has asked the county attorney whether she would need to quit her job in order to run for CEO. We’re guessing that’s a given, but if not, it could make county commission meetings more interesting, seeing as Commissioner Burrell Ellis is a leading contender for the CEO post. The other major candidate is state Rep. Stan Watson, D-Decatur.

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DeKalb Commissioner Burrell Ellis, who’s hinted at his desire to succeed Vernon Jones as county CEO, will make good on those hints tonight when he formally declares his candidacy.

Ellis, a two-term commissioner who represents east central DeKalb, including Stone Mountain and Avondale Estates, will make his announcement at 5:15 p.m. in the downtown Holiday Inn conference center at 130 Clairemont Ave. But he didn’t wait to retool his website for the CEO’s race.

He faces a tough opponent in veteran state Rep. Stan Watson, the chairman of the DeKalb House delegation, who threw his hat into the ring last fall. The presence of such strong Democratic candidates on the primary ballot doesn’t leave much room for any other hopefuls. We assume the race for CEO will be a showdown between Ellis and Watson.

Let the rumble begin!

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It’s hard to imagine a bigger ho-hum of a press release than when DeKalb Commissioner Burrell Ellis announced, the week before Christmas, that he wouldn’t seek re-election as the board’s presiding officer in 2008.

Anyone not boning up for Local Government Team Trivia could be excused for failing to care. After all, the sole responsibility of presiding officer is taking over the Commission gavel after CEO Vernon Jones wanders away from a long, boring meeting.

But to Ellis’ potential rivals, the announcement served notice that he is serious about running in 2008 to replace Jones as CEO. Although he has filed paperwork to seek campaign contributions, and has told interviewers he would run for CEO, the two-term commissioner has yet to publicly announce his candidacy.

When he does throw his hat into the ring, Ellis will join what is essentially a two-man race against state Rep. Stan Watson. Other serious candidates have been rumored – Sheriff Tom Brown, Commissioner Connie Stokes and state Rep. Steen Miles, for starters – but with the Democratic primary scheduled for July 15, time is running out for anyone else to come forward.

Watson and Ellis represent the old guard vs. the new guard. An 11-year veteran of the Statehouse, Watson has been careful to cultivate Jones’ south DeKalb base, but he also commands enough respect from his north DeKalb peers to win support as a leader of the county House delegation.

“The maturity factor will help me” in getting votes, predicts Watson, 53, in what could be an oblique reference to the exasperation many DeKalbites feel with their impulsive, hard-partying current CEO.

But at a youthful 50, Ellis is no babe in the wood. And his clean-cut, well-tailored appearance and job with a top law firm will undoubtedly give him crossover appeal in the cul-de-sacs of north DeKalb. He’s already worked to cement a bond with the northern end of the county by splitting with Jones on several recent issues, voting in favor of earlier bar hours and against TAD financing around a proposed Sembler development.

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First, an apology for my post last week encouraging readers to attend a DeKalb County Commission meeting that I misinterpreted as a vote but was actually a public hearing. If I ever do that again, rest assured that I’ll be at the meeting and awaiting beat-downs from angry residents whom I may have misled. Again, I apologize.

The DeKalb County Commission today deferred the controversial proposed ordinance requiring homes in the county with pre-1993 plumbing to be retrofit prior to sale, much to the delight of the rows of Realtors who attended the meeting solely to rally against the issue. Upon the commission’s decision to hold off voting for two weeks, the army of real estate professionals — I mean, Realtors — exited Maloof Auditorium en masse.

The ordinance has been met by staunch opposition by the real estate industry, which says it places homeowners and professionals in the industry at risk of fines if properties they’ve bought or sold haven’t been retrofit. They also argue that the ordinance is shortsighted, rushed and unclear. For example, they say even homes that are meant to be torn down to make way for new ones would have to be retrofit.

CEO Vernon Jones said the county is exploring the option of setting up a $500,000 rebate program to help residents purchase the low-flow fixtures needed to comply with the ordinance. The industry argues that an incentive-based program would be more beneficial and effective.

Commissioner Jeff Rader, a strong supporter of the retrofit ordinance, said that if implemented, the measure could save 3.5 millions gallons of water each day.

If passed, look for it to go into effect June 1.

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