Bill Calling For Nonpartisan CEO Elections in DeKalb Voted Down, But Still Alive
The state House Thursday rejected Senate Bill 95 calling for nonpartisan CEO elections in DeKalb County, but the legislation can be considered again next week.
On the House floor, Mike Jacobs, R-Brookhaven, suggested the strong Democratic majority in DeKalb was hurting the county.
“There is no incentive for candidates for CEO to talk to Republican voters,” said Jacobs.
He cited a list of county issues, including last year’s indictment of DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis.
House Democrats spoke out strongly against it. Rep. Michele Henson, D-Stone Mountain, insisted it was a local issue. She asked House members if they’d want the state dictating to them how to run their local communities.
“If we’re going to move towards nonpartisan county CEO or commission chair races then it should be applied equally to all 159 counties, not just to DeKalb,” said Henson.
The House voted the bill down 101-51.
But afterwards Jacobs was able to attract enough votes on the floor to get the bill reconsidered and tabled, meaning it could come back up for a vote next week during the last two days of this year’s legislative session.
The Senate has already passed the bill.
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