Stokes makes formal entrance into race

Meanwhile, the Congressman, DeKalb County District 7 Commissioner Connie Stokes and former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones are the three Democrats who have made formal announcements so far that they will run. Stokes officially announced her bid for the seat at the DeKalb History Center on Jan. 30.   Atlanta resident Liz Carter, an executive recruiter, and Tucker resident Larry Gause are two Republicans who also have announced they will run for the seat.

May said though he is counting himself out this go round, he may run in 2012.

“I do have a desire to be a member of Congress—just not at this time,” said May, who is a Democrat. “I have decided to finish my term as commissioner and complete the work that needs to be done here. I don’t want to have to worry about trying to see after the affairs of the county, while trying to run a campaign for Congress.”

May’s four-year commission term ends in 2012. By then, he would have served six years as a DeKalb County Commissioner, which some political observers have said might make him a stronger candidate with more experience under his belt.

“The compliments I’ve heard have encouraged me and the criticism has put a spark under me,” May acknowledged. “I’m going to focus on the issues and concerns at hand.”

May said resolving DeKalb’s operating budget crisis must be one of the county’s top priorities now. May, along with Stokes, who chairs the Board of Commission’s budget committee, and the other board members are hoping to avoid higher property taxes. The board is considering furloughs for county workers, scheduling unpaid holidays and expanding the county’s early retirement program to include employees 45 and older. The cuts must be made by Feb. 23 and commissioners must approve a balanced budget by March 1.

“This is the worst I’ve seen the budget in recent history,” said May. “Just as people are going to have to change their habits and tighten their belts, so is the county. We’re going to have to govern better by looking at consolidation of departments and cutting back on non-essential services. I would rather look at that than raising property taxes.”

DeKalb Commission’s Presiding Officer Larry Johnson said he does not want to raise taxes or cut essential services. He is encouraging the public to attend the commissioners’ budget meeting on Feb. 6, 9 a.m. at New Piney Grove, 2580 Snapfinger Road, in Decatur. The meeting is hosted by former State Rep. Stan Watson and his Community Cabinet.

“The public has to get out and speak up,” said Johnson, acknowledging that the commission has heard from a group of judges who spoke out recently about proposed cuts to the county’s austerity budget Superior Court Chief Judge Cynthia Becker, who spoke out on the judges’ behalf said the cuts in funding from $53 million in the current budget to $47.8 million in the proposed 2010 budget, will disrupt the continuum of justice. She cited foreclosures, child support contempts and domestic violence as critical areas that might be impacted by cuts in the court system.

Meanwhile, higher property taxes, however, may be imminent. DeKalb Schools Superintendent Crawford Lewis is proposing raising the school system’s share of the property tax by 2 mills, which would amount to about $135 more to the $1551 a homeowner now pays on a $200,000 house.

Property taxes in DeKalb could rise even higher. DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis has proposed a 1.86 mill increase for the county’s portion of the tax bill. He says money is needed to help offset an $84 million shortfall that the county is experiencing because it overestimated property values. A recent assessment of the tax digest shows the values dropped about $1 billion. Ellis also wants to cut $23 million out of this year’s budget, reducing it from $606 million to $583.

Ellis has been hosting a series of public gatherings since January to discuss his proposed budget. He plans to continue hosting the meetings throughout February.

Public Meetings on DeKalb County’s Budget

The remaining schedule for DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis’ Neighborhood gatherings on the budget is listed below:

Feb. 2

Tucker Recreation Center

4898 LaVista Road

Tucker, GA 30084

Feb. 4

Cedar Grove High School

2360 River Road

Ellenwood, GA 30294

Feb. 9

Stephenson Middle School

922 Stephenson Road

Stone Mountain, GA 30087

Feb. 11

St. Timothy’s UMC

5365 Memorial Drive

Decatur, GA 30083

Feb. 16

Torah Day School

1985 LaVista Road NE

Atlanta, GA 30329

Feb. 18

Berean Church

2201 Young Road

Stone Mountain, GA 30088

For more information, call Katherine McCladdie at 404-371-3695 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .