Author: On Common Ground News

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond has selected professional engineer, Richard Lemke as the county’s director of Public Works, effective March 26.  Lemke will oversee the Department of Watershed Management, and the divisions of Fleet Maintenance, Roads and Drainage, Transportation and Sanitation. Lemke will manage the Department of Public Work’s 1,600 full- and part-time employees and a budget of $460 million. Lemke has more than 20 years of government service that includes implementing one of the first comprehensive citywide street improvement programs that repaired potholes, cracked pavement and roadways in Green River, Wyoming. Additionally, he has managed a variety of public…

Six schools in Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) – one-third of schools in the district – have been named on the Georgia Department of Education Reward Schools list, an honor given to top-performing Title I schools. Barksdale Elementary and Lorraine Elementary are listed as “Highest Performing” schools. C. J. Hicks Elementary, Flat Shoals Elementary, Pine Street Elementary and General Ray Davis Middle School are listed as “Highest Progress” schools. Most of these schools have been named Reward Schools for multiple consecutive years. “I am extremely proud of our 2017-18 Reward Schools,” says Interim Superintendent Shirley Chesser. “To have a third…

Rockdale County Clerk of Courts Ruth A. Wilson, in collaboration with the Georgia Superior Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA), will offer free Notary Public training for individuals who are already notaries and those interested in becoming a notary. The training will address basic notary procedures and legal guidelines for fulfilling the duties of a Notary Public in the State of Georgia. The training for the evening session will be held on Thursday, May 3, 6 to 7:30 p.m.  The morning session will be held on Thursday, May 17, 10 to 11:30 a.m.  Both sessions will be held at the JP…

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced the opening of this year’s Congressional Art Competition for all high school students who reside or attend a school in Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District. “Each year, we gain a new appreciation for every piece of art entered for our annual competition because no matter what colors they use, no matter their interpretation, this is their art,” said Johnson. “Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are rights we hold dear, and I’m sure all of the pieces submitted will speak to us in some way.” Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school…

The city of Stonecrest honored Joe Coleman, owner of CS Truck and Trailer, at the March 19 City Council meeting. Mayor Jason Lary presented Coleman with a proclamation recognizing CS Truck and Trailer as one of the top companies in the metro Atlanta area recognized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). The AJC recently honored CS Truck and Trailer as a “Workplace Achiever,” citing employee feedback scores that exceeded national standards. CS Truck and Trailer, which has 101 employees and is located in the industrial park within the city of Stonecrest, was among 32 companies named in the “Workplace Achiever” category.…

This month, Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary celebrated his 56th birthday and marked his one-year anniversary of becoming mayor. Voters elected Lary on March 21, 2017 as the first mayor of the new city of Stonecrest, giving him 52.2 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Lary celebrated his birthday on March 22 and said his victory was the best birthday present ever. Lary spent four years championing the effort to create the city of Stonecrest.

Stonecrest City Councilmember Diane Adoma, District 5, will host Coffee and Conversation, on March 24, 9 a.m., at the Stonecrest Hilton Garden Inn, 7890 Mall Ring Road. Get updates on the city, ask questions about city issues. Councilmember Adoman also will host her inaugural District 5 Women’s Empowerment Recognition Breakfast on March 31, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the Stonecrest Hilton Garden Inn. Rockdale Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia Aten will be the keynote speaker. Juanita Baranco will be the special honoree.  Additional seats have been added to the sold-out event.  For more information, call 470-223-6039.

Stonecrest City Councilmember George Turner, District 4, invites the community to his Town Hall meeting on March 28, at 6:30 p.m., Salem-Panola Library, 5137 Salem Road, Stonecrest. Topics to be discussed include a quarterly status report on the city, land use and zoning; code enforcement; and SPLOST. A Q&A also will be held.

The monthly DeKalb Cultural Exchange Community Breakfast (DCE) meeting hosted by Stonecrest City Councilmember Rob Turner and his wife, DeKalb School Board member Vickie Turner, will be held on April 7 (the first Saturday) instead of the usual time of month in order to support the DeKalb NAACP Unity Breakfast, which will be held on April 14 (2nd Saturday), 8:30 a.m., Greenforest Baptist Church Early Learning Center, 3250 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. The focus of (DCE) April’s meeting will be a Political Candidate Forum, for those running for office.  “Many of the candidates have already confirmed and we expect a great…

By Dave Marcus I’ve got a number of thoughts following tonight’s (March 20) slightly raucous town hall meeting with the three senators representing Stonecrest in the Georgia Senate. None of the three senators support HB 1060 and I am guessing that it has little chance of passing. There were four mistakes made in this episode and I hope we learn from them. Number one mistake.  The council packaged all their requests – including the controversial mayoral pay increase and part-time to full-time change – in a bill that ended up being 54 pages.  There are a LOT of different subjects…