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LOCAL
The Champion, Thursday, June 4 - 10, 2015
Candidates for the District 5 seat on the
county’s Board of Commissioners bow
their heads in prayer before their first
forum. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
County commission candidates face off
Jason Lary, Stonecrest cityhood proponent, asks the candidates a question.
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Eight of the 10 candidates for
the District 5 seat on the DeKalb
County Board of Commissioners
participated in the first of several
forums planned for the group.
“DeKalb County is blessed to
have so many fine candidates from
which to choose,” said Steen Miles,
moderator of the forum sponsored
by the Restore DeKalb advocacy
group.
Before fielding individual
questions from Miles and then
the audience, each candidate had
the opportunity to give a brief
introduction.
Gregory Adams, a pastor and
former police officer, said, “I am
committed to serving the people of
DeKalb County.
“I am committed to bringing
integrity, honesty, ethics, moral
behavior and I intend to serve the
people,” he said.
“I’m not running for position or
a name,” Adams said. “I already have
that. I’m running to serve. DeKalb
County has a black eye, and I want
to change.. .the image of DeKalb
County. I want to bring about a
positive change.”
Adams said he is against the
cityhood movement in the county.
“I will continue to fight to bring
DeKalb together,” he said.
Harmel Deanne Codi, an
educational consultant and owner
of Codi & Associates Business
Solutions, said she is “an unusual
candidate.”
“I am not a household name.
I am not a politician. I am just a
concerned and engaged citizen,” she
said.
Because she has worked for
DeKalb County, Codi said she is “the
only candidate that understands the
issues from inside out.”
Codi also said she was the only
candidate who stood up at Board
of Commissioners meetings and
demanded “fair and free elections
for District 5.”
“I’m here because I’m
concerned,” she said. “I’m a child
advocate. I am very engaged in
the community. We have high
unemployment, high crime and our
children need better schools.”
Jerome Edmondson, business
consultant and senior partner of
Edmondson Associates, said he
supports the “values of restoring
DeKalb, building a stronger
economy [and] making DeKalb
safe.”
“I’m a parent that has a son that
has a bullet 1 centimeter from his
heart,” Edmondson said. “Unless
it hits you that close to home, you
won’t know how important it is to
have a safe DeKalb.”
Edmondson said, “I’ve look
forward to talking with you and
learning more about your need for a
better DeKalb.”
Edmondson is the CEO of a call
center with 1,100 employees around
the world, including a new office in
DeKalb. This is an example of his
vision for “economic empowerment
and creating new jobs,” he said.
Gwendolyn R. “Gwen” Green,
writer and school media specialist,
said, “I am in this race because I
been in DeKalb County for 33 years
and have raised as a single parent
three children.” Additionally, she
worked in the DeKalb County
School District.
“I am very clear [about] some
of the problems that exist in our
community,” Green said. “When
we have an opportunity to serve I
believe... [we should] contribute or
shut up.
“I am here to contribute and I
want to offer myself for service [and]
give you an opportunity to have a
representative who is not traditional
but definitely one who has in mind
some things I would like to see in
DeKalb County,” Green said.
Gina Mangham, attorney
and local activist, is running for
the second time. She ran in 2012
“mainly around the biomass facility,”
she said.
“I want to continue to do what
I’ve been doing,” Mangham said. “I
will continue to do that.”
Mangham said economic
development is a goal of all District
5 residents.
“We all want a better DeKalb, but
I urge you to look at what people are
truly about,” Mangham said. “Its all
about integrity. It’s all about cleaning
up DeKalb. We all want to do that.
“When you make your choice,...
look at who’s done the work, look at
who’s served with integrity, and look
at the future of DeKalb,” Mangham
said.
Kathryn T. Rice, founder of
the South DeKalb Improvement
Association, said, “Many of you
know me because of the work
I’ve done in the community.
I’m an advocate for economic
development.”
Rice said she founded the
Concerned Citizens for Cityhood
in South DeKalb in 2014 “because
I believe that cityhood is the
best way.. .for getting economic
development in our area.
“We have two big issues that
we are facing,” Rice said. “One is
integrity, character, ethics of our
elected officials in DeKalb County.
The second big issue is economic
development.”
Rice said she wants residents
to know “my background, my
education, my experience, but
See District 5 on page 17A