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Residents, officials debate eliminating DeKalb CEO post
BY JOE EARLE
joeearle@reporternewspapers.net
JOE EARLE
Left, DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May introduces a public discussion at
Dunwoody High School Nov. 21 on whether the county should eliminate
the CEO job. Right, Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven), standing, chats
with Dunwoody City Councilman Denny Shortal, seated at left.
DeKalb County’s interim CEO
gathered a group of north DeKalb res
idents and public officials recently to
debate whether the county should get
rid of his job.
Interim CEO Lee May said the Nov.
21 discussion was the first of several he
planned to hold in locations across DeKalb
to debate whether the county should re
think its CEO form of government.
“Whether it’s to change or not to
change, we have to open this dialogue,”
said May, who has said publicly he thinks
the county should change its form of gov
ernment to eliminate the CEO post. But
he said discussions like the one in Dun
woody were “not about Lee May’s posi
tion. It’s about a public dialogue about
what’s best for our county.”
May held a seat on the DeKalb Coun
ty Commission before his appoint
ment in July to replace suspended CEO
Burrell Ellis, who faces trial on corrup
tion charges. Ellis has denied doing any
thing wrong. Ellis’ predecessor, former
CEO Vernon Jones, angered many res
idents in the northern end of the county
through his actions in office.
On Nov. 21, more than 80 peo
ple, including state lawmakers and city
council members from both Brookhav-
en and Dunwoody, took part in discus
sions at Dunwoody High School about
whether the county’s form of govern
ment should change and, if so, what it
should be.
Brookhaven City Councilman Jim
Eyre welcomed the discussion. “I think
[May] has a conviction that something
needs to happen,” Eyre said. “He’s clear
ly not just jumping into it. He’s trying
to find the best route and involving as
many as he can.”
May told the group that the county
was “working to do some very substan
tive things to fix some things that have
been broken.”
May said he had researched the back
ground of the CEO form of government
and planned to post online the coun
ty documents related to the change to
the CEO form in the 1970s. When the
DeKalb County Commission changed
from a chairman-commission form
of government to the CEO form, he
said, the decision was not made light
ly. “There was a robust dialogue then,”
he said.
Several people attending the Dun
woody meeting questioned whether
the role of the county needs to change
again as cities such as Dunwoody and
Brookhaven are created to deliver ser
vices once provided by the county gov
ernment. Movements to create more
new cities have begun in several DeKalb
communities.
“There’s no perfect system,” Sen. Fran
Millar (R-Dunwoody) said during a
break from the discussions. “Most peo
ple think of the Cobb or Gwinnett mod
el, but they’ve had their problems, too.”
State lawmakers said DeKalb’s form
of government could be debated by the
county’s legislative delegation next year.
“I don’t look for anything in the near fu
ture because we’re not sure what we real
ly want,” Millar said.
But May said his plan was to get the
discussion going so DeKalb residents
can look over options.
“What people really want is better
outcomes,” May told the group. “You
want a better government. You want a
government that is responsive to your
needs. Whether you are on the side of
change or the side of staying the same,
people want better outcomes.”
□ □□
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4 | NOV. 29 — DEC. 12, 2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
