CrossRoadsNews, October 29, 2016 - Section B

October 29, 2016

www.crossroadsnews. com

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Critical issues fuel surge in early voting

Presidency, amendments, local races spur heavy turnout

Ken Watts / CrossRoadsNews

Election season is in the homestretch for the Nov. 8 elections. Through Oct. 26, 68,862 DeKalb County voters had cast ballots in the spirited and often vicious race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency, Georgia’s controversial school takeover amendment and other races. On the local level, voters in DeKalb’s Commission Super District 7 will elect a new commissioner in a special election.

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

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Vote 2016

CrossRoadsNews

October 29, 2016

Even as they head to the polls, residents are divided about the proposed city of Stonecrest.

Voters finally get their say on proposed city of Stonecrest

By Ken Watts

Four years after organizers proposed a 29-square-mile city of Stonecrest, residents in portions of unincorporated Lithonia are finally voting on a Nov. 8 referendum to create the city.

Early voting for the 2016 presidential and general elections got underway on Oct. 17 and will continue through Nov. 4. The referendum’s results will be available Nov. 8 after the polls close at 7 p.m.

Even as they head to the polls, residents are divided about the proposed city.

Supporters say a new city will allow them to manage their own destiny and handle things like beautification and economic development, but in an unprecedented move this week, District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, who represents the area, purchased newspaper advertising to urge constituents to join her in voting no to it.

She said a new city is unnecessary and will not, in and of itself, achieve greater commercial growth. “Citizens living in the proposed city would not only incur county taxes but city taxes to support a duplicate bureaucracy,� said Davis Johnson, who is also a resident of the proposed city of 50,000.

George Turner, a 30- George Turner year resident, plans to vote for the city on Nov. 8. He says it’s viable and could be good

The proposed 29-square-mile city of Stonecrest would take in neighborhoods around Panola, Evans Mill and Turner Hill exits along I-20.

for the county. “Stonecrest cityhood could help DeKalb because it allows us to focus on a part of the county that has been pretty much ignored,� said Turner, a retired MARTA rail supervisor who lives in the Hunter’s Run 2 community near Salem Road. “We have some chal-

lenges in the Stonecrest mall area, Lithonia Industrial Boulevard and DeKalb Medical Center Parkway that can be addressed by cityhood.�

Turner said the new city would include Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and other parks and could help draw business and tourism to DeKalb.

But not all residents are so enamored.

Businessman Gregory Baranco, a longtime Lithonia resident, said he is absolutely voting against the city of Stonecrest. “Why add another Gregory Baranco layer of government?� he said Oct. 24. “We have some outstanding leaders coming in. Why not work with the new CEO and the new district attorney to fix things.�

Dollie Barkley, who has lived in the Hunter’s Hill subdivision for 24 years, couldn’t wait to vote against the city of Stonecrest.

On Oct. 17, the first day of early voting, she was among the first 7,636 voters to cast ballots. Barkley said a major factor in her decision was the prospect of new leadership in the CEO’s office. Former DeKalb Schools Superintendent Michael Thurmond won the May 24 Democratic primary, is a former state labor commissioner and is well-respected.

Because Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans in DeKalb, Thurmond is expected to defeat Republican Jack Lovelace

on Nov. 8.

Barkley said Thurmond offers hope. “If we pull away from DeKalb now, we might miss out on improvements in the county,� she said. “I’d like to try Thurmond’s leadership and see what happens.�

Barkley also worries about the cost of operating a city. “I’m concerned that a city of Stonecrest might not have enough and taxes would have to go up,� she said.

Lavelle Thornton, a retired IBM programmer and resident of Hunter’s Hill for 31 years, also plans to vote against cityhood for Stonecrest on Election Day. He said the cityhood effort seems like an idea based on following the crowd. “The thinking was they got cityhood up in North DeKalb, so we should try it here,� he said. “Plus we just don’t have the tax base to make it work.�

J.W. Eady, a resident of Parks of Stonecrest off Turner Hill Road, said Oct. 20 that he is “still a little bit undecided.� “I want to see this area become more developed, but I see things like beautification that DeKalb County is not doing. I see how Turner Hill Road looks. That is a sin.�

Eady, a retired insurance salesman, has lived in his two-story brick home near the Mall at Stonecrest for nine years. He said that even though it might cost more to be part of a city, he is OK with it if they can make the necessary improvements. Still, he said that he is not entirely convinced that they need a city to improve things. “If we could get what we want with the new CEO, we really don’t need a city.�

Pat Smith, a 28-year resident of Lithonia, is waiting to vote on Election Day. She wouldn’t reveal how she will vote but says she has doubts about incorporation. “Will the city be able to afford to buy police and fire services from DeKalb long enough for revenue from other supposed economic development to kick in?�

Smith, president of the Hunters Communities Home Owners Association that represents four subdivisions along Salem Road, said she is not alone in her thinking. “I think a lot of people still have some concerns,� she said Oct. 19.

But Smith said the Stonecrest Alliance, organizer of the cityhood movement, has been making some last-minute gains and was able to win new support from residents at an Oct. 18 community meeting at the Browns Mill Recreation Center.

She said many residents left that meeting less skeptical than they had been before.

Denise Majors, president of the Lionshead Home Owners Association, is a definite supporter of the city. She has a Stonecrest Yes! sign in front of her house, one of 80 homes in the subdivision located near the intersection of Rock Springs and Thompson Mill roads. “I’ve been watching Dunwoody and Brookhaven in North DeKalb and I like the way their governments function,� she said. “I think cityhood would be good for us here.�

If voters approve the referendum, the city of Stonecrest will take in neighborhoods around Panola Road, Evans Mill Road and Turner Hill Road exits along I-20.

For more, visit www.crossroadsnews. com.

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Moving forward to make things right.

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If you have any concerns about your accounts or any aspect of your relationship with Wells Fargo, please come into a branch or call us on our dedicated hotline ��/� at �-���-���-����.

The trust you place in us means everything and we will work hard every day to earn it back.

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CrossRoadsNews

B4

October 29, 2016

38 candidates in 15 contested races Six more early voting sites open Oct. 31

Memorial Drive, Suite 300, in Decatur. There are two areas for voters with one exclusively for senior and disabled voters. Hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday to Nov. 4; 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29; and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. n South DeKalb – The Gallery at South DeKalb, 2801 Candler Road in Decatur. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Monday-Friday to Nov. 4; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29; and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. n North DeKalb – Tucker Recreation Center, 4898 LaVista Road in Tucker. 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Monday-Friday to Nov. 4 and on Saturday, Oct. 29; no Sunday voting at this site. n In North DeKalb, the Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad St. in Chamblee, opens on Sunday, Oct. 30 from noon-5 p.m. Weekdays, its open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4.

All 196 DeKalb County polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.

Voters who did not cast early ballots must vote at their regular assigned precinct.

Early voting continues at: For more information, visit http://web.dekan Voter Registration & Elections Office, 4380 lbcountyga.gov/Voter/default.html.

From the US Presidency to the DeKalb County Super District 7 seat, there are 38 candidates in contested races on the Nov. 8 ballot.

To help people vote early, six more DeKalb voting sites will open on Oct. 3 .

They will bring to 10, the number of early precincts open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 4.

They new early precincts are: n East DeKalb – Berean Christian Church Community Center, 2440 Young Road in Stone Mountain. n Stonecrest – Stonecrest Library, 3123 Klondike Road in Lithonia. n Downtown Decatur – Clark Harrison Building, 330 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. in Decatur. n Dunwoody – Dunwoody Library, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road in Dunwoody. n Brookhaven – Brookhaven City Hall, 4362 Peachtree Road N.E. in Brookhaven. n Atlanta – Coan Recreation Center, 1530 Woodbine Ave. S.E. in Atlanta.

For President of the United States

DONALD J. TRUMP President MICHAEL R. PENCE Vice President Republican

HILLARY CLINTON President TIM KAINE Vice President Democrat

GARY JOHNSON President BILL WELD Vice President Libertarian

U.S. Representative (4)

Public Service

PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS - 1 - Provides greater flexibility and state accountability to fix failing schools through increasing community involvement.

Senate Resolution No. 287 Act No. 309 Ga. L. 2015, p. 1498 “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?”

VICTOR ARMENDARIZ Republican

HENRY C. “HANK” JOHNSON, JR. (Incumbent) Democrat

TIM ECHOLS (Incumbent) Republican

YES / NO

- 2 - Authorizes penalties for sexual exploitation and assessments on adult entertainment to fund child victims’ services.

Senate Resolution No. 7 Act No. 306 Ga. L. 2015, p.

1497

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow additional penalties for criminal cases in which a person is adjudged guilty of keeping a place of prostitution, pimping, pandering, pandering by compulsion, solicitation of sodomy, masturbation for hire, trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, or sexual exploitation of children and to allow assessments on adult entertainment establishments to fund the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund to pay for care and rehabilitative and social services for individuals in this state who have been or may be sexually exploited?”

YES / NO

Board of Commissioners (4)

For Chief Executive Officer

WILLIE J. WILLIS Republican

JACK LOVELACE Republican

STEVE BRADSHAW Democrat

- 3 - Reforms and reestablishes the Judicial Qualifications Commission and provides for its composition, governance, and powers.

House Resolution No. 1113 Act No. 537 Ga. L. 2016, p. 896

MICHAEL “MIKE” THURMOND Democrat

DEKALB COUNTY SPECIAL ELECTION Fo

(To Fill the Unexpired Term

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to abolish the existing Judicial Qualifications Commission; require the General Assembly to create and provide by general law for the composition, manner of appointment, and governance of a new Judicial Qualifications Commission, with such commission having the power to discipline, remove, and cause involuntary retirement of judges; require the Judicial Qualifications Commission to have procedures that provide for due process of law and review by the Supreme Court of its advisory opinions; and allow the Judicial Qualifications Commission to be open to the public in some manner?”

YES / NO

- 4 - Dedicates revenue from existing taxes on fireworks to trauma care, fire services, and public safety.

Senate Resolution No. 558 Act No. 530 Ga. L. 2016, p. 895

GREGORY ADAMS Democrat

State Senate (40)

DIANE DANIELS ADOMA Democrat

GEORGE CHIDI Democrat

State Senate (42)

FAYE COFFIELD Democrat

State Sena

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the proceeds of excise taxes on the sale of fireworks or consumer fireworks be dedicated to the funding of trauma care, firefighter equipping and training, and local public safety purposes?”

YES / NO

FRAN MILLAR (Incumbent) Republican

TAMARA JOHNSONSHEALEY Democrat

KENNETH BRETT QUARTERMAN Republican

ELENA PARENT (Incumbent) Democrat

JANICE VAN NESS (Incumbent) Republican

CrossRoadsNews

October 29, 2016

B5

All 196 polls open Nov. 8 • 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

For United States Senate

CITY OF DECATUR SPECIAL ELECTIONS City of Decatur Homestead Exemption Senate Bill 339, Act No. 382

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from City of Decatur ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes in the amount of $25,000.00 of the assessed value of the homestead for residents of the City of Decatur?”

YES / NO

City of Decatur Homestead Exemption Senate Bill 340, Act No. 383

JOHNNY ISAKSON (Incumbent) Republican

JIM BARKSDALE Democrat

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from City of Decatur ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes and from City of Decatur independent school district ad valorem taxes for educational purposes in the amount of $50,000.00 of the assessed value of the homestead for residents of that city who are 62 years of age or older and whose income does not exceed $25,000.00, and which provides a homestead exemption from City of Decatur ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes in the amount of $10,000.00 of the assessed value of the homestead for residents of that city who are 65 years of age or older?”

ALLEN BUCKLEY Libertarian

YES / NO

City of Decatur Homestead Exemption Senate Bill 341, Act No. 384

“Shall the Act be approved which repeals an obsolete homestead exemption for residents of the City of Decatur?”

Commissioner

YES / NO

U.S. Representative (5)

City of Decatur Homestead Exemption Senate Bill 342, Act No. 385

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from City of Decatur ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes except for ad valorem taxes levied to pay interest on and to retire municipal bonded indebtedness in the amount of $15,000.00 of the assessed value of the homestead for residents of that city who are 62 years of age or older and whose income does not exceed $50,000.00?”

YES / NO

City of Decatur Homestead Exemption Senate Bill 343, Act No. 386

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from City of Decatur independent school district ad valorem taxes for educational purposes for five years in the full amount of the assessed value of the homestead for residents of that school district who are 65 years of age or older?”

YES / NO ERIC HOSKINS Libertarian

DOUGLAS BELL Republican

JOHN R. LEWIS (Incumbent) Democrat

For Sheriff

STONECREST SPECIAL ELECTION

CITY OF PINE LAKE SPECIAL ELECTION

Stonecrest Incorporation Senate Bill 208, Act 328

“Shall the Act incorporating the City of Stonecrest in DeKalb County according to the charter contained in the Act and the homestead exemptions described in the Act be approved?”

City of Pine Lake Package Sales

“Shall the issuance of licenses for the package sale of distilled spirits be approved?”

YES / NO

”

HAROLD DENNIS Republican

YES / NO

JEFFREY L. MANN (Incumbent) Democrat

or Board of Commissioners District 7

CITY OF ATLANTA SPECIAL ELECTIONS

m of Stan Watson, Resigned)

City of Atlanta Transportation-Special Purpose Local Option Sales and Use Tax (TSPLOST) Referendum

“Shall an additional 0.4 percent sales tax be collected in the City of Atlanta for 5 years for the purpose of transportation improvements and congestion reduction?”

YES / NO

RANDAL MANGHAM Democrat

ate (43)

TONYA P. ANDERSON Democrat

EDWARD PATTON Democrat

RITA ROBINZINE Democrat

State Senate (55)

ANNETTE DAVIS JACKSON Republican

GLORIA BUTLER (Incumbent) Democrat

JOHN E. TOLBERT, JR. Democrat

State Representative (81)

LANE FLYNN Republican

SCOTT HOLCOMB (Incumbent) Democrat

State Representative (91)

CARL ANUSZCZYK Republican

VERNON JONES Democrat

B6

Forum: Vote 2016

CrossRoadsNews

October 29, 2016

“We stand for something in DeKalb County – education with rigor, relevance and relationships.”

Why I am opposed to creating a city of Stonecrest

By Mereda Davis Johnson

I respectfully ask that you vote “no” on the city of Stonecrest.

A new city is unnecessary and will not, in and of itself, achieve greater commercial growth. Citizens living in the proposed city would not only incur county taxes but city taxes to support a duplicate bureaucracy.

As DeKalb’s demographics have changed, the county is now fragmented. Dunwoody incorporated around MARTA and took the commercial hub of Perimeter Center. The trend continued with Brookhaven, also incorporated around MARTA with well over 1 million square feet of retail/office space. Last year Tucker was created, taking with it more of DeKalb’s tax base. These cities became vi-

DeKalb’s 5th Commission District, which covers the boundaries of the proposed new city, is very unique. It features abundant green space amid an urban, suburban and rural setting. It is home to Mereda Davis Johnson Arabia Mountain and the historic Flat Rock community. able at the expense of DeKalb County.

The city of Lithonia is listed on the NaThe proposed city has no MARTA rail tional Register of Historic Places. Georgia service and its most vibrant commercial clus- State University Perimeter College and Georter is Stonecrest mall, which is not as mature gia Piedmont Technical College anchor the as the commercial sectors of Brookhaven and district, along with libraries, medical instituDunwoody. Stonecrest backers claim that if tions and the Lou Walker Senior Center. you create a city, then businesses will come.

DeKalb has appropriated $4.3 million to However, the “build it and they will come” build the new Lithonia Senior Citizens Centheory has been repeatedly debunked. ter and also approved $3 million for a study

“Stonecrest backers claim that if you create a city, then businesses will come. However, the ‘build it and they will come’ theory has been repeatedly debunked.”

to bring MARTA to Stonecrest mall.

New businesses have relocated to the 5th District, including One Source, Silas-Almex, Acuity Brand and Food Chef, a meal-preparation company. Altogether, they are creating more than 1,500 new jobs. DeKalb’s Office of Economic Development is effectively marketing the county to the world as one of the last areas close to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with abundant industrial space and open land.

I am confident that under the leadership of our new CEO and district attorney, much better days are ahead. Rather than be divided and fragmented … it is time for us to work together!

Mereda Davis Johnson is DeKalb’s 5th District commissioner.

Who do you want teaching and looking out for our children?

By R. Stephen Green

Been there, fought that … and won: Why the attempted state takeover of public schools is personal for me. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again now: I am opposed to any state takeover of local schools no matter what it is called.

For me, the state of Georgia’s effort to take control of 27 DeKalb County schools … and schools elsewhere … is déjà vu all over again.

When I became superintendent of the Kansas City (Missouri) Public Schools in 2011, my team and I found ourselves in a desperate fight for survival and for control of public education. An appointed Missouri state employee was attempting to take over

“The names are different, and the titles of the people who want to take over schools are different, but the goal is still the same – seize local control of public education. ” R. Stephen Green

the school system under a conspiratorial smokescreen – by creating a special statewide district for low-performing schools.

Sound familiar?

In Georgia, the state wants control of schools it has stigmatized as “failing,” based on standardized testing. This takeover effort comes despite strong evidence that standardized tests can’t fairly take into account … or

accurately measure … the extreme complexity of teaching and learning in a district like DeKalb County, with 135 schools and 102,000 students from 180 nations and with 144

languages.

We fought … and won … the battle to keep schools in Kansas City under control of parents and professional educators and out of the hands of politicians. I am probably the only school superintendent in the state of Georgia to lead a system through this unique experience. Key members of today’s DeKalb schools leadership team also worked beside me in Kansas City. These academic professionals are battle-tested in holding onto local control of schools.

Striking parallels can be seen between the struggle in Missouri and ours in Georgia.

The real issue in Kansas City involved powerful, ambitious officials exploiting a political situation rather than working with local school systems to address root causes of underachievement and provide what schools needed to succeed.

It was ruthless aggression – like predator and prey. A rapacious state political system wanted to take over the weakest, most vulnerable schools.

Georgia feels painfully similar. We see racial, socio-economic, and political parallels. The names are different, and the titles of the people who want to take over schools are different, but the goal is still the same – seize local control of public education.

The Missouri education commissioner attempted her takeover as soon as my predecessor left the superintendent’s post. This predatory commissioner perceived me, my team (the Cabinet, principals, and teachers), and the School Board as new and vulnerable.

The state considered inconsequential the positions of parents, the American Federation of Teachers, the NAACP, and other organizations knowledgeable on the advantages of local school control.

Still, we fought the takeover.

We knew how high the stakes were. We’d seen the failed results of state takeovers of local schools in New Orleans and Memphis.

(After being unable to take over schools in Kansas City, the Missouri commissioner did manage to take over the school system in nearby Normandy. That state-controlled education experiment failed miserably – students performed more poorly under the state regimen than under local control.)

It was also abundantly clear to us that too much power and secrecy concentrated in the hands of a detached, uninformed, faceless state bureaucracy would ultimately fail students, schools, and society.

Media investigated the Missouri state takeover effort. They found hidden plans and bid-rigging concerns in state dealings with

schools. The Missouri education commissioner eventually retired, suddenly and sensationally, following a scandal that involved a contract to overhaul public schools.

Local control doesn’t mean loss of quality.

In Kansas City, all we needed to fix our problems was time and the support of our stakeholders. Within two years, our district score jumped from 22.5 to 84 points on the Missouri Annual Performance Report, with the highest statewide gains in college/career readiness, attendance rates, and graduation rates. Our overall academic achievement rose nearly 43 percent.

The following year, our Missouri Annual Performance Report scores soared even higher – to 94.5 points. We shed the shackle of being unaccredited, and we regained respect.

This progress came by design – our team made strategic, systematic, intentional, student-by-student improvements. The key?

We built a foundation of trust and a sense of purpose among parents, school leaders, teachers, and the community.

Here in DeKalb, our own progress in just two years using this same model has already earned national and international attention.

Of the specific 26 DeKalb schools targeted for takeover, 15 are within five points of the 60-point threshold.

Ten others need more intensive support, and we’ve launched strong remedial measures. In all schools, we’re laser-focused on the classroom experience, where any lasting improvement in education must start.

There are no quick fixes, no short cuts.

Turning around schools takes deep, hard, intimate work. It means fighting poverty and all that it brings. It means helping new arrivals to our country anchor lives and hopes to our communities and country. It means giving special needs and preschool students and others among our most vulnerable the schooling, security, and stability that allows them to be their best.

That’s the kind of work going on right now with our most challenged schools and at others all through our system.

We stand for something in DeKalb County – education with rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Our goal is nothing less than to be recognized nationally for academic excellence and for world-class service to kids, caregivers, and communities.

In my opinion, you’ll look far and wide before you find a politician in Georgia who goes to bed at night and gets out of bed in the morning with this same ambitious goal.

In DeKalb, we have 15,000 teachers and staff who work 365 days a year to reach our goal of excellence. We are professional educators … not predatory politicians.

Who do you want teaching and looking out for our children?

Dr. R. Stephen Green is superintendent of DeKalb County Schools.

October 29, 2016

Vote 2016

CrossRoadsNews

B7

“Is there nothing that you own in the county. Was that an error or what is going on?”

DeKalb Super District 7 candidates talk transparency, experience

By Ken Watts

On the Nov. 8 ballot, no local race is more hotly contested than the DeKalb Commission Super District 7 seat.

The three women and five men seeking the office vacated by beleagured former Commissioner Stan Watson, have been on the campaign trail since April.

Candidates Gregory Adams, a police officer and bishop; business woman Diane Adoma, Pine Lake city councilman George Chidi; business woman Fay Coffield, attorney and former state representative Randal Mangham, Realtor Ed Patton, high school teacher Rita Robinzine; and GM manager John Tolbert all claim that they can be counted on for honest, transparent representation.

Although not required for the special election, which is nonpartisan, all say they are democrats.

At an Oct. 10 forum in Lithonia co-hosted by CrossRoadsNews and First Afrikan Presbyterian Church Community Action Team, the words, and past actions of some candidates did not match their declarations on financial disclosure forms they filed with the election office.

Though both homeowners, Adams and Tolbert, did not declare any ownership in any real estateor any fudiciary interest in any group or organization.

Adoma, who is on her third run for public office, has run as a Democrat, a Republican and again as a Democrat.

Randal Mangham, while a state representatives amassed $11,337 in tax and water liens on properties that he owned in Atlanta, and a $5,000 fine from the State Ethics Commission for failure to file some campaign disclosures.

Candidates (from left) Gregory Adams, Diane Adoma, George Chidi, Faye Coffield, Randall Mangham, Edward Patton, Rita Robinzine and John Tolbert shared their goals for Super District 7 at a forum at First Afrikan Presbyterian Church.

Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews

CrossRoadsNews editor and publisher Jennifer Parker, who moderated the twohour discussion, asked Adams about the blank financial disclosure form he filed even though in his opening statement to the audience, he said he owned two businesses.

“I closed Adams Transportation and sold a second company, A&G Transportation, to a partner,” he said.

“Is there nothing that you own in the county,” Parker asked. “Was that an error or what is going on?”

Adams said it was not an error.

“Do you own the home you live in?, Parker asked?

“I listed my P.O. box,” Adams said.

Tolbert said that when he made changes to affidavit, he thought he added property information to the disclosure form.

“I’ll go back and make sure that the form says we own a house in DeKalb County,” he said.

Mangham said he paid all his outstanding

taxes before the information made media headlines in 2009.

“I was on the front page of the AJC with Speaker of the House Terry Coleman,” he said. “That episode was a political message from my political opponents in the legislature to keep me in line.”

Mangham denied ever being fined for failure to file campaign disclosure.

“I don’t know where you got that information but that is incorrect,” he said.

Despite flip flopping on her political affilation, Adoma said she is Democrat.

“I am a conservative Democrat,” she said.

The candidates told the more than 60 voters attending the forum that they all have full-time jobs.

Asked how they plan to balance their full-time jobs with the demanding duties of a county commissioner that includes meetings, work sessions, constituent services and many other duties, they all said they will

make to time.

Adams, an Emory University police officer, pastor and presiding bishop of Restoration Ministries International, said his duties won’t prevent him from serving.

“I’ve already talked with the command staff at Emory and they’ve said they’ll work with me about the meetings and duties at the BOC,” Adams said. “So I’m ready to do the job.”

Adoma said she can balance community service and running her business.

“I do tons of volunteerism,” she said. “I can navigate those hours and be efficient on the board.”

Chidi, who works for the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, said, he plans to go to a part time schedule.

Coffield, a retired Atlanta Police Officer who owns a private detective agency, said she has attended more than 150 BOC meetings.

“My hours are set by me,” she said.

Mangham said he successfully balanced his law practice and his General Assembly duties for 10 years while a state representative.

“So service on the BOC would be somewhat of a vacation,” he said.

Patton and Tolbert said they both work flexible schedules and will be able to balance their time to attend BOC meetings. Robinzine said she plans to teach in DeKalb’s new online academy when it opens.

“That will allow me to arrange my classes and lectures around my schedule,” she said.

Jerome Edmondson, whose name is also on the ballot, withdrew from the race.

If none of the candidates get 50 percent plus one of the votes on Nov. 8, the two highest vote getters will meet in the runoff election on Dec. 6.

CrossRoadsNews

B8

October 29, 2016

Here’s what the amendments on Nov. 8 ballot will do Even though there has been a lot of talk about Amendment 1, there are three other amendments to Georgia’s Constitution on the Nov. 8 ballot.

They address education, government financing, the state judiciary and taxes.

Amendment 1: School takeovers by the state This amendement addresses state intervention in public schools deemed be “chronically failing.” It is seeking to authorize for the General Assembly to provide for the

creation of an Opportunity School District supervised and managed, by the governor and his appointed superintendent. It would take control of public schools away from local elected school boards.

Amendment 2: Funding for child victims’ services This amendment seeks to create the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund, to provide rehabilitative and social services to children who have been sexually exploited. It would draw those funds from a

new $2,500 fine for convicted sex traffickers, three commission members, now made by and from an annual $5,000 fee on strip clubs the State Bar of Georgia, and give one each to the governor, lieutenant governor and and other adult entertainment businesses. speaker of the House.

Amendment 3: Judicial watchdog makeover Amendment 4: This amendment would allow state Re-direct Fireworks taxes to fund trauurlawmakers to recreate and re-establish the ma care Judicial Qualifications Commission, the This amendment would dedicate an watchdog agency that polices the state’s existing 5 percent sales tax on fireworks judges and investigates allegations of judicial toward the state’s trauma care network, and impropriety and has the authority to remove to fund training and equipment for Georgia judges. It would take the appointments of firefighters.