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SERVING DEKALB, FULTON, GWINNETT, HENRY AND ROCKDALE COUNTIES
VOLUME 20 NUMBER 3
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Rockdale Clerk of Courts notary training draws crowd....page 6
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APRIL 19, 2014
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Election officials predict light turnout for primary election
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By Joshua Smith
arly voting for the May 20 Primary Elections begins on Monday, April 28. Local voting officials say they don’t expect a big crowd, though, even though some of the races are crowded with candidates. “It’s not a presidential election. People come out in droves to vote for a president. Numbers actually go up to about 80 percent,” said DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Director Maxine Daniels. “Historically, a primary election without a president on the ballot brings out 30 to 35 percent of voters.” Daniels says DeKalb has about 450,000 registered voters. Daniels is reminding voters that local elections impact the day-to-day operations, and people should not pass up their opportunity to vote. “The local races are critical,” Daniels said. “The local offices decide on who will fix potholes, who will govern budget, who will be putting forth charges if you have to go to court. The local races are really important.” DeKalb’s local races include eight candidates running for sheriff, 21 contenders for six seats on the Board of Education and two candidates vying for the DeKalb Board of Commissioner, Super District 7 seat.
Maxine Daniels
Cynthia Welch
Lynn Ledford
Stan Jester is running unopposed for the District 1 Board of Education seat. Daniels said her office is opening three precincts for early voting on April 28: Tucker Recreation Center; Community Achievement Center, Inc. in South DeKalb; and the main voter registration elections office on Memorial Drive in Decatur. These sites will be open Saturday, May 10. Three other sites will open on May 12. All 181 DeKalb polling locations will open on Election Day, May 20. Cynthia Welch, Rockdale County’s Supervisor of Elections, said she also is expecting a light turnout in Rockdale. “We expect about 20 to 30 percent of Rockdale’s registered voters to come to the polls,” said Welch. At the local level, Rockdale’s 55,900
registered voters will have to decide on the County Commissioner Post 2 seat; as well as School Board seats for Post 1 and 2. Early voters in Rockdale must go to the County’s Board of Elections office located at 1400 Parker Road, Lobby C, Conyers. All of Rockdale’s 18 precincts will be open on May 20. Gwinnett County is preparing for its 437,000 registered voters. “For the next couple of weeks, we will be running tests on our voting machines to make sure they will be fully operational,” said Gwinnett County Voter Registration and Elections Director Lynn Ledford. “This election is usually light. We expect about 30 to 35 percent of voters to come out. We have some important races in the school board, secretary of state and the governor, but I don’t think we will have a large turnout.” Ledford said the Gwinnett Elections office is still looking to hire poll officials for the elections. “We have about 1,200 to 1,400 interested people in the system, but we are still fielding applicants and encouraging people to apply,” said Ledford. Gwinnett’s early voters may go to the county’s main Voter Registration and Elections office, located at See Election, page 5
DeKalb Chamber’s president accepts job in Pennsylvania By Valerie J. Morgan
Leonardo McClarty, president/ CEO of the DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce, has accepted a job as director of economic and community development in the city of York, Pennsylvania. McClarty, who has headed the Chamber for 9 1/2 years, said his last day with the Chamber is May 23. He will start in York on June 3 at a salary of $95,500 annually. The city of York is located about 55 miles north of Baltimore and has a population of about 45,000. It is located in York County, which has a population of 450,000. “I’m excited and at the same time, I will miss DeKalb,” said McClarty, a Georgia native who has spent 13 of his 16 professional years in DeKalb. McClarty was chosen from a field of more than 100 applicants. He said he will report to the mayor of York and his responsibilities will include overseeing economic development, housing, code enforcement, health inspections, planning, permitting and zoning. McClarty said during his tenure with the DeKalb Chamber, the organization grew to 600 members and now has an annual operating budget of $640,000. “When I first came to the Chamber, we had 300 members. Our numbers have fluctuated over the years but now we can pay the bills. We have not only grown in membership, but in the quality of businesses that we have attracted as members,” said McClarty, who oversees a staff of three full-time employees, an intern and two accounting contractors. “Our membership includes a number of
Veterans’ driver’s license/ID now available for all Georgia vets
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Leonardo McClarty
large corporations as well as small businesses. One of the things that I am very pleased about is the fact that our members are engaged and active.” McClarty said the DeKalb Chamber also has strong leadership on its board of directors with top-notch professionals. McClarty said he believes that the organization will continue to grow with the right person at the helm. He said he plans to meet with the Chamber’s board to strategize about how to go about finding a replacement to head the organization.
ll Georgia military veterans may request a veteran’s driver’s license or ID denoting their service under a new expanded program by the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS). In the past, any veteran who did not meet the established eligibility and/ or service requirements was not able to request the license. Now, all Georgia vets, regardless of where they enlisted or the timeframe that they served, may obtain the patriotic veteran’s license at the same fee paid for the traditional Georgia license or ID card. “Giving our veterans the recognition that they deserve is something every state should do. I am proud that Georgia now extends this honor to everyone who served – regardless of duty,” said DDS Commissioner Rob Mikell. “It can be difficult for military veterans to prove they served in the military.” Georgia Department of Veterans
Service Commissioner Pete Wheeler praised DDS for including all veterans. “We are grateful to our partners at the Department of Driver Services for championing this change,” said Wheeler. “Now every veteran, regardless of service, will be able to proudly carry a Georgia Veteran’s Driver’s License/ID Card.” Many businesses offer veterans a discount as a way to express gratitude for their service to our county. However, the veteran must be able to show proof. Having a veteran’s license/ID will make it easier for veterans to receive access to any available discounts or offers at restaurants and retailers. In the past, veterans had to carry their “DD214” forms around to prove veteran status. To establish proof of service, a veteran must visit one of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) offices and present separation See Veteran’s, page 5