March 11, 2017
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www.crossroadsnews. com
Election fever in DeKalb’s newest city
Candidates woo voters to be Stonecrest’s first leaders
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Excitement is building to a fever pitch as voter in the new city of Stonecrest prepare to elect its inaugural mayoral and City Council on March 21. Twenty candidates are vying for the hearts and minds of the electorate in hopes of Election Day victory.
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Election
CrossRoadsNews
March 11, 2017
“I have been on the ground working for a clean, vibrant and thriving Stonecrest long before the city borders were drawn.”
Voters to pick between community activist, educator in District 1 By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Jimmy Clanton Jr. and Dr. Charles Ross’ bid to be the first city council member for the Stonecrest Post 1 seat has pitted a community activist against an educator. Clanton, a longtime community activist, lists economic development as the most pressing issue facing the new 29-square-mile city. He said companies and businesses want to move into an area with the least amount of obstruction as possible. “Most of the time, most of the obstructions to growth come from legislation,” he said. “So what we want to do is remove those barriers, remove the obstructions and move forward with new businesses in the area. To grow, we have to signal that we are willing, ready and waiting to help you grow in this neighborhood.” Ross, a fifth-grade teacher, says education is key to spurring economic development. “The bottom line is that education is the foundation of a community,” he said. “Yes, we need to think about crime, we need to raise issues about business development, but if you don’t start with educating the young folks and making sure that they’re reading at grade level by third grade, the success is going to be very, very limited.” The two are among 20 candidates seeking to make up the inaugural elected leadership of the city of Stonecrest. The winner of the March 21 special election will serve until Dec. 31, 2017, before running for a full fouryear term of office. Clanton, a self-described community activist, has lived in DeKalb since 1986. He moved to the Stonecrest area 12 years ago. He has been active in his Parks at Stonecrest Civic Association for eight years and its president for four years. A graphic designer, web developer and content manager, Clanton, 61, was part of the movement to create the new city, working with the Stonecrest City Alliance and Stonecrest Yes committee. “I have been on the ground working for a clean, vibrant and thriving Stonecrest long before the city borders were drawn,” he said. “I’m very proud of the work I’ve done in the area.” Ross has lived 33 years in DeKalb, the past eight years at Stonecrest. He said he has built his platform on education because it is a tool to help get people out of poverty. “We have 20 percent poverty,” said Ross, 60, who teaches fifth grade in Rockdale County Schools. “We need to make sure that people are lifted out of poverty and to make
Jimmy Clanton Jr. (left) and Dr. Charles Ross say economic development and education, respectively, are key to getting the city of Stonecrest off to a good start.
sure that they have the opportunity to get the right jobs.” Even though creating a school district is not part of the Stonecrest charter, Ross said education should be a key issue because 15 percent of the city’s thirdgraders are not reading on grade level. “We have to do something about that. I know that the School Board has responsibility for our schools. I understand that. But we need another set of eyes looking at it.” Clanton’s community involvement is deep. He participates in the Stonecrest Business Alliance and has done voter education campaigns in the Parks at Stonecrest, which has 400 homeowners. He said it is one of the first communities in South DeKalb to have an online communications network because of his efforts. “We have to engage the people,” he said. Clanton said a council representative needs to know what’s going on in the community and “it would definitely be a good thing to have someone who has been working in the community and is involved with
District 1 includes the Mall at Stonecrest and areas south of I-20 between Evans Mill Road and Rockdale County, and areas west and north of downtown Lithonia toward Rogers Lake.
the concerns of the people he is going to represent.” Clanton says the new city of 50,000 has to do a good job on economic development. He is a big supporter of the proposed $200 million Atlanta Sports Complex at Stonecrest announced on Feb. 22. “The project is really awesome,” he told more than 250 voters at the Feb. 27 CrossRoadsNews/First Afrikan Presbyterian forum. “We will have 2,000 new jobs – lasting jobs that will be created because of this project. Over 200 acres of undeveloped land that will be developed near Stonecrest mall. That right there will drive economic development.”
Clanton points out that education, the linchpin of his opponent’s platform, is not one of the 41 things the city will start off with. Still, he adds that cities do have a role in making sure their citizens are educated well. “Education and all that is important and everybody is for that,” he said. “But what we got to do in this city is, we’ve got to move forward with what the governor’s commission has been laying before us to do. We got to pay attention to what the citizens want – what we have started doing is organizing neighborhoods already and we’re going continue to do that.” Ross said crime and public safety are also priorities and the city should look at community policing models like neighborhood watches and business watches. Both candidates told voters that their taxes will not increase.
March 11, 2017
Election
CrossRoadsNews
B3
All 19 precincts in the city of Stonecrest will be open on election day, March 21, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eligible voters can cast early ballots weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DeKalb Elections Office, 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur.
More than 33,000 eligible voters to pick Stonecrest leadership By Jennifer Ffrench-Parker
More than 33,000 Stonecrest voters will pick the first mayor and city council members in the March 21 special election. Three candidates are vying for mayor and 17 for the five council seats. Maxine Daniels, director of DeKalb Registration and Elections, said voting cards were recently mailed to 33,373 active and inactive voters. She said the final count of voters is being prepared and will be available next week. The slate includes 13 men and seven women. Among them are three Phds, two lawyers and six who have had bankruptcies. The candidates for mayor are selfemployed businessman Douglas Favors II; Charles Hill II, a vice president of Rooms Around Campus LLC and a Yale graduate student;; and real estate manager and Stonecrest city organizer Jason Lary. In District 1, the candidates are Charles Ross, an educator and businessowner; and Jimmy Clanton, Jr., a web developer/graphic designer. In District 2, the candidates are business-
man Plez Joyner; Alexis Bethel Morris, a high school social studies teacher; Gretchen Jones Torbert, an educator and life coach; and program manager Rob Turner. In District 3, the candidates are Eric Hubbard, who is outreach director for Congressman Hank Johnson; and Jazzmin Randall Cobble, an operations manager for the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts. District 4, with five candidates, yielded the largest slate of the election. They are retired police detective Geraldine Champion, former DeKalb School Board member Jesse “Jay” Cunningham, Mary-Pat Hector, a Spelman student and National Action Net-
work Youth director; Jonathan “JP” Phillips, a nonprofit executive; and community advocate and retired MARTA manager George Turner Jr. In District 5, the candidates are businesswoman Diane Daniels Adoma, Tammy L. Grimes; Lloyd Morrison, an educator and business owner; and Richard Stone, a retired DeKalb County Police detective. Early voting for the election has been
underway since Feb. 27 and ends on March 17. Eligible voters can cast early ballots weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DeKalb Elections Office, 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur. Through March 3, only 77 voters had cast ballots. All 10 precincts in the city of Stonecrest will be open on election day, March 21, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Runoffs, if needed, will take place April 18. A sample ballot is available at www.dekalbvotes.com/ Residents can verify if they live within the new city and their council district at http://stonecrestcityalliance.com/dmap. html and searching by their address. Voters can also search at for their district at www. stonecrestcity.com. The winners of the March 21 election will make up the first elected government of the new city of 50,000.
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Election
CrossRoadsNews
March 11, 2017
Both skill sets would be useful when the new city council and mayor take their seats after the March 21 special election.
District 3 candidates bring different government experience to table By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
In the battle for the Stonecrest Post 3 council seat, government auditor Jazzmin Cobble and congressional outreach director Eric Hubbard bring different government experience to the table. Cobble, a five-year resident of the area, has audited local governments, municipalities, boards of education and the state university and technical college systems. Hubbard, a 26-year Stonecrest area resident, has strong chops in government relations and constituent services. Both skill sets would be useful when the new city council and mayor take their seats after the March 21 special election. At forums and on the campaign trail, Cobble – who has seven years with the state of Georgia, the last four with the Department of Audits and Accounts – says numbers are her strong suit. “I understand the numbers and I have fresh ideas,” she said, adding that “the numbers” are going to be real important in sustaining economic development in Stonecrest. “To have our city running at full pace, we need to be in the black and never in the red,” she said. “We have to be in the black and have a surplus.” Cobble, 32, who has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in government management, said she understands what it looks like for government management to function properly and has the education to back it. Hubbard, who has worked 17 years with U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, first as his executive assistant when he was a DeKalb commissioner and now as his 4th District outreach director, is well-known in the area. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and has a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He points to his experience in governmental relations, community development, connecting students with scholarships, and working in veteran and senior services. “We need people who know how to deal with government, deal with contracts, talk about economic development,” Hubbard said. “I am offering myself for service to make sure no stone is unturned as it relates to our government and our new city.” Coming out of law school, Hubbard said he fell behind on his taxes and the IRS put a lien on his home because “I did not give the IRS all the money that they felt they needed. I had to pay so much a month until they got all the money they felt they needed.” Hubbard, 47, said residents have the opportunity to build a model city not only for Georgia, but for the world. The two are among 20 candidates vying for five council seats and mayor in the city. The special election winner will serve until Dec. 31, 2017, before running for a full fouryear term. Cobble cut her teeth in the community volunteering with the Albany State University Alumni Association. “I bleed blue and gold,” she told voters at a Feb. 11 candidate forum. “Albany State University gave me everything I have to begin with, so I only feel it’s right to give that back.”
Jazzmin Cobble, left, has a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in government management. Eric Hubbard has worked 17 years with U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, first as his executive assistant when he was a DeKalb commissioner and now as his 4th District outreach director.
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
She said council members’ responsibility is to talk to residents, to ask, “What would you like to see?” “We can’t stand here and say I think this is great,” she told 253 voters at the Feb. 27 CrossRoads N e w s / FA P C Fo r u m . “ We have to talk to you first.” District 3 is bounded by Rock Springs Road, Miller If elected, Cobble Road and I-20 said her service will be for residents and she will listen to them. “I want to bring what we want,” she said, “not what I want. We have ford services. to understand that local government makes it “I had a chance to work with legislators easy. I can run laps around District 3 so there on both sides of the aisle to help pass the is no reason why I can’t come to you and ask autism bill,” he said. “And this way, those what is it you would like to see in Stonecrest. of us who have kids with special needs, we It’s not about me. It’s about you.” have the resources, we have the money to Cobble said that it is important to get help them.” input from constituents. He said the new city will have to work Hubbard, who has a son with autism, with the governor’s office and legislators losaid that a lot of the time, families can’t af- cally and on the federal level.
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“Stonecrest succeeds, DeKalb succeeds,” he said. “DeKalb succeeds, Georgia succeeds. Georgia succeeds, our nation succeeds. Both candidates are supportive of the proposed $200 million Atlanta Sports Complex at Stonecrest. Cobble said she is “very excited about our sports complex” and that to be a progressive city, we have to invest in Stonecrest. “When we talk about bringing a $200 million complex, that will provide jobs, that will provide our children with exposure and also create avenues of economic development. With that complex come hotels, better eateries, concerts,” she said. “It’s a ripple effect. When we think of a progressive city, we have to take ourselves out of the narrow and think about the impact for our future. “Hubbard said he too is happy to see business wanting to invest in Stonecrest and make things happen. He said that if you are not at the table, you are on the menu. “They own the land. They put the money up,” he said. “They are bringing the jobs. It’s not a bio-plant like some of the stuff they want to dump in South DeKalb.”
March 11, 2017
Election
CrossRoadsNews
B5
“I want to sit at a round table with city council members. I am not looking to be boss or to dictate anything. I will work, work, work for you.”
Businessmen battling to be city of Stonecrest’s first mayor
By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Jason Lary, the de facto “Father” of the city of Stonecrest; Charles Hill II, who grew up in the area and was shaped by it; and relative newcomer Douglas Favors all want to be mayor of the new 29-square-mile city. Lary, 55, thinks that having worked to bring the city into existence, he deserves the office. Hill, 32, thinks it’s time for new blood in his hometown. And Favors, who arrived in Stonecrest a mere three years, says, “I am smiling all the time.” The three are among 20 candidates seeking the first elected offices for the city of 50,000 in the March 21 special election. The winner will serve until Dec. 31, 2019, before running for a full four-year term. Favors, who was born in Germany to military parents, said he put his roots in Stonecrest and want to be representative of what he has learned. He is self-employed and says he is running for mayor because he is not a politician, business as usual, or a traditional candidate. “My energy and abilities combined with my vision of a great Stonecrest are unmatched,” he says. Favors says he said he has the time to do the work of mayor. “I just need the title,” he said. Favors, 35, has positioned himself as an unconventional candidate. At his first forum on Feb. 19 at Big Miller Grove Baptist Church, he took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and pulled his shirttail out before taking the microphone. In his closing remarks, he told the voters “to vote for the beard.” At the recent Feb. 27 forum at First Afrikan Church, he declined to offer a vision for Stonecrest. Instead, he said he wants to see what the voters want. “I see my work and yours together,” he said. “That’s what I see.” Favors said he supports the proposed Atlanta Sports Complex at Stonecrest and a technology hub for the city. “Nothing wrong with either,” he said. “I am only hearing this is not going to work. We are in a new city. We can do both of those things.” Favors said both things can co-exist in the city. “Everybody is not into technology,” he said. “Some kids are good at sports. They should be able to live in the same city and have the same opportunity to do exactly what they want to do with their lives.” Favors said that while he hasn’t been in the city as long as everybody else, he knows exactly what’s going on. “You might want to go with the guy who don’t want the outcome to be exactly what it will end up being,” he said.
Charles Hill Hill, a 2003 graduate of Lithonia High School, said he is running for mayor because he thinks something is broken in the community. “I think it’s time for a change,” Hill said. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. It’s time for some new blood and some new leadership. I offer that.”
Douglas Favors (from left), Charles Hill II and Jason Lary are seeking to become mayor of the new 29-square-mile city of Stonecrest in the March 21 special election. The winner will serve until Dec. 31, 2019, before running for a full four-year term.
Hill, a 2008 graduate of Morehouse College and 2012 graduate of Harvard Divinity School, is completing his studies at Yale Divinity School this summer. He told more than 250 voters at the Feb. 27 forum that he is “a shining example of what can come out of this community when we get back to producing.” Hill is vice president of Rooms Around Campus, his family-owned business that he describes as a multimillion-dollar real estate business. He said he worked with residential and commercial developers and has the skills to lead the city. “I want to sit at a round table with city council members,” he said. “I am not looking to be boss or to dictate anything. I will work, work, work for you.” He said he wants to see some positive things come to Stonecrest. “I am tired of dollar stores, fast-food restaurants and liquors and other things that are not uplifting to our community,” he said. “We have to set a precedent in the city of Stonecrest for entrepreneurship and to strengthen black-owned businesses.” Hill, who is the son of Dr. Charles Hill, whose ophthalmology practice is on Snapfinger Woods Drive in Decatur, said he did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. “Both of my parents grew up poor,” he said. “My father grew up poor in Alabama during the height of the civil rights movement. My mom grew up in West Philadelphia.” Despite his academic accomplishments, Hill said he is still very, very humble. “I have not forgotten where I came from,” he said. “I am a product of this community. I will serve you with honesty and transparency, and I promise never to take advantage of you. And if you vote for me, you will have someone who is qualified, competent, and talented enough to get the job done.” If elected, Hill said he will not take a salary from the city. In three years, he envisions the city charter with term limits on elected
officeholders. He does not support the proposed $200 million Atlanta Sports Complex at Stonecrest. “I am sick and tired of young African American men and women always thinking about being pro athletes in middle and high schools,” he said. “We do not need a sports arena that’s only going to service the needs and interest of those who will be living off the land around Stonecrest mall. We need to invite tech innovators into the city of Stonecrest. We need some different options. We need our young people to be prepared and trained for the jobs of tomorrow so they don’t become the permanent underclass.” Hill said that this is not time to be cute and to say things that are catchy. “We have to do something to improve our community,” he said. “I have the ideas. We need to look at Stonecrest as a hub for tech innovation. I have connections at Harvard and Yale. We need jobs of the future.” Hill said that the job projection from the proposed sports complex “is not rooted in pure fact.” “Take time to read because we are fighting for the soul of our community and the devil is in the details,” he said. “This sports arena is only speculated to provide 365 jobs. The 2,000 jobs is an estimate based on other things being built and other things being developed.” Hill said that the city does not need that type of facility without community input. “If I am elected your mayor, we would not have such a facility without a large number of community meetings to get your input,” he said. “This community deserves to have a say in what type of major development is happening.”
Jason Lary Lary, a businessman, has lived in Stonecrest for most of the past 20 years. He began and led the Stonecrest cityhood movement four years ago and says he wants to be mayor to complete the vision
he started. “It morphed from leading the movement to leading the town,” he said. “It moved from business side to a political side – from business to public service.” Lary said the large turnout of candidates for the city’s elected offices and mayor surprised him. “I underestimated the desires of other people who want to lead without having done the work,” he said. “I thought the leadership base would come from Stonecrest City Alliance or Stonecrest Yes.” At the Feb. 27 forum, he asked: “Where were all these people when it was time to go down to the Capitol, when it was time to convince black folks, and to get GOP majority to make sure we actually had an opportunity to vote? Where was all of them then? “Now that we have a $200 million complex to replace the grass and overgrown weeds, somebody going to have the nerve to complain about it. “Are you kidding me?” Lary, whose Jason Lary Management Co. owns multiple rental properties in the city of Lithonia and in Stonecrest, said there is nothing to prevent him from being mayor of Stonecrest. He told voters at the forum that he filed for bankruptcy because of his business. “I lost everything before and then turned around and bought it back,” he said. “So if you have been in trouble before, is it about you having been in trouble with regards to your finances, or is about whether you can recover from things that have happened to you in the past? Can you pull yourself up. I can because I am a fully grown man on my own. I don’t live with Mommy and Daddy. I don’t have Mommy and Daddy.” Lary said his financial woes did not prohibit him from raising capital three years in a row to make sure that the referendum would be on the ballot. “I am Jason Lary and I am the man here to be your mayor,” he said.
CrossRoadsNews
B6
Election
March 11, 2017
“It is important that we meet when all citizens can be involved with the decisions that we make for this community,”
Stonecrest 4, the race with the most candidates, experience By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
In an election that has attracted a crowd, the Stonecrest District 4 council seat is the big winner with the most candidates. The five political hopefuls include the election’s youngest candidate, Mary-Pat Hector, who is 20; its oldest candidate, retired police detective Geraldine Champion, who is 77; and the only former elected official, Jesse Jay Cunningham. Nonprofit executive Jonathan “JP” Phillips and community advocate George Turner round out the slate. The winner of the March 21 special election will serve until Dec. 31, 2019, before running for a full four-year term of office. The District 4 race also has the most experienced campaigners. Both Champion and Turner have run for office before – Champion for sheriff twice and Turner for county commissioner. Champion, who has lived in the Stonecrest area for 30 years, said her Minors Creek subdivision neighbors asked her to run for city council because “they want to see the city set up right.” Champion, who retired from the Atlanta Police Department in 1993 after 26 years, is a veteran who worked as a U.S. Army interrogator. She says she does not want any corruption in the new city. “I’ve always emphasized honesty and integrity,” she tells voters at every candidate forum. “You [are] going to hear that honesty and integrity a thousand times, which tells me you can make the mouth say anything.” If elected, Champion said she will be on the hunt for corruption. “So don’t wonder about who ratted you out,” she said. “You looking at her.” Champion said fighting crime is a high priority for the new city. “Nobody is coming nowhere if every time you go to unlock that business door, somebody got a gun stuck to your head,” she said. “Crime is No. 1 because any business going anywhere is going to check to see what the crime rate is.” If elected, Champion said she will be accessible and available. “That’s the way I would be even if you don’t live in my district,” she said. “And if you can’t get the person in your district, call me. You shouldn’t have to wait three or four days to get your concern listened to.” Champion said she has been working in her neighborhood for a long time and is not running for the money. If elected, she said she will serve no more than two years. “I don’t jump into this for no $50,000,” she said. “My thing is we have to be honest. You know that it is going to start off on the right foot if you see my name on it.”
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Geraldine Champion (from left), Jesse Jay Cunningham, Mary-Pat Hector, Jonathan “JP” Phillips and George Turner are vying for the District 4 Stonecrest council seat in the March 21 election.
Stonecrest city council because he has a passion for the community. “I am a server,” he said. “I’m here to serve you. I am a doer. If you know me, I’m going to be out here in the community talking to folks making sure that people understand what is needed to make the city great.” Cunningham, 58, said he does not have a quick fix for crime but that there is one thing he knows for sure. “Kids want to be loved,” he said. “They want somebody to talk to – they want somebody to listen to them. We got to do a better job of that and we can start right here in Stonecrest. We got to do things to get them more involved. And the way to do that is jobs – we got to bring jobs.” Cunningham said Stonecrest’s development is personal to him. He operated a restaurant there in the early 2000s that failed. “I had to file for bankruptcy because of business,” he told voters on Feb. 27 at First Afrikan Presbyterian Church. “I was lied to by Stonecrest. It never developed the way it was supposed to.” He said the proposed $200 million soccer complex will give the city the chance to reach out to other areas. “We must bring economic development so we can live, work and play. And we need to help our seniors at the same time.” Cunningham said voters should pick him because he has experience, commitment and Jesse Jay Cunningham knowledge. Cunningham, who runs a restaurant on “No one else up here has that,” he said. Wesley Chapel Road, is a 54-year DeKalb resident. He has lived in the Stonecrest area Mary-Pat Hector for 17 years in the Burlington subdivision off Hector, who is a sophomore at Spelman Browns Mill Road. College and the youth director of the Rev. Al He served eight years as the District 5 Sharpton’s National Action Network, said her School Board member before Gov. Nathan family has invested in DeKalb County and Deal removed the School Board he was Stonecrest for more than 15 years. part of in February 2013 for dysfunctional She said she is seeking the council seat behavior. because she understands the importance of Cunningham said he is running for the
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Elect Jimmy Clanton, Jr. Stonecrest City Council District 1 The future of Stonecrest deserves seasoned civic leadership, a person who is already involved in community advocacy and not folks who are just looking to rack up trophies. Vote For: • Common Sense Leadership • Economic Development • Neighborhood Involvement • A Safe and Clean City www.JimmyClantonJr.com
District 4 is bounded by Evans Mill Road, Rock Springs Road and I55.
making the new city. “We have a unique chance, and opportunity, to become a green and very sustainable city,” she said. “And that is what I see: Stonecrest as the Silicon Valley of t h e South.” Hector said she is the only candidate who has had the opportunity to work with President Barack Obama on criminal justice reform and with organizations to decrease gun violence. “I’ve been losing more friends than I can imagine and I attended more funerals by the age of 15,” she said. “I understand the importance of young people getting involved in the political process.” Hector said she would like to see the new city become one that people can relate to and one that assures diversity. “Not just with age, not just with gender,” she said. “But with everything.” To fight crime in Stonecrest, Hector said the city needs to invest in amenities for its youth. “We have to ensure that we’re giving our children something else to do,” she said. “Maybe they can get in trouble because there’s nothing in Stonecrest for them to do because we’re not investing in them.” She told voters that a vote for her will ensure diversity on the city council. “What better way to ensure that our young people are heard … than ensuring that they are at the table within the process,” she said.
Jonathan “JP” Phillips Phillips, who has lived in the Stonecrest area for 18 years, said he is running for office because it is important to listen to the citizens. He is creator of “New Dads 101” and
“New Moms 101” workshops for young parents, and his wife, Dr. Lynette Phillips, owns Decatur Pediatric Group, which has served thousands of DeKalb children over more than 20 years. Phillips, 55, said the new city must create an environment that is honest and open and it is critical it does not hold meetings at 9 a.m. when residents are at work. “It is important that we meet when all citizens can be involved with the decisions that we make for this community,” he said. If elected, Phillips said that he will fight against tax increases. “I’m not about that ’cause I got to pay my own bills too,” he said. He told voters it is important that they elect council members who will be their voice. “I will make sure that you will get honest transparency and timely budgetary decisions on all budget matters,” he said.
George Turner Turner, who has lived in the Stonecrest area for 31 years, is a retired MARTA manager and a longtime community worker. He has more than 20 years of community service under his belt and says he volunteers because he believes in the community. “Service is a part of my DNA,” Turner told more than 250 voters at the forum at First Afrikan Church. “I’m constantly working with my neighbors trying to make things better for this community. That’s what I do. Why? Perhaps it’s because of the way I came up.” He said he is a country boy. “One thing you learn in the country is that if your neighbor needs help, you don’t wait for them to ask,” said Turner, 66. “You go out and you help them.” When he was asked to help with the creation of the city of Stonecrest more than three years ago, Turner said he did not hesitate. “I know a little bit about zoning and land use,” he said. “I volunteered to help with that process.” For him, code enforcement and economic development are top priorities for the city. “When you have blight, it attracts crime,” Turner said. “We need to clean up DeKalb County. We have to clean up Stonecrest. You take care of the blight, you take care of crime. You take care of the blight, you take care of your home values. All of that works together.” Turner said that economic development is key for Stonecrest because of the domino effect it has on other issues. “Bring economic development to our area and you solve several problems,” he said. “If people have jobs, it reduces the inclination to commit crime. If people can work in this community versus having to drive two hours across town to get to a job, they can spend more time in the school system with parental involvement.” As they are choosing, Turner asked voters to keep three things in mind. “Who is ready on day one to start representing you?” he said. “Who has knowledge of the charter, zoning, parks and recreation? Who has the time to serve you – 24/7 if needs be?”
March 11, 2017
Election
CrossRoadsNews
B7
“This is a brand-new city that needs a brand-new image. If we project a new image, we will bring businesses to Stonecrest.”
Two teachers, a businesswoman and a retiree seek District 5 seat By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
The race for the Stonecrest District 5 seat is pitting a businesswoman, two teachers, and a retired police officer against each other. Dr. Diane Daniel Adoma, 60; Tammy Grimes, 51; Lloyd Morrison, 42; and Richard Stone, 63, are facing off in the March 21 special election to represent the district. The winner will serve until Dec. 31, 2017, before running for a full four-year term. Adoma, a DeKalb resident for 25 years, has lived in the Stonecrest area for the past eight. She has been in business for 20 years, working with clients like CNN News, AT&T and H&R Block. She worked to help create the city and says she is running for the council because she has a unique set of skills that can help it grow and thrive. “I recognize that it is important for us to attract quality business to the city of Stonecrest,” she said, adding that she wants to increase Stonecrest’s median income from $38,000 by expanding job options. “I want to bring in high-paying jobs,” said Adoma. “I want to build a smart city, create high-paying jobs by bringing in a technology village and engineering and software jobs. “If we make Stonecrest an environment that is attractive to businesses, we can increase the tax base,” Adoma said. She told voters at a Feb. 27 forum at First Afrikan Presbyterian Church that the city council needs a person like her who can reach across the aisle and work with anybody, no matter their gender or political affiliation. “It is very important to have a collaborator, to have someone who can compromise,” she said. “You need someone who recognizes that if you have one vote, you need two other votes to pass any policy or legislation.” Adoma said a city council member’s role is to look out for the well-being of the community and that she can do it with transparency and accountability. “I am willing to work with anybody,” she said. Adoma called the proposed $200 million sports complex, unveiled on Feb. 22, a fabulous idea and a great opportunity. “I support it but I also support diverse businesses, so I am not going to rest until everybody in here has a job and I don’t have to drive out of my neighborhood to get what I want.” Adoma said the city has to lure back the businesses it lost to neighboring counties.
Tammy Grimes Grimes, who taught at Salem Middle School for 18 years, has been a Stonecrest area resident since 1989. She and her husband were developers of the Trinity subdivision, where they still live. “Talk about economic development,” she said. “Top that.” She said she is running for the council to help the city grow. “We can do all those flowery, glittery things that we are talking about, but nobody is coming to Stonecrest unless they feel safe,” she said. She said she is excited about the sports complex and is not concerned that it was un-
Diane Adoma (from far left), Tammy Grimes, Lloyd Morrison and Richard Stone are vying for the District 5 post in the March 21 special election.
Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews
veiled before the council is elected. “I am hoping what has been shown to us will come to pass,” she said. “If what we were presented is absolute truth, if it is private funding and it is not going to affect my taxes, I don’t care when you present it.” Grimes said one of the tenets of her platform is honest government. “We cannot allow anybody to be part of our new city who does not have the ability to be ethical,” she said. “That’s law according to the land of Stonecrest. If you want to do government in Stonecrest, you have to do it decently, and in order. That goes from the mayor to the custodians.”
District 5 is bounded by I-20, Evans Mill Road and the Rockdale County line.
What I can guarantee you from me is that you will get greatness.” He told the voters that they will get economic development with him – part light manufacturing and building on the infrastructure already in place in two industrial parks located within the city. “We need to build industries that will complement our green space, bring jobs and industries that won’t flee at the first sign of economic depression.” For his part, Morrison said he employs three young men within the city of Stonecrest with his construction company. “I also own a trucking company with my brother that we began as a part of my double minority status as a veteran and a black man.” Morrison said that with him, voters will have transparency. “I have done nothing in my life that I won’t tell you or that I am ashamed of,” he said. Morrison said that he has been accused of a lot of things, “but you will not call me a liar, you will not call me a thief,” he said. “As a young man, I lived outside my means. As a soldier, I made very little. So when I came out of the U.S. Army and started a business, it was important for me to come in with a clean slate, I filed bankruptcy.” He applauded the proposed sports complex announced for Mall Parkway and said he is for anything that enhances the quality
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Lloyd Morrison Morrison, an Army vet, teacher, coach and businessman, has lived in the Stonecrest area for 13 years. Over the past 10 years, he has taught at Flat Rock Elementary, Salem Middle, and Lithonia High. “I am affectionately known as ‘Coach Mo,’” he said. “Over the last 10 years, I’ve put over 70 young men through college through my efforts as a head coach and assistant head coach at Lithonia High School. “ Morrison said he is running for city council to continue the work he has done in the city. “At Flat Rock Elementary, I began my Father’s Initiative, Muffins With Mom, and Donuts With Dad,” he said. “At Salem Middle School, where I was working over with Mr. Mason, we did some great things. At Lithonia High School, we’ve done some great things.
of life for the children, for the community and the city. “Anything that takes our children off the streets … I am all for it,” Morrison said. “That facility is going to allow our students to regenerate from injuries. It is going to allow our students to be exposed to universities and colleges. It’s going to expand our students, not just to football and soccer but into other sports such as rugby and lacrosse.”
Richard Stone Stone, who is a retired DeKalb County police detective, has lived in the Stonecrest area for 39 years. He said he is running for the council to protect and serve the city and its citizens. “What this city needs is transparency, and I want to make sure that is what we have,” he said. “This is a brand-new city that needs a brand-new image. If we project a new image, we will bring businesses to Stonecrest. If we project with transparency, have a corruptionfree government, it will come. As they say, build it and they will come.” If elected, Stone said he will listen to residents and get to work on getting the train to come to Stonecrest. “I envision a day when that train is going to come down I-20 and pull into that station right at Stonecrest mall,” he said. “This will bring in that industry that we need. That along with the $200 million sports complex. That’s going to bring more prosperity to DeKalb.” Stone said he would like Stonecrest to be the place of destination. “We want it to be the place that people want to come,” he said. Stone said the sports complex’s 15,000seat stadium could be a concert venue as well. “It will be good to have concerts and not have to go to Wolf Creek,” he said. “I see that as a plus. Anything that keeps our money at home is a plus and I agree with it.”
CrossRoadsNews
B8
Election
March 11, 2017
“I want when people think of Stonecrest, they think of a city that takes care of its people, takes care of its seniors, takes care of our children.”
Four Stonecrest District 2 candidates offer varied backgrounds By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Businessman Plez Joyner, program manager Rob Turner, and teachers Alexis Morris and Dr. Gretchen Jones-Torbert want to see a vibrant city of Stonecrest, but they are coming to it from different places. The four, who are vying for the Post 2 council seat, are among 20 candidates seeking to be the new city’s first elected officials in the March 21 special election. The Post 2 winner will serve until Dec. 31, 2019, before running for a full four-year term. Joyner, who joined the Stonecrest cityhood movement in 2014, reminded voters at a forum that it took seven years to create the city. He said he was immediately attracted to the promise of self-determination for residents. “This just didn’t happen overnight,” he said at a Feb. 11 forum at Stonecrest Library. “This has been a labor of love – a love for our community, a love for our neighborhoods, a love for our children, a love for our city and everything that it encompasses.” Joyner, who has lived in the area for 17 years, said he has the vision, business acumen and leadership skills to help move Stonecrest forward. He said he is running for city council because he believes a small city government is best suited to deliver services that address the needs of citizens. “I am the only candidate who is ready to serve on day one,” he said. “I’ve been preparing to run the city of Stonecrest before there was a Stonecrest.” Joyner, 55, a Georgia Tech graduate who runs Joyner Global Consulting, said Stonecrest is going to be like a multimilliondollar business. “We need someone who is really focused and knows how to run a business,” he said at the Feb. 27 CrossRoadsNews/FAPC Forum. “We need somebody who knows how to attract those types of business to this area and nurture and grow them.” A longtime community worker, Joyner, who is president of the Lionshead Homeowners Association, said he is running for the council to make sure the government is set up as well as the city’s charter and framework they created. He wants to build a brand for Stonecrest, bring economic development to the city, and take advantage of the economic opportunity already in the city. Because he grew up in a town as small as District 2, Joyner also wants to build the same kind of cohesiveness among the city’s neighborhoods. “We can foster the community by working to break down barriers between our subdivisions and being more neighborly,” he said.
Curtis Parker / CrossRoadsNews
District 2 candidates Rob Turner (from left), Plez Joyner, Alexis Morris and Gretchen Jones-Torbert are among 20 hopefuls seeking to be Stonecrest’s first elected officials.
2 “When I was growing up, if we got into trouble, Miss Jackson down the street would call our parents and tell them we were acting up. Those are the kinds of things we want to build, where we all feel as one and think that Stonecrest is something special.”
Alexis Morris Morris, who has lived in the Stonecrest area for 10 years, is an Atlanta Public School teacher and a lawyer. She also co-owns a construction business with her husband. Her platform is about bringing trust, transparency, education and balance to the new city. “I am about transparency, honesty, hope, and building our community, making it better,” she told voters at the Feb. 11 forum. Continuing that theme at the Feb. 27 CrossRoadsNews/FAPC Forum, she said trust needs to be re-established in the community. “Many of the constituents don’t believe in local government anymore,” she said. “We have to establish that we are correct and not trying to establish an air of manipulation.” On the transparency issue, Morris, 45, said that all information about the business of the city must be available to citizens. “Making sure you are all aware of the issues, the economic decisions that are being
District 2 is bounded by Lithonia Industiral Boulevard, I-20, Miller Road and I-278.
made, that you don’t feel left out, that your voices are being heard at the table,” she said. “That we hear from you first. That we don’t develop vision, projects and plans without you.” Morris, who chairs APS Go Team, the governing council for the charter commission, says she is used to working with a cross section of people and has a listening ear and is patient. “As an educator, and a leader and a lawyer, I promise you, elect me and I will serve the community without any appearance of impropriety,” she said. “You can trust me. You can believe in me. I will represent you, your voice, your vision.”
Dr. Gretchen Jones-Torbert Jones-Torbert, a 40-year DeKalb resident, has lived in the Stonecrest area for the past 13. An educator for 16 years, she teaches in Rockdale County Public Schools. She says education is a huge concern and “my first priority” because students and parents need assistance and resources. “We need to compete globally. We can empower people with education,” she said. “Education, economics and empowerment. Once you have those three, you can develop a city that can stand strong and be competitive with other cities.”
Jones-Torbert, 41, who once published a health magazine that folded, said she was forced to file for bankruptcy because she did not pick the right business partner. “Those lessons, along with my Ph.D., have allowed me to help others not to make those kinds of decisions without first doing their due diligence,” she said. Jones-Torbert said that Stonecrest should make STEM and STEAM resources available in the city. She said it’s not enough to merely bring businesses to the city. “The sports complex [the $200 million Atlanta Sports Complex at Stonecrest unveiled Feb. 22] is great, but we can bring other businesses to the area as well,” she said. She told the voters that she has a heart to serve. “How can I serve you?” she asked the more than 250 voters who attended the CrossRoadsNews/FAPC Candidate Forum on Feb. 27.
Rob Turner Turner calls Stonecrest “a gift from God” and said it’s an opportunity for citizens to create something from the bottom up. He wants to create a culture for the new city that is focused on its citizens. “I want when people think of Stonecrest, they think of a city that takes care of its people, takes care of its seniors, takes care of our children,” he said. “We can build all the skyscrapers we want, but our people are the foundation. Taking care of people is the most important aspect and then we build upon that with economic development. “ Turner, who is married to District 5 DeKalb School Board member Vickie Turner, has lived in DeKalb County for 25 years and in the Stonecrest area for nine years. He is a program operations manager for the Georgia Department of Labor, Distance Learning Center, and Public Service and was chancellor for nine years for the former Augustine Preparatory Academy, which he and his wife co-founded. The school closed when Vickie Turner was elected to the DeKalb School Board. He has worked in the community, advocating for children, serving as PTA president, and chairing various committees. Turner also has been a GED instructor and athletics coach for church, school and community leagues. He has been a deacon and hosted marriage workshops. Turner, 62, says he is running for the city council to defeat the stigma that is trying to stick to South DeKalb. “It’s a stigma that says that we have ineffective leadership in our politicians; a stigma that says that we ineffective schools that are not producing quality education; a stigma that says our communities are rundown and not being beautified, not being taken care of,” he said. “A stigma that says we cannot maintain or retain quality businesses in this area.” To succeed, Turner said Stonecrest needs to have a strong governmental coalition in place before it brings economic development. “Some businesses will not come in here unless we have something strong that we can show them that we are a community that is viable,” he said. Turner says tax incentives are important to building the city, but that once businesses come, they must give back to the city. “They need to develop programs for our students,” he said. “They need to have scholarship programs, internships and shadowing programs for our students.” He called on citizens to be involved. “You are the ones that’s going to make this city great,” he told the audience at First Afrikan Presbyterian Church. “You are Stonecrest. We have power here in this room. Five people, a mayor and a city manager can’t do it by themselves. We need everybody’s buy-in.”