The slate of candidates for mayor and city council races across DeKalb County is set for the Nov. 7 election.
Voters will decide on their elected leaders in the cities of Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain, Stonecrest and Tucker. Candidates filed to run for office last week.
Two incumbent mayors are being challenged. Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson will face Van Pappas, vice chairman of the Chamblee Downtown Development Authority. Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry will face Councilwoman Beverly Burks.
Meanwhile, two other mayors are unopposed for re-election: Stone Mountain Mayor Patricia Wheeler and Tucker Mayor Frank Auman.
Many city council seats are up for grabs as well, along with school board positions in Decatur’s school district.
No DeKalb government or school system officials are on the ballot because they’re elected in even-numbered years, while municipalities usually hold elections in odd-numbered years.
But two referendums will likely appear on all ballots across the county, including unincorporated areas.
Voters will decide whether to approve a sales tax increase, from 7 percent to 8 percent, if the DeKalb Commission agrees to put it on the ballot by the end of September. Much of the money raised from the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) would go toward repaving hundreds of miles of pothole-filled roads.
In addition, another referendum will ask voters whether to extend a property tax break for homeowners that helps offset higher tax bills when assessed home values increase.
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