Former Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson appear to be the top vote-getters in the three-way race to become DeKalb County’s next chief executive officer.
Cochran-Johnson, who would be the first African-American woman to hold the job if elected, garnered the most votes but fell short of clinching the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, according to unofficial results.
The former District 7 commissioner is vying to succeed a term-limited Michael Thurmond. She ran against fellow commissioners Steve Bradshaw and Larry Johnson, who came in second.
He and Cochran-Johnson will now head to a June 18 runoff, and because no Republicans filed to run, the position will go to whichever Democrat wins.
Cochran-Johnson, 54, was first elected in 2018 and represented the eastern half of the county until earlier this year, when she was required to step down in order to run for CEO.
She won every precinct in her former district except two, according to unofficial results, and led in 156 out of 191 precincts countywide. The only part of the county where she didn’t dominate was southwestern DeKalb’s District 3. Johnson won most of the precincts there, where he’s served as commissioner for the past 22 years.
Bradshaw, who is wrapping up his second term as central DeKalb’s District 4 commissioner, was the top fundraiser in the race and had the endorsements of numerous elected officials throughout DeKalb. Still, he finished far behind the other two.
He and Cochran-Johnson frequently found themselves at odds on the campaign trail, each critical of the other’s ability to lead the county.
Cochran-Johnson has said that of the three candidates, her track record as commissioner shows she will be the most productive if given the CEO’s office.
She has focused on public safety initiatives since her election in 2018, first introducing legislation imposing a moratorium on dollar store developments — frequent crime sites — and then pushing legislation requiring video surveillance at other high-crime locations like gas stations and convenience stores.
If elected, Cochran-Johnson has said she will focus on economic growth, housing affordability and improving the county’s responsiveness to residents.
As the county’s longest-serving commissioner, Johnson has highlighted the value of that experience throughout the campaign. He’s also touted his service as past president of the National Association of Counties, saying it gave him critical connections with other leaders at the state and national level who can help and advise him.
Johnson took a community organizing approach to his time as commissioner, preferring to be out and about instead of behind a desk. He has said he would continue that approach if elected CEO and would prioritize health initiatives, including violence prevention.
In other races, incumbents were easily re-elected to their commission seats.
In District 1, Commissioner Robert Patrick faced a challenge from Andy Yeoman, a former Doraville council member. In District 5, which covers Southeast DeKalb, Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson bested Gina Smith Mangham.
The two sitting commissioners won their races by more than a two-thirds margin, according to unofficial results. District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry, whose district covers the western half of the county, was unopposed and also re-elected.
Along with the CEO election, the District 4 commission race is also headed to a run-off. Four people were vying to replace Bradshaw, whose second term ends this year.
Chakira Johnson, a former Stone Mountain council member and an engineer for the city of South Fulton, was the top vote-getter in the race. Lance Hammonds, a real estate agent and the former president of the Dekalb County branch of the NAACP, came in second.
AJC staff writer Charles Minshew contributed to this report.
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