Stonecrest residents will have options when deciding the city’s next mayor.
Four candidates qualified for the special election to replace Jason Lary, who resigned in January to plead guilty to federal fraud charges. Whoever wins the May 24 election will occupy the mayor’s seat until the end of 2023.
The four candidates who qualified are Diane Adoma, Jazzmin Cobble, Kirby Frazier and Charles Hill Sr.
Residents will have until April 25 to register to vote in time for the mayoral special election. Early voting will be held from May 2 through May 20. Polls will be open on May 24 — the same day as the 2022 General Primary elections — from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Adoma, a former Stonecrest councilwoman who ran for mayor in 2019, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month she intended to run. Hill Sr. is an ophthalmologist and the father of Charles Hill Jr., who was also a candidate in the 2019 mayoral election. Frazier is a former Army paratrooper and political newcomer to the city.
Cobble, who just won reelection to her District 3 council seat last November, resigned her seat this week after she qualified. City Manager Janice Allen Jackson said November is the earliest a special election can be held for the council seat.
The city charter limits its mayor and councilmembers to two consecutive, four-year terms. This means whoever wins — unless they are a current councilmember — can run again in 2024 and 2028 if they choose.
Until a new mayor is elected, the mayor’s responsibilities will be handled by the mayor pro tem. Those duties include acting as the figurehead of the city and appointing members to boards and committees. The mayor votes only in the event of a tie — a rarity for a five-member City Council.
For polling location information, visit your My Voter page at the Georgia Secretary of State’s website at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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