Michael Thurmond began his final State of the County address quoting scripture.
Thurmond told the 600-plus municipal and business leaders who gathered at the new Assembly Studios in Doraville that he woke up with a line from the Acts of the Apostles in his mind. As the final year of his second term as DeKalb County’s chief executive officer draws to a close, Thurmond said he wants the work he’s done to speak for him.
When he became CEO in 2017, DeKalb was viewed as dysfunctional, “rotten to the core,” Thurmond said. Today, it’s a different story.
“DeKalb has risen,” he said.
The annual event, hosted by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Quality Growth, was as much a celebration of Thurmond as it was the county.
“His steadfast leadership, unwavering dedication and visionary stewardship has propelled DeKalb County forward on a path toward growth and prosperity,” Doraville Council member Gerald Evans said. “From infrastructure improvements to social initiatives, his indelible mark on our community has been left and enriched the lives of residents and set a precedent for excellence in governance.”
Danny Johnson, who leads the region’s water planning district, said Thurmond’s emphasis on water and sewer infrastructure improvements was an exception among politicians. The county was under a federal order to fix its sewer system when Thurmond was elected but little progress had been made up to that point. Thurmond has made the repairs a central focus of his administration.
Thurmond said he has tried to bring the county together and implored elected officials who follow him to continue those efforts.
“What we have to be smart enough to do is not to turn away from each other but to each other,” he said. “Open the lines of communication and promise me that we will never go back to the foolishness and craziness that we were. Promise me.”
Three commissioners — Steve Bradshaw, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson — are vying to succeed Thurmond, who is term-limited. He has offered no endorsement in the race and on Thursday praised them all.
“You’ve got three exceptional people of high integrity,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond, 71, has said in the past that he doesn’t believe his political career will end in DeKalb. A former state legislator who’s served as Director of Family and Child Services and as state labor commissioner, his name has routinely been floated as a possible Democratic candidate for governor or U.S. Senate.
He stoked those rumors again Thursday, telling the crowd “I may need your vote” again.
In an interview after, Thurmond said he has not decided whether to run for higher office.
“At this point, my number one priority is to finish this job strong,” Thurmond said.
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