DeKalb Commissioners may need full-time pay | www.myajc.com

Some DeKalb commissioners pushing for governmental reform think it should come in the form of a full-time job for commissioners — with a corresponding paycheck.

A special-purpose grand jury report that found evidence of widespread corruption in the way the county awards contracts has recommended limiting the power of the CEO’s office. One way to do that, say some commissioners, be to make commissioners full time, a move that would allow greater scrutiny over how the county is being run day-to-day. Grand jurors said full-time commissioners, free of outside business interests,”would have the opportunity to be better informed and make better decisions on behalf of their constituents.”

“Honestly for the amount of work we do, it really calls for a full-time commission if we are truly to be as effective as we need to be,” said acting county CEO Lee May. “Functionally, I think it would serve DeKalb County better for DeKalb County to have a full-time commission.”

The idea became a topic of public discussion Thursday when May and four commissioners said they planned to use the special-purpose grand jury’s recommendations as a guide to restructuring county government. Both May, a Lithonia Democrat, and Commissioner Elaine Boyer, a Stone Mountain Republican, made a bi-partisan pitch for a full-time government as one way to improve accountability.

May has recently got a taste of full-time elected benefits. He ascended to the $150,000-a-year CEO spot from his part-time $40,000 commissioner seat in July after elected CEO Burrell Ellis was indicted on corrupted charges and suspended.

DeKalb voters and state lawmakers in the DeKalb delegation, who would have to approve such a change, might not be receptive to the idea full-time commissioners, said political consultant Oliver Brown, a long-time Ellis supporter. Many would see it as growing government, he said.

“That is just another hand into the people’s pocketbook,” said Brown. “I don’t think legislators are going to go for full-time commissioners; they’re not full time themselves. That horse doesn’t look like it will ride very far.”

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