DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader on March 8 announced he will be leaving the commission after 15 years in office.

He has served four terms.

“It was a decision I have long contemplated, and I made the difficult decision after a series of Community Meetings where we reviewed the events and accomplishment of past years and  where I gained insights on the public’s expectations for the future,” Rader said on his website. “At these meetings, District 2 residents said they were enthused about their parks and neighborhoods.  They believe that their interests are fairly represented and generally well protected. Notwithstanding the most rapid rate of growth in the County, the public supports growth strategies implemented in District 2, and is optimistic about our plans for development nodes in our area.  Necessary infrastructure has been delivered, and there are plans for more of the recreational, cultural and commercial amenities that make our quality of life the best in DeKalb.  Having never been opposed for reelection, I’m satisfied that in doing my best, I’ve met your expectations.”

Only one candidate has qualified for District 2 so far: Michelle Long Spears. Rader’s announcement could be an invitation for other candidates to join the race.

Qualifying ends on March 11. Here’s Rader’s full announcement:

On Tuesday, more than 15 years after taking office, I announced that I would not be a candidate for a fifth term on the DeKalb County Commission.  It was a decision I have long contemplated, and I made the difficult decision after a series of Community Meetings where we reviewed the events and accomplishment of past years and  where I gained insights on the public’s expectations for the future.

At these meetings, District 2 residents said they were enthused about their parks and neighborhoods.  They believe that their interests are fairly represented and generally well protected. Notwithstanding the most rapid rate of growth in the County, the public supports growth strategies implemented in District 2, and is optimistic about our plans for development nodes in our area.  Necessary infrastructure has been delivered, and there are plans for more of the recreational, cultural and commercial amenities that make our quality of life the best in DeKalb.  Having never been opposed for reelection, I’m satisfied that in doing my best, I’ve met your expectations.

I’m proud of my work to improve the County’s financial strength, to protect our tax base from gratuitous concessions to private capital, and to challenge wasteful or unjustified expenditures of your tax dollars.  When weakness in County or State policy has manifested in municipal incorporations and annexations, I worked to insure a fair disposition of assets, and fought to protect adjacent unincorporated areas from consequent instability.  But that process has yet to play out completely.

It hasn’t always been easy.  Much of my tenure has been spent “playing defense” as colorful, petulant and ultimately corrupt officials joined and were removed from the Governing Authority, either by the voters or law enforcement.  Opaque purchasing practices, favoritism and petty theft cost us years of time in meeting pressing challenges that remain today.  At times, it seemed like blocking and tackling was the most important objective.

But for all its faults, DeKalb continues to have real potential for the future.  Our community is at the core of a rapidly growing region where opportunities abound.  Our neighborhoods, parks and centers are beautiful, inviting and attractive.  Our people are smart, creative and capable of great things, and they deserve a local government that can deliver.  If it gets off the ground after 6 years of delay, the newly appointed Charter Review Commission can recalibrate the defects of a peculiar  system of governance that places the bureaucracy largely beyond accountability to the Board of Commissioners or the public.  Reform may yet make the government more responsive.

While my tenure on the Commission will close at year’s end, my successor will face the future with different skills.  I care deeply about their success, and will endorse a candidate who has what I believe is “the right stuff”.  It will be your responsibility to judge for yourself, and to select a new Commissioner who can serve District 2 with integrity, creativity, and fidelity to the public interest of the District and DeKalb County.

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