We accept letters to the editor. Letters to the editor are opinions of the authors of the letter, not Decaturish.com. Everyone has an equal opportunity to submit a letter to the editor. So if you read something here and don’t like it, don’t jump on our case. Write a letter of your own. All letters must be signed and are typically between 500 to 800 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and content. We also reserve the right to publish longer letters if we need to. To send your letter to the editor, email it to [email protected].

Note: Decaturish invited candidates in the May 21 elections to submit up to three letters of support. All elections coverage can be found at Decaturishvotes.com. To contribute to our election coverage fundraiser, click here.

Dear Decaturish,

As a lifelong resident of Shermantown, I have called DeKalb County home for over 60 years. I have raised my family in this community. I have been a witness to the leadership in Stone Mountain and DeKalb County. I have watched Chakira Johnson show a level of caring and unwavering support not only to Stone Mountain, but to the Shermantown Community and to my family. Chakira will be a strong voice on the DeKalb Board of Commissioners.

Chakira and I worked together to bring the first Juneteenth Celebration to the City of Stone Mountain in 2021. We bonded while working on the committee together. We made sure the voice of the citizens was represented during the activities of the Celebration.

Chakira personally supported my family during our time of need and has supported our Cancer Awareness fundraisers through the years. 

I know I can depend on Chakira to lead with integrity and care about the wellbeing of the community. I know Chakira will be good for DeKalb County District 4 as she has been for the City of Stone Mountain. 

Chakira has my unwavering support for DeKalb County District 4 Commissioner.

Sincerely,

Ms. Elaine Vaughn

 

 

Dear Decaturish,

As some may know, the commissioner race is in full swing. I wanted to take a moment to tell you why I have chosen to endorse Chakira Johnson for District 4 Commissioner. In the last two years since I have been involved with the city of Stone Mountain, I have had the opportunity to watch our leaders. I’ve seen everything from how they compose themselves, to the quality of their ideas, to managing relationships. I’m telling y’all that Chakira, as a leader, is the full package.

She is smart! Chakira is an engineer with over a decade of city government experience. She has a deep wealth of knowledge that she can use to properly prioritize county projects, and initiatives that will positively impact our quality of life.

She is strong! If you have been in Stone Mountain any amount of time, you know city council meeting are often… challenging. Chakira has always kept her composure. She is always willing to reach across the aisle for the sake of the citizens she represents. Though I’ve personally witnessed her compromise when time called for it, she has never compromised her character when representing Stone Mountain and has always done what she believes is right.

She is compassionate! In the last few years of knowing Chakira, she has always held herself to a higher standard. She doesn’t empower the rumor mill, and she treats everyone with the respect and dignity we all deserve. What we need now in our county is someone with a deep knowledge of how cities and counties work. We need someone who will lead with compassion. We need a person who can inspire hope instead of fear. If we want to see Dekalb be the best it can be, we need more Chakira’s in leadership. If you don’t at the very least carefully consider Chakira for Dekalb county commissioner, then you are doing a disservice to yourself and to the county we all love and live in. Vote for Chakira, I know I will!

— Mark Marianos, Stone Mountain City Council Member

 

Dear Decaturish,

Hello, I am Chakira Johnson, and I am running for DeKalb County District 4 Commissioner. I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the voters of DeKalb County. Part of the reason I’m running is to continue the legacy of my ancestors – who were public servants throughout generations. They served with honor, dignity, and integrity and so will I. Early on, my parents instilled in me the values of hard work, tenacity, integrity, generosity and the importance of giving back to the community. I have embodied these values through my service as a council member, Downtown Development Authority Board Member, Leadership DeKalb Class of 2020, as well as a member of the Stone Mountain Community Garden Committee, Stone Mountain Historic Society and ART Station Board.

I am excited to level up the experience I have gained serving the citizens of Stone Mountain as a council member for the last 16 years. My four terms on city council have afforded me the opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience to lead the citizens of District 4 and DeKalb County. In addition to my proven leadership, I am a professional civil engineer with over 20 years of experience. I received my bachelor’s in civil engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and became a licensed professional engineer in 2006.  I was recognized in 2022 as one of the “50 Notable Women in Engineering” by Engineering Georgia magazine. As a civil engineer I have worked in both the private and public sectors, and I currently am the City Engineer for the City of South Fulton. I know how to create safe, economically viable, thriving communities. I will work with the citizens to engineer progress for DeKalb County.

With the state of DeKalb County’s failing infrastructure, the citizens deserve to have a civil engineer on the Board of Commissioners. For the county to continue to grow and prosper, a strong and viable infrastructure is crucial. The County must now invest the time, energy, and financial resources to fixing the water system, sanitary sewer, and stormwater conveyance systems. With the passing of SPLOST II over $30 million will be allocated to these issues, it is imperative that the Board of Commissioners have a solid understanding of capital outlay projects to ensure the taxpayers money is spent wisely.

In addition to allocating $30 million to underground utility improvements, the passage of SPLOST II dedicates over $250 million to transportation improvements throughout the county. As the next District 4 Commissioner I will ensure that our district receives an equitable share of those dollars to repair the potholes and crumbling sidewalks.

While on Stone Mountain City Council I worked with our Chief of Police and administration to raise the starting salary for new officers and provide an 18 percent pay raise for existing employees. I supported expenditures on the vehicles, equipment and training required to keep our community safe. As your District 4 Commissioner I will continue this work by partnering with DeKalb Police and Sheriff’s office to ensure they have the tools, salaries, and staffing levels to improve public safety.

A strong infrastructure and safe community are crucial to engineering progress for DeKalb and growing economic development throughout the district. I will engage my years of experience serving on the Stone Mountain Downtown Development Authority to bring economic development and revitalization to District 4. The work of revitalization has already begun on Memorial Drive, however, these types of transformations take years to complete and require steady leadership and partnership with the community.

I have called DeKalb County home for over 20 years, and I am excited for the opportunity to serve the amazing community and citizens of District 4. With your support we will work together to engineer progress for DeKalb County.

— Chakira Johnson, PE

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.

If you appreciate our work on this story, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $10 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about your community.