They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But if DeKalb County's chief executive form of government were a prototype for good government, we certainly would see replicas in some of Georgia's 158 other counties.
With that said, many of us in DeKalb are astonished that the 2004 session of the Georgia General Assembly is more than half over, yet the DeKalb legislative delegation has declined to consider revising the county's form of government. This despite the urging of two grand juries who said too much power was concentrated in the CEO's office.
One grand jury reported it was alarming the commission gave the CEO power to issue contracts up to $100,000 with little oversight. It also said there was a distinct need for a separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. For example, the CEO runs the county commission meetings and sets the agenda. That would be like President Bush running Congress and telling it what bills to consider.
Now a highly respected former commissioner has joined the demand for change by issuing a policy paper calling for revisions to the CEO form of government. Bill Brown, a Democrat who represented south DeKalb for eight years, wrote that no matter who is CEO, this form of government is a "dictator/czarist model" that doesn't work. His words, not mine.
Brown, in releasing his manifesto, said any CEO would have "complete and unquestioned control, carte blanche of the management of the budget," county personnel, day-to-day operations and legal operations. Commissioners can't even get the county to respond to constituent needs without kissing the ring, so to speak, of the CEO. Commissioners also adopt policies that are often ignored by the CEO.
"It places commissioners at the benevolent mercy of the CEO and the staff he/she commands," Brown wrote. "The structure of DeKalb County's current budget management system is reminiscent of a banana republic government, stupendous government power without a credible system of checks and balances."
Considering my political differences with the current CEO, Vernon Jones, it would be easy to dismiss my concurrence as a political attack. But several years ago, six of us petitioned the DeKalb legislative delegation, asking for similar adjustments to the county's form of government. That was when Liane Levetan was CEO. Brown was among the commissioners seeking change then, as now. Anyone who makes this request a race issue, Brown said in his report, "borders on lunacy, if not flat-out idiocy."
No other county would tolerate this form of government because the voters would suffer. DeKalb commissioners are elected to set broad policy, yet we have no direct access to county staff to conduct research or respond to constituent needs. After a budget is adopted, we cannot even track how county funds are spent.
The commission was not even aware the CEO spent $850,000 on a full-time security detail until it was reported by the media and investigated by the DeKalb grand jury. The same goes with several million dollars in overtime that was accumulated by several departments without the commission's knowledge. Again, that's because after we adopt a county spending plan, the chief executive officer doesn't share information with commissioners.
To say there is a lack of checks and balances is a gross understatement.
Many of us reformers are not calling for an abolishment of the CEO's office. But we agree with the two grand juries that checks and balances are essential. The commission must have more authority to run its own meetings, have some interaction with county staff and have some oversight of the CEO's daily management of government.
DeKalb's citizens believe they have three branches of government. The General Assembly should clearly give that to them.
Elaine Boyer, a Republican, has represented District 1 on the DeKalb County Commission since 1993.
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