State Representative Meagan Hanson (R-Brookhaven) last week introduced House Bill 961, which would eliminate the elected CEO position for county governments statewide. Rep. Hanson has been passionate about eliminating the DeKalb County CEO position for several years, and by introducing this legislation, she is following in the footsteps of DeKalb County State Representatives Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta) and Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) who proposed local legislation to eliminate the DeKalb County CEO position in 2016.

“I’ve introduced this bill to take action against a flawed form of governance that is inefficient at best and corruption-prone at worst,” said Rep. Hanson. “Let me be clear—this is not about removing anyone from office, but rather ensuring the highest level of accountability for taxpayer dollars and the most efficient administration of government at the county level on an ongoing basis.”

“I’ve heard from residents across DeKalb County that they are tired of dysfunctional government—from ethics violations, to corruption, to untreated sewage overflows, to residential water bills in the thousands. The common denominator here is the inordinate amount of concentrated power in the CEO position and the lack of accountability for this position.”

“My constituents are sick and tired of the corruption that has resulted from putting over a $1 billion budget in the hands of one person, with little oversight into how it is spent. Furthermore, it runs counter to commonsense to have local governments with dueling executive bodies, where the actions of a single empowered individual cannot be effectively checked. You need not take my word for it, just look at the merry-go-round of problems and scandal that has plagued DeKalb County over the past decade for more examples of what this leads to.”

“Ensuring efficiency and accountability of government is a bipartisan issue, and I am focused on moving the conversation about this commonsense reform forward for the benefit of my constituents and taxpayers statewide,” said Rep. Hanson.