Tuesday, March 25, 2008
News Vernon may be leaving, but "understudy" to run for DeKalb CEO
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 1:36 PM
DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones will step down from his county job at the end of the year, but his influence will still be felt if Ann Wead Kimbrough has anything to do with it.
Kimbrough, who has served as Jones' chief of staff for several years and was his official spokesperson before that, has filed paperwork with the state to form an exploratory committee to run for her boss' seat – the first step in any campaign for office.
Kimbrough was noticed making the rounds of Easter services at a couple of prominent South Dekalb churches, telling parishioners of her intent to run for CEO.
"I've been listening to neighborhood leaders and will be making my mind up pretty soon," perhaps within the next week, she confirms to CL.
Critics are likely to see Kimbrough's candidacy as a bid by Jones to maintain his grip on political power in DeKalb. He's currently running a long-shot Senate race against Saxby Chambliss. Not surprisingly, Kimbrough – who describes herself as having "understudied" for the CEO job – says Jones is "very supportive" of her plan to succeed him.
Before becoming Jones' Girl Friday, Kimbrough worked in the communications office of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, then was a business reporter for the AJC and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She has also taught journalism classes at Clark-Atlanta University and Florida A&M University.
Kimbrough says she has asked the county attorney whether she would need to quit her job in order to run for CEO. We're guessing that's a given, but if not, it could make county commission meetings more interesting, seeing as Commissioner Burrell Ellis is a leading contender for the CEO post. The other major candidate is state Rep. Stan Watson, D-Decatur.
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Her campaign slogan is "If You Haven't Had Enough of Vernon Jones after 8 Years....". She's f-ing delusional is she thinks she'll get more than ten votes. Maybe she'll bring back her former asst. Lance Robertson: http://www.scandekalb.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=160
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