Metze, Johnson Win Runoff; Bennett and Davis head to Runoff
(APN) ATLANTA — Marie Metze and Mereda Johnson emerged victorious in the Tuesday July 14, 2015 Special Election, while J. Max Davis and Taylor Bennett are going into a Run-off Election.
In the race for DeKalb Commissioner District 5, Mereda Johnson beat George Turner with 53 percent of the vote.
Johnson will assume a seat representing south DeKalb that has had no voting representation for two years, ever since former Commissioner Lee May was appointed interim CEO of DeKalb County.
Turner had extensive neighborhood association leadership experience, and had been twice nominated to fill the seat but blocked by the Commission’s White members.
Mrs. Johnson, on the other hand, used her name recognition as the wife of U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), to catapult her to win.
Atlanta Progressive News had endorsed Turner.
In State House District 55 race, Marie Metze will assume the position vacated by former State Rep. Tyrone Brooks, who represented the Fulton County district for 35 years.
APN endorsed Metze’s opponent, Shelitha Robertson, who lost by a wide margin: 58.24 percent to 41.76 percent. Voter turnout in that race was only 1.03 percent.
Robertson’s loss may have in part had to do with a controversial flyer that Robertson’s campaign apparently put out, drawing attention to Metze’s age. The flyer said Metze is 80; however, she is 76 years old.
District 80 candidates Taylor Bennett and former Brookhaven Mayor J. Max Davis will face another runoff on August 11, 2015.
Bennett, the only Democrat in the race, took the lead with 36.84 percent of the vote, while Davis finished at 31.51 percent.
Catherine Bernard, who APN endorsed, was in third place, falling behind Davis by only 57 votes. A fourth candidate, Lorne Collins, garnered only 1.58 percent of the total.
While these numbers will not be finalized until next Monday, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office told APN that they are unlikely to change much. These numbers do not reflect provisional ballots that had yet to be counted on Election night.
(END/2015)