New commissioner shifts power, residents hope

New majority looking for less chaotic leadership.

The day Darlene Johnson had been waiting for arrived in Clayton County on Wednesday.

A protracted battle between the county commission and a chorus of citizens, many of whom said the body had become unresponsive to the community’s needs, came to an end this week.

The new make-up of the Clayton Commission is, at least for now, being viewed optimistically by many residents who had grown weary watching elected leaders they believed had voted their own self-interests.

“The tone has changed because there’s hope again,” Johnson, a community activist, said after Wednesday’s meeting, which featured less of the public rancor and heated exchanges that had become commonplace the past few years. “We feel hopeful about the possibility of our county being able to move forward.”

The change came down to one new commissioner on the five-member board: DeMont Davis.

His predecessor, Michael Edmondson, who many in the community considered a ringleader of an unpopular majority voting bloc, had won legislative battles with the votes of commissioners Gail Hambrick and Sonna Singleton Gregory.

Last summer, Davis defeated Edmondson in a runoff and at the new commission’s first meeting Wednesday, it was clear a stark change had taken root.

Chairman Jeff Turner and Commissioner Felicia Franklin Warner, who had consistently voted in the minority the past few years, had Davis as a third vote in what seems like a new majority that took shape Wednesday.

While Davis said little throughout the meeting, the shift in power was quickly evident. Warner and Turner, with the help of Davis, won several narrow votes that just a month ago they would have lost. In a 3-2 vote Wednesday, the commission eliminated county jobs some said were unnecessary; returned public comment to the beginning of the meeting so citizens can voice their opinions before legislation is discussed; and kicked Edmondson off the board of the county’s economic development authority.

For Clayton residents who follow local issues, the change is a big deal because many believe the county has struggled, in part, because of a reputation of chaotic leadership. Over the past year, the board has bickered openly about land use policies, economic development and control over millions of dollars given to the development authority, which Edmondson had headed in addition to his role on the board.

Late last year, Clayton’s pitch for Amazon’s second headquarters was pulled from consideration after Edmondson allegedly tried talking directly to the online retail giant instead of deferring to the state Department of Economic Development, as protocol dictated.

Edmondson, who denied the allegations, said neither he, nor Gregory and Hambrick had any agenda other than what was best for the county. He said they voted together because they were willing to talk to build a consensus and his efforts to reach out to his other colleagues were rebuffed.

He became a lightning rod for detractors — which he said was a small but vocal minority — over the issue of a burn ban and changes he made to public comments at meetings.

The criticism was amplified after he took on the chairmanship of the development authority where he said he tried to diversify the county’s jobs portfolio, which he said was too reliant on distribution centers and lower-wage jobs.

“Why were we lagging” in economic development? he said. “Turns out, we weren’t doing anything. We were waiting for the phone to ring.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, not everyone was convinced Clayton has turned the corner.

Reliant real estate co-founder Bob Burdell said he was disappointed the county did not keep its word it would address a controversial land use plan that rezones property his company owns in the Mountain View area from industrial to commercial.

The rezoning, which aims to create an entertainment district in the flight path of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, turned into a four-hour war of words between commissioners, property owners and the public in the final meeting of 2018.

Instead, the board put Mountain View back in a moratorium and pushed discussion of its fate down the road.

“We’re paying taxes on property that we can’t use,” said Burdell, who had considered suing the county until he was told Clayton would quickly solve the situation. “It’s concerning. Where’s the olive branch.”

Riverdale resident Rob Leatherwood said he is cautiously optimistic Clayton is headed for a course correction.

“There were things that have been given back to the community that were taken away,” he said. “There’s a big sigh of relief that Clayton County is going to be going in the right direction.”

Chairman Turner, in ending the meeting, acknowledged the challenges ahead.

“I’m not one to bury my head in the sand,” he told the audience. “I know this board has a lot to do in terms of restoring public trust. I’m totally committed to making sure that Clayton County citizens as well as business investors know that we are committed to try to do all we can to work with you.”