Open Super District 6 seat drawing a crowd

The race to replace longtime DeKalb County Commissioner Kathie Gannon is heating up quickly.

Gannon, who has represented District 6 since 2005, announced last week she wouldn’t be seeking reelection. Since then, well-known Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry decided to drop his bid for a U.S. Senate seat and jump into the DeKalb race — while community advocate Emily Halevy has already secured an endorsement from Gannon.

Local Realtor Robert Murphy also intends to run. And DeKalb Democratic Party Chairman John Jackson expects plenty more action in the race to represent a district covering the diverse western half of the county.

“For an open seat, for someone that was in office for as long as Kathie Gannon was, I expect more to jump in,” Jackson said. “Including some big names.”

Terry, the so-called “millennial mayor” and one-time “Queer Eye” TV show guest, announced Sunday he was joining the commission race. Fundraising for his campaign to take on Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue was lagging behind opponents and, with Gannon’s retirement, he sensed a new opportunity.

He said he wants to tackle issues like clean energy, decriminalizing marijuana possession and preserving greenspaces. He said his seven years as Clarkston’s mayor would inform efforts to address the often-fraught relationship between DeKalb and its cities.

Halevy, an affordable housing advocate who runs a digital media company, said she earned the outgoing commissioner’s trust over several years.

Halevy said she wants to continue Gannon’s good work and be a voice for smart development that doesn’t drive out longtime or lower-income residents.

Murphy, who filed paperwork to run for the seat well before Gannon announced her retirement, said he moved to East Lake a few years ago.

He said his priorities as a commissioner would be collaborative problem solving.

Democrats (from left) Emily Halevy, Robert Murphy and Ted Terry are running for the county board’s District 6 seat.