DeKalb County CEO candidates debate on Atlanta Public Training Facility and public safety

Early voting in Georgia’s runoff races began Monday morning. After the retirement of current DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, two candidates have emerged to take the position: Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Larry Johnson. Both candidates debated inside the Georgia Public Broadcasting studios in Midtown Atlanta. Karyn Greer of WSB-TV served as the moderator.& Cochran-Johnson is the Super District 7 commissioner on the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and was elected in 2019. Larry Johnson on the District 3 Commissioner, which serves portions of southern DeKalb County.& In the May 21st election, Cochran-Johnson won 46% of the vote and Johnson had 34.3% of the vote. However, Cochran-Johnson won 156 voting precincts out of the 191 available in DeKalb County. Stephen Bradshaw was also in the race and carried 19% of the vote. Cop City and Public Safety The talk of the Atlanta Public Training facility took center stage. Johnson says the partnership with the City of Atlanta is integral to be sure the training and building of the facility goes ahead. Both candidates support the Atlanta Police Training facility. Johnson says he was not a fan of the location, but was able to put citizens on that board to help direct the...