B1

54.4percent of

women voters

190number of voting

precincts in DeKalb

448,554number of

registered voters in DeKalb

53,094voters casting ballots in new

precincts

21number of new

precincts in DeKalb

7number of candidates

seeking the 4th Congressional District seat

2010 Elections By the Numbers

With the July 20 Democratic and Republican primaries right around the corner, election activity is reaching a fever pitch. Many voters are casting their ballots early at select locations to avoid potential long lines on election day, while candidates in local, state and national races are getting their message in front of voters by attending forums, marching in parades and greeting motorists at busy intersections. In this Special Election Guide, we look at some of the contested races and other issues in this year’s primary election.

July 10, 2010 www.crossroadsnews.com

Vote 2010B1

Voters set to pick contenders for November

B2 Vote 2010 “Should DeKalb County adopt a County Manager form of Government in lieu of the current CEO form?”

Your guide to the July 20 primary electionsBilly Mitchell (D)(I), 53, Businessman

District 89Kenneth Samuel (D), 53, PastorEarnest “Coach” Williams (D)(I), 61, Retired

TeacherDistrict 94

Andrew Bostic (D), 30, IT DeveloperDar’shun N. Kendrick (D), 27, AttorneyRhonda Peek (D), 44, Self-EmployedSherri L. Washington (D), 40, Attorney

District 95 Toney Collins (D)(I), 44, EngineerAndrea Cooper (D), 41, InvestigatorPam Dickerson (D), 57, Flight Attendant

Georgia SenateSalary: $17,341District 40

Jim Duffie (R), 70, Real Estate BrokerFran Millar (R), 60, Insurance BrokerJames Scott Sibold (R), 54, Attorney

Governor Salary: $139,339.44

Thurbert Baker (D), 57, Attorney GeneralRoy E. Barnes (D), 62, Attorney Bill Bolton (D), 62, Man. Tech. ConsultantCarl Camon (D), 42, EducatorRandal Mangham (D), 55, Attorney/Clergy/

EntrepreneurDuBose Porter (D), 56, Attorney/CEO

Newspaper PublishingDavid Poythress (D), 66, AttorneyJeff Chapman (R), 50, BusinessmanNathan Deal (R), 67, Former CongressmanKaren Handel (R), 48, Former Secretary of

State Eric Johnson (R), 56, ArchitectRay McBerry (R), 42, Radio & TelevisionJohn Oxendine (R), 48, Commissioner of

Insurance Otis Putnam (R), 35, Walm.art worker

Lieutenant Governor Salary: $91,609.44

Tricia Carpenter McCracken (D), 65, Journalism/Research

Carol Porter (D), 51, General Manager

Secretary of State Salary: $123,536.72

Gail Buckner (D), 59, Communications Marketing

Gary Horlacher (D), 53, AttorneyMichael Mills (D), 36, PR ConsultantAngela “Miss Angela” Moore (D), 47,

BusinesswomanGeorganna Sinkfield (D), 67, Real Estate SalesBrian Kemp (R-I), 46, Small Business OwnerDoug MacGinnitie (R), 43, Businessman

Attorney General Salary: $137,791.20

Ken Hodges (D), 44, AttorneyRob Teilhet (D), 36, LawyerSam Olens (R), 53, AttorneyPreston W. Smith (R), 37, Attorney/Bus. Exec.Max Wood (R), 50, Attorney

State School SuperintendentSalary: $123,270

Beth Farokhi (D), 62, Educator

Joe Martin (D), 67, Education & BusinessJeff Scott (D), 37, Middle School TeacherBrian Westlake (D), 40, TeacherJohn D. Barge (R), 43, Ed. AdministratorKathy Cox, (R)(-I), 45, Educator*Richard Woods (R), 47, Educator

*Kathy Cox resigned May 17 after the ballots were made. During the early voting and on election day, counties are placing notices in precincts saying votes for her will not count.

Commissioner of Agriculture Salary: $121,556.64

Gary Black (R), 51, Farm ownerDarwin Carter (R), 70, Farmer/Businessman

Commissioner of Insurance Salary: $120,394.32

Dennis Cain (R), 56, Insurance AgentRick Collum (R), 40, AttorneySeth Harp (R), 67, AttorneyRalph T. Hudgens (R), 67, Investor Tom Knox (R), 67, AttorneyJohn Mamalakis (R), 62, Insurance Agent &

Administrator, Stephen Dale Northington (R), 40, Insurance

AgentGerry Purcell (R), 48, BusinessmanMaria Sheffield (R), 36, Attorney

Commissioner of Labor Salary: $121,570.32

Terry Coleman (D), 66, BusinessmanDarryl Hicks (D), 46, Self-EmployedMark Butler (R), 39, Real Estate AppraiserMelvin Everson (R), 52, Minister

Public Service Commissioner District 2 - Eastern

Salary: $116,452.32B. Joseph “Joey” Brush (R), 54, Builder/

DeveloperJohn Douglas (R), 56, Retired Army OfficerTim Echols (R), 49, Nonprofit ExecutiveJeff May (R), 41, Business Owner

Judge of the Court of Appeals Salary: $167,209.68

Christopher J. McFadden, 52, Appellate Lawyer

David N. Schaeffer, 53, Attorney

U.S. House of Representatives Salary: $174,000 4th District

Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (D)(I), 55, Attorney

Vernon Jones (D), 49, ConsultantConnie Stokes (D), 56, Real Estate BrokerVictor Armendariz (R), 40, PublisherLisbeth “Liz” Carter, (R), 41, Business Owner/

ConsultantLarry Gause (R), 48, Property ManagerCorey Ruth (R), 32, Project Man. Consultant

5th District Fenn Little (R), 48, AttorneyKelly Nguyen (R), 25, Graphic Designer

13th DistrictMichael Frisbee (D), 44, Graphic DesignerMike Murphy (D), 63, ConsultantDavid Scott (D)(I), 64, Business Owner

Mike Crane (R), 47, Gen. ContractorHank R Dudek (R), 41, Sales“Chip” Flanegan (R), 52, Business OwnerDeborah Honeycutt (R), 62, PhysicianDave Orr (R), 40, Restaurant ManagerRupert G. Parchment (R), 39, Small Business

Owner

U.S. Senator Salary: $174,000

Rakeim “RJ” Hadley (D), 41, CandidateMichael “Mike” Thurmond (D), 53,

Commissioner of LaborJohnny Isakson (R)(I), 65, U.S. Senator

Republican Party Straw PollQuestion 1

“Do you support the efforts of Georgia’s Governor to enable the State of Georgia and its citizens to opt out of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?”

Question 2 “Do you favor reform of U.S.

immigration laws without granting amnesty to any person already in our country illegally?”

Question 3 “Do you support an amendment to the

Georgia State Constitution so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each human being from the moment of conception until natural death?”

Question 4 “Do you support an amendment to the

United States Constitution reading: ‘Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to all Members of Congress; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Members of Congress that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States’?”

Question 5 “Do you believe the State of Georgia

should more aggressively assert its rights under the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people’?”

Question 6 “Do you support the measure that would

allow regions of the State of Georgia to vote on whether they want a one-cent sales tax hike to pay for roads, transit and bridges in their own communities?”

Question 7 “Should DeKalb County adopt a County

Manager form of Government in lieu of the current CEO form?”

Question 8 “Do you believe the Republican Party

more closely represents your views on the above issues than the Democratic Party, and would you be willing to support the DeKalb County Republican Party in pursuit of your goals for our county, state and nation, through a contribution of money, time as a volunteer, and/or the means of contacting you about these issues by providing your contact information at www.dekalbgop.org?”

© 2010 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without written

permission of the publisher.

“East Metro Atlanta’s Weekly Newspaper”2346 Candler RoadDecatur, GA 30032

404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007

www.crossroadsnews.comeditor@crossroadsnews.com

The 2010 Guide to the Elections is a publication of CrossRoadsNews Inc., East

Metro Atlanta’s award-winning weekly newspaper.

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker

Graphics Editor Curtis Parker

Reporters Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Carla Parker

These candidates are in contested races on the DeKalb and Rockdale counties ballots. in the July 20, 2010 Democratic and Republican primary elections.

This information includes the office they are seeking, the salary for the office, party affiliation, age and occupation.

Candidates who are running unopposed are not listed.(D) = Democrat(R) = Republican(I) = Incumbent

DeKalb Board of Commissioners Salary: $38,366.67

District 7Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein (D)Tierney Grier (D)Kathryn Rice (D)Stan Watson (D)

Georgia House Salary: $17,341District 79

Tammy Anderson (R), 45, CommunicationTom Taylor (R), 48, Defense Contractor

District 80 Keith Gross (D), 26, Business OwnerSandy Murray (D), 63, Computer Consultant

& TrainerDistrict 88

Simone Joye (D), 44, Business owner/non-profit administrator

When You Miss CrossRoadsNews, You Miss News You Can Use!Call 404-284-1888 to advertise in our nationally recognized,

award-winning Election Sections.

CrossRoadsNews July 10, 2010B2

B3The 2010 election season is of-

ficially in high gear.In just 10 days, DeKalb’s 448,554

registered voters will be headed to the July 20 primary polls to pick candi-dates for a handful of local races and for statewide offices.

DeKalb election officials expect ballots to come from among the 381,381 active voters – those who have cast ballots in the last two elec-tions.

Only three local races – for DeKalb Commission Super District 7, House District 94 and the Fourth Congressional District – have con-tested races for the primary.

All others DeKalb County and state offices up for re-election this year were re-turned unopposed at the end of qualifying in April or won’t face opposition until the Nov. 2 general election.

Advance voting begins July 12 through 16 at four early voting precincts and the DeKalb Election office at 4380 Memorial Drive in Decatur.

Voters can cast early ballots in person from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The DeKalb Advance Voting locations are:n Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center,

3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur. n The Decatur Historical Courthouse,

101 East Court Square, Decatur. n DeKalb County Fire Headquarters,

1950 West Exchange Place, Tucker. n Chamblee Civic Center, 3540 Broad

St., Chamblee.Voters who wish to vote absentee by mail

can submit their request now. For additional information, visit www.

dekalbvotes.com or call 404-298-4020.In Rockdale County, voters can cast early

Vote 2010Primary elections just 10 days away

Voters can cast early ballots starting July 12 at the DeKalb Election Office, above, and four other precincts.

ballots on July 10 between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Lobby C at the Board of Elections and Voter Registration Office, 1400 Parker Road in Conyers.

They also can cast ballots 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through July 13, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., July 14 to 16.

For more information, contact the Rockdale Board of Elections/VR Office at 770-278-7333.

All voters are reminded to bring one of the six forms of photo identifications, including: n Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;n Valid photo ID card issued by any state or U.S. government;n Valid United States passport;n Valid Government employee photo iden-tification card;n Valid United States military identification card with photo;n Valid tribal identification card with photo.

Friday, July 16, is the last day to cast an early ballot or request a ballot by mail. The July 20 polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

CrossRoadsNewsJuly 10, 2010 B3

B4

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNewsSuper District 7 candidates (from left) Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein, Tierney Grier, Kathryn Rice and Stan Watson are vying for the County Commission seat being vacated by Connie Stokes.

Vote 2010 The candidates addressed transportation, community development, education, health and economic development.

Vote 2010 – Center Spread

District 7 candidates offer visions for county’s futureBy Carla Parker

Former state Rep. Stan Wat-son may be the most well-known candidate in the DeKalb County Commission’s Super District 7 race, but the others made strong arguments as to why they are the best person for the job at a June 29 political forum.

Bryce Evan “B.E.” Farbstein, an attorney; Tierney Grier, an education and community activ-ist; college professor Dr. Kathryn Rice; and Watson are vying for the Super District 7 seat being vacated by Connie Stokes.

Watson, who ran for DeKalb CEO in 2008 and served 13 years as a state representative, believes he is the man for the job because of his experience in government.

“You need effective, experienced leadership in DeKalb County,” he said. “I’m ready to get to work.”

Rice, a past president of the Hidden Hills Civic Association, says she wants to help create the com-munities we want and need.

“Improving neighborhoods are the building blocks to making DeKalb better,” she said. “I plan to fight to make this community better.” Rice, who has a doctorate in public policy specializing in eco-nomic development, wants to foster economic development to bring jobs and revenue to the county.

Grier, an 11-year community activist, said she is running to bring new visions and new ideas to the county.

“My platform is ‘I am your neighbor, I am not into politics,’” she said. “I’m into change, not into the same old things.”

Farbstein, who lives in East Lake Terrace, said he is running because he wants to serve the people and bring DeKalb to a new level.

“I want to put all that I learned about government to its best use,”

we need to make sure that our kids are reading at the grade level that they should be.”

Watson also said that he would make DeKalb a “destination place” by exploiting county resources like Arabia Mountain and Stone Mountain to bring in recreation and multicultural activities. He also favors an electrical plant or green plant at the old General Motors plant in Doraville.

Rice, who specializes in local economic development, said she will attract more businesses to the county and address the issue of home foreclosures.

“We have a large number of investors who come into our neigh-

borhoods and they didn’t main-tain the homes, which led to a lot of abandoned and foreclosed homes, which has affected our neighborhoods,” she said.

Grier said supporting small business will help stimulate the economy.

“Ninety percent of our small business is where our jobs come from,” she said. “We need to in-crease our small businesses. We need to add incentives to them so that there is money allocated to them in support of their busi-ness, so that they can hire other people and create more jobs.”

Farbstein believes the foun-dation for good economics is

he said. “I believe I’ll bring a good amount of innovation.”

During the forum co-hosted by the League of Women Voters, the candidates addressed transporta-tion, community development, education, health and economic development.

With the nation and county in economic turmoil, Watson says DeKalb needs an educated workforce to bring in economic development.

“If you don’t have an educated workforce then there is no way that we’ll actually be able to attract businesses to DeKalb County,” he said. “So that means we have to work with our school system, and

education. “The county should be more in-

volved in the school-to-work transi-tion programs,” he said. “The county should be supporting the higher and technical education programs better.”

He also said that the county needs to have access to entrepreneurs and help them open up small businesses.

“The county should look for and create a credit union that’s backed by county reserves, so residents can have a bank that they trust and they can profit from.”

The winner of the July 20 primary will represent the district because there is no Republican opposition in the fall.

Don’t Miss OutBook your space today • Call 404-284-1888 for Information

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CrossRoadsNews July 10, 2010B4

B5Vote 2010 – Center Spread

Paid fo r by the Commi t tee to Re-E lec t Hank Johnson

Vote 2010 Most of the changes are in south DeKalb County and Atlanta in DeKalb, where 36, 280 voters will cast ballots at 14 new precincts.

Many will vote in new sitesMore than 53,000 DeKalb voters will vote

at 21 new precincts for the July 20 primary.They will cast ballots in new locations be-

cause of growth, school closings, renovations and sale of the buildings that once housed their voting precincts.

The changes at 16 precincts across the county are new since the 2008 election. The DeKalb Board of Registration & Elections said new precinct cards have been mailed to all affected voters.

Most of the changes are in south DeKalb County and Atlanta in DeKalb, where 36, 280 voters will cast ballots at 14 new precincts. The most heavily impacted voters are in DeKalb School Board’s District 3, where elementary schools like Tilson and Forrest Hills were closed as cost-cutting measures.

Voters in Lithonia and the Wesley Cha-pel Road corridor are also headed to new precincts. The other seven precincts with 16,814 voters are in north DeKalb County. To confirm your voting location, visit www.dekalbvotes.com or call 404-298-4020.

The changes are:n Lithonia voters who cast ballots at Lithonia Middle School will now vote at Union Mis-sionary Baptist Church, 2470 Bruce Street in Lithonia.That precinct was relocated from its temporary emergency location.n The Eastland precinct in Atlanta is now at McNair High School, 1804 Bouldercrest Road S.E. in Atlanta. That precinct was relocated from Community Bible Chapel because of inadequate space at facility pursu-ant to the area’s growth.n The McNair Middle School precinct is now McNair Academy, 2162 Second Ave. in Decatur. The change was made because of adjusted boundary lines. n Avondale High School at 21 North Avon-dale Plaza in Avondale Estates is now home to voters at the old Forrest Hills and Hooper

Alexander elementary schools. Some of the Hooper Alexander voters were also relocated to the Candler precinct at Saint Philip AME Church, 1601 Richard Allen Drive in Deca-tur. Both precincts were relocated because those schools are now closed.n Voters who used to cast ballots at Tilson Elementary, now closed, have been split between Kelley Lake Elementary, 2590 Kelly Lake Road, and McNair Middle, 2190 Wall-ingford Drive in Decatur. n The Scottdale precinct at Hamilton Rec-reation Center has relocated to Robert Shaw Elementary School, 385 Glendale Road in Scottdale.n The Lawrenceville Highway precinct at World Outreach Church has been changed to the Tucker precinct and it is now at the Tucker Library, 5234 LaVista Road. It was relocated because of the sale of the church’s facility and adjusted boundary lines. n East Lake Elementary precinct is now the East Lake Precinct, at Saint Philip AME Church Gymnasium, 240 Candler Road S.E. in Atlanta.n The Whitefoord Elementary precinct in Atlanta has changed to Metropolitan, Coan Middle and Boulevard precincts. The Met-ropolitan precinct is at First Iconium Baptist Church, 542 Moreland Ave; Coan precinct is at Sammye E. Coan Middle School, 1550 Hosea L. Williams Drive N.E., and Boulevard is at Israel Baptist Church, 2071 Hosea L. Williams Drive S.E.. The changes come about because of renovations at Whitefoord and adjusted boundary lines.n The Wesley Chapel South precinct has been relocated from the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church to the Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road in Decatur. It was relocated because the church no longer wanted to be a polling site and because of adjusted boundary lines.

Volunteers to help feed the homelessDeKalb Democrats will feed the home-

less on July 10 at the Shrine of the Immacu-late Conception Church in Atlanta.

The volunteers will feed about 400 people from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the soup kitchen at 48 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive S.W., at the corner of Central Avenue, across from the former World of Coke Museum and Underground Atlanta.

District 94 forum to be in LithoniaHouse District 94 candidates will be on

the hot seat at a July 15 forum hosted by the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce.

The 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. forum will take place at the Fairfield Inn and Suites at

The effort is part of the party’s commit-ment to Democrats Work. Volunteers are asked to arrive early and wear comfortable clothes. Some volunteers will car pool at 6:30 a.m. from the DeKalb County Maloof Center, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur.

To volunteer or for more information, contact Danny Ingram at danny.ingram@oit.gatech.edu or 678 596-1311.

Stonecrest in Lithonia. The chamber says all the candidates on the July 20 primary ballot have been invited.

For more information e-mail gregcru-ce@liftatlanta.com.

in the CrossRoadsNews Best of East Metro

Readers’ Choice Awards

PO Box 88 • Stone Mountain, GA 30086 • billy.mitchell@house.ga.govPAID FOR BY COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT BILLY MITCHELL

Re-Elect Billy MitchellHOUSE DISTRICT 88

NEED YOUR VOTE BY JULY 20

Voted “Most Active State Legislator”

CrossRoadsNewsJuly 10, 2010 B5

B6CrossRoadsNews July 10, 2010B6

B7

The 21 men and wom-en running for governor of Georgia and the 4th Congressional District seat have been invited to a July 10 forum being hosted by the DeKalb Neighborhoods Consor-tium at the Gallery at South DeKalb.

Darryl Jennings, a spokesman for the group of neighborhood, homeowners and civic associations, said that all 14 candidates for governor and the seven Democratic and Republican candi-dates seeking the 4th Congressional District seat on the July 20 primary ballot were sent invitations, but he is not sure yet how many will show up.

By midweek six candidates – Democrats Thurbert Baker, Randal Mangham, DuBose Porter and David Poythress, and Republi-cans Ray McBerry and John Oxendine had confirmed.

Jennings, who is president of the Gresh-

Jay Cunningham Zepora RobertsJim Redovian Eugene WalkerS. Copelin-Wood

Gubernatorial candidates (from left) Thurbert Baker, Randal Mangham, Ray McBerry, John Oxendine, DuBose Porter and David Poythress have confirmed their attendance at the DeKalb Neighborhoods Consortium forum.

Vote 2010 “This e-government solution gives Georgians the opportunity to help us take every measure possible to ensure the integrity, security, and fairness of our elections process.”

Press Club debates on governor’s race

Precinct change for this vote only

School board members face opposition in November

ConnieStokes

Democrat for Congress4th Congressional District

“Reclaiming the American Dream”

“ Experience Counts & Integrity Matters”

www.conniestokesforcongress.com Phone 770-981-9525

Vote on July 20th for Connie Stokes

The Dream of Jobs & Job Security

The Dream of Quality Affordable Accessible Education

The Dream of Home Ownership

The Dream of Quality Affordable Healthcare

15 Men represent Georgia in the US Congress

Why not One Qualified WomanEndorsed by:

Paid for by: conniestokesforcongress.com

Advance Voting July12-16 at certain locations

Forum to feature governor’s, 4th District races

am Park Civic Association, said Democratic front-runner Roy Barnes is traveling that day and will not attend.

Connie Stokes and Vernon Jones, who are challenging incumbent two-term Con-gressman Hank Johnson for the 4th District seat had also confirmed. Jennings said he was awaiting confirmation from Johnson’s office.

The 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. forum at the Can-dler Road mall will be on the stage in front of Macy’s.

The gubernatorial forum will be held from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and the congressional

DeKalb voters who cast ballots at Renfroe Middle School in Decatur will have a temporary precinct for the July 20 primary.

On July 1, the DeKalb Board of Regis-tration & Elections said the 1,361 voters assigned to the precinct at 220 West Col-lege Ave. will vote instead at Winnona Park Elementary School at 510 Avery Street, also in Decatur. The precinct is being relocated temporarily because major construction at the school.

The election office said the relocation impacts the primary election only and that voters will return to Renfroe Middle School for the Aug. 10 runoff.

For more information, visit www.dekalbvotes.com.

The 14 candidates seeking to replace Gov. Sonny Perdue will debate July 18 dur-ing the Atlanta Press Club Primary Election Debates.

Georgia Public Broadcasting will air the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. gubernatorial debates live on both radio and television.

The seven Democrats – Attorney General Thurbert Baker, former Gov. Roy Barnes, consultant Bill Bolton, educator Carl Camon, and attorneys Randal Mangham, DuBose

All five DeKalb School Board members up for re-election this year are facing opposi-tion in the Nov. 2 election.

When the dust settled July 2 on the 2010 qualifiying for the Nov. 2 nonpartisan races, District 7 School Board member Zepora Roberts had four challengers, the most.

Board members Sarah Copelin-Wood, Jay Cunningham and Jim Redovian each attracted two challengers. District 9 board member Dr. Eugene “Gene” Walker faces one challenger.

Donna G. Edler and Richard Gathany of Stone Mountain and Donny “Muhammad” Grogan and Willie R. Mosley Jr. qualified for the District 7 seat that Roberts has held since 2002.

In District 3, Copelin-Wood is facing opposition from Robert Lee Holt and Corey E. Wilson.

In District 9, Cunningham will face Jacques Hall Jr. of Decatur and Kirk A. Nooks of Lithonia. Walker is facing opposition from Ella Smith of Decatur.

In District I, Redovian will face Merope “Bobbe” Gillis and Nancy Jester of Dun-woody.

On the bench, four candidates qualified to replace Superior Court Judge Robert

Castellani, who is retiring. Attorneys Yvonne Hawks, Courtney Johnson and Denise M. Warner of Decatur and Michael Rothen-berg of Dunwoody qualified for the Nov. 2 election.

Incumbent Superior Court Judge Daniel Marshall Coursey Jr. and State Court Judges Johnny Panos and Alvin T. Wong were re-turned unopposed.

Porter and David Poythress – will debate each other. Republicans seeking their party’s nomination are businessman Jeff Chapman, former Congressman Nathan Deal, former Secretary of State Karen Handel, architect Eric Johnson, radio and television host Ray McBerry, Commissioner of Insurance John Oxendine, and Wal-Mart employee Otis Putnam.

For more information, visit www.gpb.org.

forum will be the last hour. Candidates will make opening and closing statements and answer questions from a panel, the modera-tor and citizens.

The Gallery at South DeKalb is at 2801Candler Road. For more information, call Darryl Jennings Sr. at 404-396-5961.

Plan in place for reporting fraud

Voters can now easily report voting irregularities that they encounter.

In April, Georgia Secretary of State Bri-an Kemp launched a new Stop Voter Fraud website at www.sos.ga.gov/StopVoterFraud to prevent election and voter fraud.

“This e-government solution gives Georgians the opportunity to help us take every measure possible to ensure the integ-rity, security, and fairness of our elections process,” Kemp said.

Citizens who witness questionable election activity can submit a Stop Voter Fraud form at www.sos.ga.gov/StopVoter-Fraud or call the Secretary of State’s Voter Fraud Hotline at 877-725-9797.

CrossRoadsNewsJuly 10, 2010 B7

B8

Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNewsDemocrats (from left) Dar’shun Kendrick, Andrew Bostic, Rhonda Peek and Sherri Washington are seeking their party’s nominaton t oreplace Randal Mangham.

Four vying to represent 94th District in state legislatureVote 2010 The candidates shared their views on certain issues such as

education and immigration at a June 26 forum.

Limited number of spaces, available on a first-come, first-

served basis. Call 404-284-1888 to confirm your space.

www.crossroadsnews.com

EXPO GRAND PRIZE Vacation for Two

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Meet PBS Kids stars Buddy the Dinosaur

& Puppeteer Peter Linz with special guest “Theo” from Between the Lions

By Carla Parker

The four candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Randal Mangham in House Dis-trict 94 include two newcomers and two who have run for office before.

IT developer Andrew Bostic of Conyers challenged Mangham for the seat in 2008 and Rhonda Peek of Lithonia has run for mayor of Lithonia several times.

Attorneys Dar’shun Kendrick and Sherri Washington are political newcomers.

Mangham represented District 94, which spans portions of DeKalb and Rockdale counties, for 10 years before stepping down this year to run for governor of Georgia. He is one of seven Democrats seeking his party’s nomination in the July 20 primary.

At a June 26 forum hosted by the Rock-dale Democratic Party, the four talked about their plans for the district if they win the seat.

Bostic says he is the man for the job because he has the solutions to the critical issues.

“I am the only candidate in this race talk-ing about solutions,” he said. “The issues that we are facing are at an all-time critical high and we need to address those issues.”

Kendrick, a lifelong DeKalb resident, says she is best fit for the job because she is active in the community and passionate about pub-lic service, and has a better understanding of what the citizens need.

“I have a unique perspective on the changes that needs to happen not only in Rockdale County, but DeKalb County,” she said.

Peek said that Mangham asked her to run for his seat because she has been doing the job of a state representative, but without the title.

“I’m running because of my commitment to public service and my love for the com-munity,” said Peek, who is self-employed.

Washington, a Rockdale County native who is in private practice in the county, said she is the best fit because of her close rela-tionship to the citizens.

“I already have a great relationship with the constituents of Rockdale County and I am going to continue to have a great relation-ship with the constituents and serve them after I am elected,” she said.

The candidates shared their views on cer-tain issues such as education and immigra-tion at a June 26 forum in Conyers, hosted by the Rockdale County Democratic Party.

One of the issues brought up at the forum was should children who are in the country illegally receive educational services

in Georgia.Kendrick believes the state should not

provide funding to educate illegal immi-grants, but to have programs in place to transition illegal students to legal.

“The education system is already strained as is,” she said. “So I think to have illegal citi-zens’ children that are going to get educated, and ours, might put a strain on the education system.”

Bostic thinks the state should provide public resources to those children because a child is not responsible for their parents’ sins. He said there are other ways to provide funding for those children.

“If those corporations can invite those illegal citizens into the country to work, then we need to make them pay for those kids to go to school,” he said.

Peek agreed with Kendrick in not provid-ing funding, but believes that the state should help illegal immigrants become legal.

“We need to give the illegal immigrants a period of time to become legal citizens,” she said.

Washington agreed with Bostic in provid-ing funding as well because kids should not be penalized for their parents’ misdeeds.

“Some of them have been here since they were babies and don’t even know that they are illegal immigrants,” she said. “In this country we value education, and we have to provide education no matter what. However, we do need to take a look at our immigra-tion laws.”

The winner of the July 20 Democratic primary will face Republican attorney Steven Conner in the Nov. 2 general election.

CrossRoadsNews July 10, 2010B8