2004 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election

2004 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election

← 2000 November 2, 2004 2008  →

Candidate Vernon Jones Party Democratic Popular vote 193,211 Percentage 95.91%

CEO before election Vernon Jones Democratic Elected CEO Vernon Jones Democratic

The 2004 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election took place on November 2, 2004. Incumbent CEO Vernon Jones ran for re-election to a second term. Jones, who experienced controversy in office and faced a grand jury inquiry into county finances and his security detail, ^[1] was challenged by six opponents in the Democratic primary. However, Jones won renomination with 53 percent of the vote, avoiding the need for a runoff election. In the general election, Jones faced no Republican opposition and won 95 percent of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Vernon Jones, incumbent Chief Executive Officer ^[2]
• Judy Yates, County Commissioner ^[3]
• Teresa Greene-Johnson, State Representative ^[4]
• Joe Bembry, tow truck operator and perennial candidate ^[5]
• Doug Teper, State Representative ^[3]
• Ron Marshall, activist ^[6]
• Calvin E. Sims, Sr., MARTA mechanic ^[7]

Results

Democratic primary results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vernon Jones (inc.)	54,400	53.16%
	Democratic	Judy Yates	24,938	24.37%
	Democratic	Teresa Greene-Johnson	10,705	10.46%
	Democratic	Joe Bembry	4,994	4.88%
	Democratic	Doug Teper	4,886	4.77%
	Democratic	Ron Marshall	1,538	1.50%
	Democratic	Calvin E. Sims, Jr.	875	0.86%
Total votes			102,336	100.00%

General election

Results

2004 DeKalb County, Georgia Chief Executive Officer election ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vernon Jones (inc.)	193,211	95.91%
	Write-in		8,244	4.09%
Total votes			201,455	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. Gentry, Mae; Stirgus, Eric (September 6, 2003). "DeKalb jurors chide CEO on security detail". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. p. A1. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
2. Stirgus, Eric (December 8, 2003). "Jones seeks clean slate from voters". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. p. D1. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
3. Dade, Corey (May 1, 2004). "2 more qualify for Jones' seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. p. E4. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
4. Simpson, David (March 4, 2004). "Greene-Johnson joins CEO candidates". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. p. JA2. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
5. Dade, Corey (May 13, 2004). "The race for CEO: Campaign kicks off as candidates make plea for votes". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. p. JA1. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
6. "New CEO challenger". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. April 1, 2004. p. JA2. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
7. "Sims joins DeKalb CEO race". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Atlanta, Georgia. March 18, 2004. p. JA2. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
8. "DeKalb County General Primary and Nonpartisan Election - Official Election Summary - July 20, 2004" (PDF). DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. July 23, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
9. "DeKalb County General Election - Official Election Summary - November 2, 2004" (PDF). DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. November 4, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2025.