What is your name?

Lorraine Cochran-Johnson

Tell us more about yourself.

I am the former Super District 7 Commissioner, serving from 2019 to 2023. I came to government from corporate America after serving as the GM of the Atlanta Daily World — the oldest black newspaper in the U.S. As chair of Public Works and Infrastructure, I saved residents over $92M through mandatory audit and contract review and successfully oversaw distribution of $1.4B in water, roads and infrastructure. My partnership with Operation HOPE has created 91 first-time homeowners, providing more than $22M in down payment assistance.

What office are you running for?

CEO of DeKalb County

What is your party affiliation?

Democrat

Attach a photo of yourself

Attach your resume or CV.

Where did you go to school?

- B.S., Political Science and Criminal Justice, Troy State University, 1988-1992 - M.S., The Administration of Criminal Justice, Troy State University, 1992-1993 - M.P.A., Public Administration and Economic Development & Grant Writing, Auburn University, 1993 - 1995 - Torts, Criminal Law, Civil Law, Legal Writing , John Marshall Law School, 1998 - Harvard Kennedy School, 2023, - Executive Education Certificate, 2021. Delivering Public Services: Efficiency, Equity, and Quality

Provide the link to your campaign website.

www.lorraineforchange.com

What is your job/occupation?

Entrepreneur, former media executive and former county commissioner

What city/neighborhood do you live in?

Stonecrest

Is this your first time running for office?

No

What experiences have best prepared you to hold elected office?

My corporate experience and meeting high standards of performance as a front-line manager has best prepared me to serve as DeKalb County CEO. I have had over a decade of experience as a general manager leading multimillion-dollar organizations and building teams. With two decades experience in mass communications and marketing, I will engage DeKalb County residents in a way that exceeds my opponents. As an individual who is a seasoned grant writer and program developer, I understand how to develop programs that meet the diverse wrap-around needs of the community in housing, public safety, education, and community and youth enrichment.

What would be your top priority upon winning office?

My top priorities will be public safety, economic development and housing. I’ll develop a real-time crime center, with technology and cutting-edge programs to help our police and community fight crime and produce safer communities, while creating programs that address one of the underlying causes of crime — economics. In South and Central DeKalb, continued strategic development efforts are needed. I’ll initiate projects that will jump-start revitalization, including tax abatements, Public Private Partnerships (P3s), Tax Allocation Districts (TADs), HUD-CDBG opportunities, and Historically Underserved Business Zones (HUB Zones), etc.

What actions would you take to enhance government transparency and trust in government?

Governmental transparency and trust are the heart of government. As an elected official, I always took my oath of office seriously. I will increase transparency and trust through easy access to information and use of technology, so residents have immediate access to information to reduce open records requests and calls for information. I will overhaul the current DeKalb County website, with a wide variety of documents and information being placed at constituent fingertips. Audit reports will include written replies and actions taken along with dates and timelines to correct any known deficiencies and audit recommendations.

Do you believe Georgia elections are secure and what additional security measures can be taken?

I believe Georgia elections are secure, but measures must be taken to ensure continued security, including monitoring equipment. My greatest concern is access to the polls and fighting against unnecessary restrictions that diminishes access to voting. The democratic process only works when people are engaged. To increase voter participation, I will expand current efforts to engage voters to include written voter documents in a variety of languages — not just English and Spanish. I will ensure residents are keenly aware of primary and general elections through technology, SMS and print materials that will be managed by the administration.

What is government's responsibility to ensure affordable housing?

Access to affordable housing is a basic human right. However, we are seeing drastically rising costs in rental and residential housing. Government must focus on increasing housing inventory through strategic efforts. I’ll create the position of chief housing officer. I’ll expand my program with Operation HOPE to provide down-payment assistance and first-time buyer assistance. I am the commissioner who used discretionary funds to reinstate the DeKalb Regional Land Bank Authority. The Land Bank will receive DeKalb’s blighted properties, clean their titles and get them back on tax rolls and into productive use as affordable housing.

Do you believe public access to public records is sufficient in your jurisdiction and, if not, what steps do you support to remedy that?

I do not feel current access to public records is sufficient in DeKalb. To remediate the insufficient access to records I will provide residents with immediate access to information using technology. Understanding the role technology plays in transparency and access, I will overhaul the current County website and a variety of public records, including audit reports, ethics violations filing, and general information will be placed at constituent fingertips. In my administration, audit reports will include written replies and actions taken along with dates and timelines to remediate and correct any known deficiencies and audit recommendations.