Candidate filing for the 2023 Consolidated Election is being administered successfully in DeKalb under a deputy registrar.
The City Council’s Recording Secretary, who is a deputy registrar, began accepting nominating petitions Monday, Dec. 12 after a failure by City Clerk Sasha Cohen to perform the duties of the office for several months.
To ensure the candidate filing is carried out efficiently and in accordance with election laws, the DeKalb County Clerk’s Office has made the Council’s Recording Secretary a deputy registrar who is permitted to accept the nominating petitions of candidates for City office. At Monday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Bill Nicklas said this action allows residents their right to run for elected office.
“In fact, it was in a furtherance of what is really a holy institution in our country, which is allowing people to stand up for their communities and offer themselves in their candidacy for office, and that’s what she did today,” said Nicklas.
Cohen, who receives an $8,000 annual salary to serve as City Clerk, missed 18 consecutive Council meetings from April 25, 2022, through Nov. 28, 2022. Since taking office, Cohen has missed 30 of the 45 Council meetings that have been held. Due to these lengthy absences, arrangements were made for a deputy registrar to process nominating petitions.
The candidate filing period for the Consolidated Election on April 4, 2023, continues through Dec. 19. 2022, excluding weekend days.
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