DeKalb County, GA, November 6, 2014 – by Trey Benton – The outcome in Tuesday’s DeKalb County District 1 Commission race to fill the seat held formerly by Elaine Boyer, who resigned back in August and pled guilty to bilking taxpayers out of nearly $93,000, was a bit of a surprise.
DeKalb Commissioner District 1 results
Holmes Pyles, an 86-year-old Stone Mountain area resident and retired Government Employee, who did not campaign; did no fundraising; has no website or even an email address, emerged as the top vote getter out of five candidates in the race.
Holmes Pyles
Not among those surprised by Tuesday’s election results, was Pyles. “I’m pleased, but I’m not surprised,” he said in an interview with The Post. “I’ve had much experience working with State Crime Labs, Law Enforcement and Health Departments and I’ve seen a lot of stuff go by the boards.”
Pyles says he thinks politicians only try to make a name for themselves. “We can’t keep letting politicians spend taxpayer money to manipulate us. I think I can improve DeKalb County, as well as the DeKalb County Government.”
Pyles added chuckling, “One thing I also bring to the table, I’ve got built in term limits.”
Nancy Jester
Nancy Jester, former DeKalb County School Board member and Actuarial from Dunwoody, came in second in the race. “Looks like we are in the runoff….To my opponents who have finished their portion of the race – Well done. Thank you for offering yourself for public service,” Jester told supporters after Tuesday’s results came in. “To all of my supporters – Thank you! I am grateful beyond words. We have more to do. We have another race to run.”
Jester says that if elected, “I will protect the taxpayer by working to reduce the size of county government while improving the delivery of services.”
Perhaps DeKalb’s District One residents were preconditioned to the idea of a runoff, particularly because of the number of candidates in the race, but many thought it would be between candidates Nancy Jester and Wendy Butler, or perhaps Larry Danese. Holmes Pyles’ name didn’t come up in most runoff discussions.
Be that as it may, Pyles showed up on Election Day.
It’s Pyles and Jester in a runoff that will be decided on December 2nd, to represent some 140,000 residents in Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Dunwoody, and Tucker as the DeKalb County Commissioner for District 1.
30 Comments
Eddie E.
Why not just declare for Mr. Pyles as he clearly comprehends public service as opposed to political climbing and after all, he got the most votes.
DeKalb District 1 Resident
It would be refreshing and perhaps good to have an analytical non politician in the position of District 1 Commissioner for DeKalb.
I’m sick and tired of people looking at protecting friends or getting points to move up the political party machine ladder.
Look what that has gotten us.
Toff
I for one am just glad that someone called Homer Pyles can get voted in. Wasn’t he a guest star on the Road Runner cartoons?
Seriously, I was for Nancy but it never sat quite right with me that she was on the Dekalb board for so long and didnt know what was going on with Elaine Boyer. Like any business or organization if you are a executive member you have the inside pulse and she either knew or should have known and spoke up. She is running on an accountability platform but I think she had her chance and blew it.
I am voting for Homer, at the end of the day, he’s a good old fashioned honest citizen and he has no bias to any real estate developer or strip club. Lets get him in for 4 years.
Riley
Or as the 86-year old Pyles observed in today’s AJC: “For these people who want term limits, I’m a sure thing”.
Shawn M. Keefe
Toff, Nancy Jester sat on the DeKalb Board of Education, not the Board of Commissioners with Elaine Boyer. She would not have had any inside knowledge of Ms. Boyer’s activities. Nancy is the competent, fiscal conservative that DeKalb needs on the BOC to keep an eye on taxpayer $ and the DeKalb Democrat Machine at the County offices.
Eddie E.
I thought this was a non-partisan election?
Toff
I know and that counts against her as well. That was a disastrous board and she didnt scream fire.
Tom Reilly
No campaigning, no fund raising, no website, no e-mail, one appearance in front of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association–and first place in the election!! The biggest upset that I’ve seen in forty years of zoning experience!! I’m in the wrong business!! Mister Pyles, with all respect, is there a phone number that we could use to reach you??–Tom Reilly
DHer
Sorry he does not use the internet or email.
Riley
His phone number is BR549. What’s not to love?
effing
…and a sense of humor
Tom Reilly
BR549???????????????????????????????????-Tom Reilly
Tom Reilly
That is “Holmes Pyles”, not “Homer Pyles”–or “Gomer Pyle” for that matter.–Tom Reilly
Shawn M. Keefe
Eddie, if this was a non-partisan race, why were there R’s next to four candidates and an I next to Mr. Pyles? Mr. Pyles received the votes from those who would not vote for a Republican. Will your friends turn out December 2nd now that the Nunn/Carter experiment has failed?
Dave
An interesting conclusion. Gives me hope the greater hood hasn’t been completely taken over by the GOP.
Riley
It’s BR549, his phone has a crank on the side and you have to be careful about what you say because he’s on a party line. If you don’t know about BR549, you probably don’t know who Junior Samples was. Just sayin’.
Eddie E.
Well, I can understand their resistance. I mean, few people really want to vote for the Dunwoody Republican Party (because, let’s face it, that’s where those who make up the Dekalb Republican Party live).
So Dekalb Citizens have a choice, A man who spent his career as a public servant and as a retiree has no ambition other than public service, or an aspiring functionary willing to assume the shape necessary for the day.
The Citizens of Dekalb County realize what happened the last time they elected a republican commissioner, so I guess we’ll see.
Eddie E.
Shawn, for the record, I don’t live in District 1 so I didn’t see the ballot.
I thought it was non-partisan (like Brokehaven City Council races).
Anyway, that doesn’t change any of the other facts.
Walter K
Walter K.
Mr Pyles has my vote. Both parties are corrupt in Dekalb. Let’s put in an independent with experience….lots of experience.
Tom Reilly
Zoning decisions involve millions of dollars, thousands of people’s quality of life, and many years of change. Holmes Pyles was an extremely lazy, ineffective candidate. What would stop him from being an extremely lazy, ineffective Commissioner??–Tom Reilly
Maurice Atkinson
You go Mr. Holmes. I love it that the Jester folks have resulted to smearing a fellow who has spent a lifetime voting his conscience. On the other hand, Mrs. Jester doesn’t seem to know what “politics” she aligns with. She’s been a Democrat most of her life and ran as a Republican out of expediency. Nothing wrong with being a partisan, but be honest about it. The gal didn’t even vote for a bunch of years and only ran as a republican in 2010. Vote Holmes Pyles on December 2nd. https://www.facebook.com/CitizensForHolmesPyles
Maurice Atkinson
https://www.facebook.com/CitizensForHolmesPyles Why not? After all, wasn’t Mrs. Jester booted for the school board because they were dysfunctional?
DeKalb Observer
Hmmm. This guy is interesting. We will certainly make national news if he’s elected. Wouldn’t he be the oldest elected official in the nation? Good for him for participating in our representative government. Better late than never!
DeKalb Observer
BTW, Nancy Jester lived in Texas for many years, so she surely didn’t vote in GA then. Also, I haven’t seen her ‘smear’ Mr. Holmes anywhere! Talk about Shenanigans. Please at least just speak (type) the truth. I’m voting for Nancy simply because she speaks about the issues and can follow the budget. She did raise flags when she was on the school board, but was let go with the rest of the group (can you imagine the outcry if the Gov had spared the white chick?)
Tom Reilly
Hi, “Dekalb Observer.” and Maurice Atkinson: If I’m the one that you’re discussing [‘”smear, smearing, etc.”] your point is a good one. I’ve written elsewhere that I’m sure that Mr. Pyles is a nice, dignified, respected gentleman. That should not change his abilities to function as a Dekalb County Commissioner. His record as a candidate for that office gives me great pause. These zoning decisions involve millions of dollars, thousands of people’s lives, and years of change. They constantly either establish or reinforce precedents vital to preserving or enhancing the future of DeKalb County. We need to do this right the first time!!–Tom Reilly
Tim Thilman
Tom Reilly seems to be confused by a candidate that wasn’t locked in to the usual campaign tactics of lying, obfuscating and vague generalities.
Calling Holmes “lazy” as a candidate because you don’t understand him is just silly.
Calling his campaign ineffective ignores the fact that he won.
Either way, such characterizations reveal your partisanship and stiffen my resolve to vote for him.
Tom Reilly
Hi, Tim!! “Lazy” means that he did next to nothing to promote his own campaign. “Ineffective” means that he did nothing to earn his win–the voters simply decided to hand his victory to him. Holmes Pyles seems like a nice man. Age aside, Holmes Pyles also seems like far and away the least qualified of the five original candidates .Every time that he looks bad, the people who vote for him look bad too.–Tom Reilly
Tom Reilly
Liane Levetan, Fran Miller, Mike Jacobs, Tom Taylor, etc. etc. all supporting Nancy Jester. Every one of them a proven community leader. They couldn’t all be wrong!!!–Tom Reilly
Dave
You just convinced me with the Mike Jacobs endorsement – I’ll sit this one out.
Eric Robert
Yea Tom politicians supporting someone from their own party isn’t all that impressive. And Liane Levetan’s endorsement doesn’t sway me either, She’s just endorsing the obvious winner.
Frankly I think you’ve spent far too much time citing reasons not to vote for him on this thread and others (and frankly you should have focused on why to vote for Ms. Jester vs. comments about Mr.Pyles).
But really the reason I say you have spent too much time is Ms. Jester will very easily win tomorrow. Its obvious Mr. Pyles only won the initial voting because there is at least 1/3 of the District 1 electorate that did not want to vote for a republican (especially in light of what happened) But no need to worry, there is at least 45% of the District 1 electorate that will only vote for the Republican – So now that Ms. Jester doesn’t have to split the vote with 3 other Republicans she will easily win.
Its too bad we even have to spend money holding the election just for this race, but hey it is what it is.