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Our Mission
To educate the citizens of DeKalb County about county governance issues and to advocate for informed citizen engagement.
Latest News
DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council (DCAC) applauds the many citizens who applied for an appointment to the DeKalb Board of Ethics and congratulates those appointed. The fact that more than 60 citizens applied to serve on the board through the Joint Appointing Committee indicates just how committed DeKalb residents are to supporting ethical government in DeKalb County.
We also thank the committee members – the DeKalb State House Delegation, the Tax Commissioner, and the Clerk of the Superior Court – for implementing a successful Board of Ethics appointment process that:
- encouraged citizen engagement through a public call for applicants,
- sought board member competency and diversity through a uniform and thorough written application and blind evaluation process, and
- strove for transparency by publicly disclosing the overall application process and timetable.
We will be interested in learning of the three members to be appointed by the DeKalb Senate Delegation. In contrast to the process employed by the Joint Appointing Committee, the DeKalb Senate Delegation engaged in a private process for selecting their three members of the Board. We are not questioning the qualifications of those members to be appointed by the Senate, but we do think it is unfortunate that the DeKalb Senate Delegation rejected the call for transparency in their process and did not participate with the other appointing authorities in reviewing the applications. We hope that they will reconsider their appointment process in the future.
Please check back often for the latest updates or, subscribe to our newsletter to receive DCAC news in your inbox.
Who We Are
DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council (DCAC) is a group of community members from all parts of DeKalb County, Georgia.
Our goal is to educate the citizens of DeKalb County about county governance issues as well as to advocate for informed citizen engagement in local government. We have great concerns about compliance and transparency in county operations and we support legislation to improve both. During the 2019 and 2020 Georgia legislative sessions, for example, we successfully advocated to maintain the independence and strength of the Board of Ethics and the Ethics Officer position.
Our Leadership Team
ANN ABRAMOWITZ
Resident of DeKalb County since 1987
Professor, Emory University
Practices as a clinical psychologist in the community
Unpaid chief of staff to a State Representative who is a member of the DeKalb Delegation. In this capacity, she has worked with the county, city governments, and various community agencies and programs.
BETTY BLONDEAU
Native Decaturite. Born at Piedmont Hospital, lived and raised in Decatur.
Member, DeKalb County Community Council, District 2
Board Member, DeKalb History Center
Board Member, Downtown Decatur Neighbors
Member, Civic Association Network (CAN)
LYNN GANIM
Resident of DeKalb since 1972
President, Medlock Area Neighborhood Association (MANA)
Member, Civic Association Network (CAN)
MARY HINKEL
Resident of DeKalb County since 1976
President, Mason Mill Civic Association
Former Program Chair, Civic Association Network (CAN)
Member, DeKalb County Charter Review Commission
PAT KILLINGSWORTH
Resident of DeKalb since 1985
Former member and chair, DeKalb County Board of Ethics
Member, Leadership DeKalb
– Board of Directors for four years
Board Member, Citizens of Victoria Estates (COVE)
Member, Civic Association Network (CAN)
Member, Blueprint to Restore DeKalb
Recipient of the 2015 Justice Robert Benham Community Service Award from the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism and the State Bar of Georgia.
CLAUDETTE LEAK
Resident of DeKalb County since 1970
Member, DeKalb County Charter Review Commission
Member, Leadership DeKalb
Member, Columbia Valley Community Association
Member, Restore DeKalb (Communications Chair)
Chair, Concerned Citizens in Opposition to Greenhaven – Advocating for an effective DeKalb County Government
MARTHA PACINI
Resident of DeKalb County since 1978
Board Member, Leadership DeKalb
President, Citizens of Victoria Estates (COVE), the civic association for Victoria Estates
Member, Blueprint DeKalb, sector leader for establishing the office of the independent internal auditor
Secretary, Emory University Alumni Board
Advisory Council Co-chair, CHRIS 180
JOHN TURNER
Resident of DeKalb County since 1997
Member, DeKalb County Community Council, District 2
Membership Chair, Greenwood Acres Civic Association (GACA)
– GACA representative to Civic Association Network (CAN)
Alternate Member, DeKalb County Charter Review Commission
Member, Leadership DeKalb
– Chair, Community Service Project Committee for two years
– Member, Strategic Planning committee
VISTA Volunteer, South DeKalb Center
TOM WOODWARD
Resident of DeKalb County since 1988
President 2017-18, Fall Festival Chair 2015-16, LaVista Park Civic Association
Executive Committee 2016-17, Board Member 2011-17, Leadership DeKalb
Coalition Member, DeKalb NAACP/DeKalb Remembrance Project
Member, DeKalb History Center
Member, Informed Georgians for Justice
Volunteer, Toco Hills Community Alliance
Our Allies
DCAC is working collaboratively with other DeKalb reform organizations. These organizations currently include:
DeKalb Citizens Advocacy Council is proud to have support from members of the Blueprints to Redefine DeKalb Leadership Team (Blueprints I), citizens who researched best practices, drafted recommendations, and worked with legislators to achieve unanimous passage of the revised DeKalb County Code of Ethics and the new Office of Independent Internal Auditor, both of which were approved by 92% of voters in a 2015 referendum.