City Commission Picks Interim Commissioner

The Decatur City Commission is back to full strength after appointing an interim successor to departed councilwoman and mayor pro tem Kecia Cunningham.

Bill Bolling, who founded the Atlanta Community Food Bank, will finish out Cunningham’s terms, which end on Dec. 31. Both Brian Smith and James M. Johnson are running for Cunningham’s seat, and either Smith or Johnson will take over the reins from Bolling after the Nov. 3 election is complete, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Cunningham, who had served the city since 1999, stepped down from her positions on Aug. 17 in order to accept an accounting position with a Pennsylvania-based municipal finance advisor. A special election was not required because there were fewer than six months left in Cunningham’s term when she resigned.

The former mayor pro tem made headlines in June, when she was arrested for drunk driving; a police report of the June 11 arrest claims Cunningham blew a .147 when she was processed at the DeKalb County jail. Cunningham said the arrest was not a factor in her decision, saying it had been in the works for two years.