Jim Baskett was unanimously voted Decatur’s new mayor this evening in a 3-0 vote by his fellow commissioners.  That was quickly followed by a unanimous vote for Kecia Cunningham to be the city’s new mayor pro-tem.  Baskett takes the place of outgoing Mayor Bill Floyd, who had been Decatur’s mayor for the past 14 years.  Here’s the City of Decatur website’s official bio for the city’s new mayor and now longest serving commissioner…

Jim Baskett was elected to the City Commission in 1995 and has served as Mayor Pro Tem since 2002. As Commissioner he has served on the Taskforces for Greenspace, Infill Housing, and Scottish Rite redevelopment, Preservation Corridor and the Woodlands Committee.

Jim is a Founder of the DeKalb Library Foundation and served as chair of the DeKalb County Library System Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb and the Regional Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Decatur First Bank. He served on the Board of Directors of Our House, Inc., Leadership DeKalb, and is a past president of the South Candler Street Neighborhood Association.

After graduating from The Candler School of Theology, he studied social ethics and political thought at Emory University. Jim and his wife, Mickey, live in the historic South Candler district and can be seen around town driving their electric GEM car.

At this year’s State of the City Address, you may recall Mayor Bill Floyd suggested that Decatur should alter its charter so that the mayor was elected by the city’s populace instead of being appointed by the City Commission.  But, how would the city commission go about making this change if they wanted to?

City Manager Peggy Merriss fills us in…

The City’s Charter would have to be amended by a local act of the General Assembly. Generally, the City Commission would forward a request (often through a resolution) to the DeKalb delegation who would have to introduce the legislation. Also, legislation changing the terms of office would not be effective until the next election after adoption of the amendment.