Newly-elected DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson Brookhaven, at the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce meeting, said her administration will focus on public safety, economic development, and infrastructure.
Cochran-Johnson, the first Black woman to be elected as CEO, made her remarks while in conversation with Brookhaven City Council member John Funny on Thursday, Feb. 20.
The CEO announced recently that the county is investing $10.43 million into the DeKalb County Police Department to fill 300 open positions. The news came on the tail of DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha Ramos resigning from her position.
Cochran-Johnson said she plans to use her time in office to focus on public safety, economic development, and infrastructure. She’s laser-focused on the redevelopment and reinvigoration of Memorial Drive and the south part of the county.
Due to high crime rates in the low income area, businesses cannot obtain premise liability insurance. If a personal injury occurs, the business is not covered, she said.
“Now business owners are deciding whether or not they will continue to do business in these communities, because if you don’t have insurance, you open yourself potentially to liability,” Cochran-Johnson said.
To raise the cost of insurance is understandable, she said, but to deny coverage is “criminal” and “modern-day redlining.”
“The Mason-Dixon line of DeKalb County is Memorial Drive,” Cochran-Johnson said.
Cochran-Johnson served as DeKalb County commissioner from 2019 to 2024, where she was known to speak out against ideas that she believed wouldn’t serve her constituents.
“There is a difference between a politician and an elected official … When it comes to public service, it requires an individual to be selfless, not selfish,” she said.
Now responsible for a $1.8 billion budget with massive infrastructure needs, she was quick to point out that when she got started in local government she was not required to have empirical knowledge about finance or management.
Regardless, the hardest part of the journey to CEO was being elected, she said.
Prior to DeKalb County government, Cochran-Johnson built a career in mass marketing and communications. She encourages “non-traditional” candidates to run for office.
“It is time we think differently when it comes to government,” she said, adding that people of all backgrounds can serve their government well.
The annual luncheon to celebrate Black History Month drew a crowd of about 150 people. Brookhaven City Manager Christian Sigman, city council member Michael Diaz, and Explore Brookhaven CEO Renee Areng were in attendance.