Jim McMahan
Jim McMahan is a former District 4 member and vice chair of the DeKalb County Board of Education in Georgia. He won the general election on May 20, 2014, and defeated fellow incumbent Karen Carter in the runoff election on July 22, 2014. He was first elected to the board on August 21, 2012. He did not seek re-election in 2018.
Biography
Jim McMahan resides in DeKalb County, Georgia. McMahan graduated from Northside High School in Atlanta Public Schools and studied at both Georgia State University and Wofford College. He began his career as a short options margin clerk and as a registered investment advisor with Dean Witter Reynolds Investment Firm from 1985 to 2002. He is employed as a residential loan officer with the Amstar Mortgage Network.[1]
Elections
2014
Jim McMahan and District 8 incumbent Karen Carter defeated challengers John Oselette and Ella Smith for the District 4 seat in the general election on May 20, 2014. McMahan defeated Carter in the runoff election on July 22, 2014.
Results
Runoff election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Jim McMahan Incumbent |
57.5% | 4,624 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen Carter Incumbent | 42.5% | 3,411 | |
| Total Votes | 8,035 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election - July 22, 2014," accessed February 23, 2015 | ||||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Karen Carter Incumbent |
35.4% | 3,407 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim McMahan Incumbent |
29.6% | 2,848 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Oselette | 18.1% | 1,747 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ella Smith | 16.9% | 1,629 | |
| Total Votes | 9,631 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election - May 20, 2014," accessed July 10, 2014 | ||||
Funding
McMahan began the race with an existing debt of $3,790.00 from his previous campaign. He reported $525.00 in contributions but no expenditures to the DeKalb County Department of Voter Registration and Elections, which left his campaign with $3,265.00 in debt.[2]
Endorsements
McMahan received endorsements from the DeKalb, the Georgia and the National Association of Realtors. He was also endorsed by former DeKalb County sheriff and congressional candidate Thomas Brown, who lost in the Democratic primary on May 20, 2014.[1]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Paul Womack Incumbent |
47% | 7,143 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim McMahan |
27.6% | 4,196 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Gilbert | 13.7% | 2,086 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Kinney | 11.3% | 1,711 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 48 | |
| Total Votes | 15,184 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary/General Nonpartisan/Special Election - 7/31/2012," accessed May 8, 2014 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Jim McMahan |
65.2% | 2,921 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Womack Incumbent | 34.8% | 1,557 | |
| Total Votes | 4,478 | |||
| Source: Georgia Secretary of State, "General Primary Runoff/General Nonpartisan Runoff/Special Election Runoff - 08/21/2012," accessed May 8, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
McMahan published a list of his priorities on his campaign website:
| “ | Unfinished Business
Jim’s Contract with Constituents
|
” |
| —Jim McMahan campaign website (2014)[1] | ||
In an interview with 90.1 WABE, McMahan answered several questions outlining his campaign themes:
| “ | Briefly describe your background. What qualifies you for this position?
I have a background in Financial Services for the last 29 years. Investment Advisor with Dean Witter Reynolds & Morgan Stanley and since having children 14 years ago I have worked as a Residential Loan Originator currently with Amstar Mortgage Network. I spend hours reviewing the district financials every month and propose ways to increase transparency and create efficiencies. Why should voters choose you? What makes you stand out as a candidate? I am a taxpayer advocate and parent who understands the challenges our teachers and students face each day in our schools. I am not a lifelong administrator as one of my challengers who voted against the Druid Hills Charter Cluster. I support local control and look forward to establishing a “Charter System” within DCSD. What are some of the biggest educational challenges facing the district? How can you, as a board member, address those issues? Several issues challenge our district. Underfunded schools and teachers are first. The lack of local control of our schools and clusters and a Superintendent that is a strong, transformational leader. I am part of the team appointed to recommend the process to search for our next Superintendent. I suggest ways to increase funding to our schools and teachers and offer policy amendments to help move forward in creating a charter system. Until recently, DeKalb was on “accredited probation” due mainly to concerns about school board governance. The district recently improved its status to “accredited warned.” But DeKalb still has a long way to go. As a board member, what will you do to ensure the district keeps improving? We have established “Board Norms” which are our guiding principles for communication and interaction with others on the board. I will advocate for every student in the district, not just the schools in District 4 and support our teachers by funding every available penny to our schools. According to the Georgia School Boards Association, individual board members don’t have the authority to make decisions about the district. That authority lies with the board as a whole. How will you work to ensure the board makes decisions together instead of pursuing individual agendas? We have initiated our “Strategic Planning” process and will use that document as a guiding map for the vision and goals for the district. I will advocate for all the students of DeKalb and have shown that in the past 16 months.[3] |
” |
| —90.1 WABE interview (2014)[4] | ||
In response to a questionnaire conducted by It's For Them - DeKalb, McMahan answered several questions outlining his campaign themes:
| “ | 1. What is your understanding of the role of a school board member? In your answer, explain (1) the level of engagement that a board member should have in the affairs and operations of the district and, (2) the relationship between the board and district staff.
The "role" of a school board member in relations to the administration and district staff can be summed up as supportive. The BOE has only one employee which is the Superintendent. The Superintendent has over 13,000 employees. It is ok for a BOE member to communicate with staff IF directed by the Superintendent. It is expected for board communications with staff to be directed to the Superintendent's office. The relationship between the BOE and district staff is one of collaboration and support. Our goals are aligned which are to increase student achievement as we support teachers and schools. 2. Explain your views on the current state of transparency of information at DCSD. Transparency is another word for communication. The better the district's communication the more transparent we become. The administration does a good job of promoting itself through the new DCSD phone app and twitter. On the other hand, direct communication with stakeholders is challenged. This is an area that the board is focused on improving in the near future. 3. How would you inspire parents and other stakeholders to have confidence in DeKalb schools? Under promise and over deliver. Continue to create efficiencies, improve financials and communication and improve our teachers' compensation. 4. What skills, talents, and personality traits do you believe that you possess that would make you work effectively with the rest of the board to get things done? My "people" skills allow me to work well with all the board members. I communicate well and I'm a better listener. I focus more on solutions than problems. 5. How will you enhance the mix of skills and backgrounds on the board and help represent the diversity of the community? I have a financial services background that assists to support efficient and improved financial reporting. We have a good mix currently on the board with members who have experience in legal, private corporate sector, public higher education, self employed members and a retiree. The immense diversity in DeKalb has a positive effect as we learn from our neighbors and fellow students from other countries and nationalities. We represent the world not just Atlanta, Georgia. 6. What do you see as the opportunities and threats facing the DeKalb school system? The opportunities in DeKalb are immense. We have started to change the direction of not only our school district but the county as a whole. We are starting to collaborate with our county government partners, the private sector and international partners. It is truly amazing the positive change we have experienced in DeKalb in a short period of time. The single largest threat is elect individuals to the BOE and return to the old ways of self centered vision and not working together for the benefit of the district as a whole. 7. Describe the achievement gap in this district. What causes it? What can be done? The achievement gap is correlated to socio-economic conditions and is felt all across the district. We are working hard to support communities and parents to be more engaged in their children's school and education. The Bridge Initiative is the first step in strengthening parental engagement. 8. The next school board will likely be tasked with selecting a new superintendent. What will you look for in a candidate? The next Superintendent for DeKalb will have a strong educational background with a proven track record of leading a transformational district. I would also like to see experience with a "Charter System" as this is the likely choice as DeKalb moves forward. 9. What is your experience with reviewing complicated budgets? How will you approach the district’s budgetary process from a policy perspective? I have 29 years experience working and analyzing corporate budgets in the financial services industry. We have streamlined and improved financial reporting within the last 12 months. I support Dr. Bell as our CFO as he is tasked to convert DeKalb's existing 200,000 "Chart of Accounts" into an aligned chart of accounts with the State of Georgia. The district has not been aligned with the State of Georgia for over a decade. Watch the FY2015 budget process in May in June for further information. I will approach the budgetary process ensuring we are following all board policies for budget development. It is important to know the state funding formulas as well as the local revenue streams. Public board discussions are critical in setting the budget priorities for the superintendent and ensuring the community and stakeholder input is included for final decisions. 10. What needs to be done to ensure the district regains full accreditation, without probation, and what is the role of the board in ensuring DCSD remains in excellent standings with SACS? "Know your role and stay in your lane." That is the responsibilities of the board and the administration. We are continually working to regain full accreditation. Hopefully within the next 12-18 months. Dr. Elgart previously stated this process takes 2-3 years and we are hopeful to accomplish this task sooner.[3] |
” |
| —It's For Them questionnaire (2014)[5] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jim + McMahan + DeKalb + County + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vote Jim McMahan for School Board in DeKalb County, "Home," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ DeKalb County, "Individual Campaign Contribution Disclosure Reports," accessed May 28, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 90.1 WABE, "DeKalb School Board District 4 - Jim McMahan (Incumbent)," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ It's For Them - DeKalb, "Candidate Name: Jim McMahan," accessed July 15, 2014
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