Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
DeKalb ops committee advances and confirms county attorney nominee
Loading...
Summary
After a public interview in committee, the operations committee advanced the SPLOST 2 oversight resolution to the full Board and approved the confirmation of William L. Minkus III as DeKalb County attorney following endorsement by the CEO and committee discussion.
The DeKalb County operations committee confirmed William L. Minkus III as county attorney after a question-and-answer session and an endorsement from the CEO. The nomination, read into the record as William L. Minkus III, drew questions from multiple commissioners about leadership style, staffing, and how the legal office would handle conflicts between the county's executive and legislative branches.
Minkus described his leadership approach as one built on five pillars—skill, service, cost control, ethics and professionalism—and said he would avoid micromanaging attorneys while emphasizing communication with elected officials. "I give people the respect of being professionals until they show that they are not worthy of that respect," he told commissioners during the interview. He also said the county attorney's ultimate client is DeKalb County as represented by both the CEO and the Board and that he would recommend outside counsel where conflicts require it.
Commissioners pressed Minkus on mentoring and building local-government legal capacity; he pointed to continuing legal education and one-on-one mentoring as the primary strategies he has used in other jurisdictions. He also said that in politically charged situations he weighs the worst potential legal consequences and “sticks with what the law says,” citing a past decision that he said was politically difficult but legally necessary.
The CEO reiterated support for the nominee at the committee meeting. After the interview and a brief procedural sequence, a motion to confirm Minkus was made and seconded and commissioners voiced 'Aye' to approve the nomination. The committee then recorded the confirmation and moved on with the agenda.
Next steps: The committee’s confirmation places Minkus in position to assume duties pending any further administrative processing required by DeKalb County. The operations committee will resume its business at the next scheduled meeting to continue previously deferred items.
