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1ST
Comprehensive Housing Plan in DeKalb County history
$2.25M
American Rescue Plan dollars directed to community needs
17
Youth programs funded across education, STEM and mental health
436
Community-cat spay/neuter vouchers funded
A NOTE FROM MICHELLE
We have accomplished a great deal together. But there is more work to do.
When I first ran for the DeKalb County Commission, I promised to listen, bring people together, tackle difficult challenges and focus on the issues that directly affect our quality of life. That is exactly what I have worked to do.
During my first term, we turned ideas into action—from spearheading and leading the effort to establish DeKalb’s first Comprehensive Housing Plan and creating the DeKalb County Women’s Commission to expanding animal wellbeing initiatives, investing in youth and mental health, protecting parks and greenspaces, and advancing safer, pedestrian-friendly transportation infrastructure.
I’m running for re-election to keep that progress moving forward. I will continue to lead with compassion, courage and a conviction that collaboration and innovative solutions can create lasting change that helps communities thrive.
Michelle Long Spears
Commissioner, DeKalb County District 2
WHO I AM
Leadership rooted in service
I’m Michelle Long Spears, and serving as your District 2 Commissioner has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
Long before I held elected office, I spent my career bringing nonprofits, businesses, government and communities together to solve problems. I brought that same approach to the County Commission: listen first, build partnerships, do the homework and get things done.
I believe government works best when it is accessible, accountable and focused on people.
During my first term, I served as Chair of the Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee and, in 2025, my colleagues selected me to serve as Presiding Officer of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. Through every role, my philosophy has remained the same: Lead with compassion. Govern with integrity. Listen to the community. Focus on results.
ABOUT MICHELLE'
Michelle Long Spears serves as District 2 Commissioner on the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. Raised by a single mother who often worked multiple jobs, Michelle experienced significant housing instability as a child, moving more than a dozen times as a child in three different states. Those experiences shaped her belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to move beyond surviving and truly thrive.
Michelle began her social-sector career at the YMCA, where she learned how housing, health, education, environment and economic opportunity intersect—and how collaboration creates stronger solutions. She later founded NP Voice, a social-impact consulting practice focused on advancing good policy, resource development, collaboration building and community engagement.
Elected Commissioner in 2022, Michelle centers her public service around People, Pets & Places, with signature priorities in housing and homelessness, animal wellbeing, and parks, trails and greenspace. Her accomplishments include spearheading DeKalb's Affordable Housing Fund, establishing the DeKalb County Women's Commission, and advancing collaborative solutions to improve animal wellbeing, including DeKalb's first Pet Neighborhood.
Michelle served as the Board's Presiding Officer in 2025 and holds leadership roles with the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Claratel Behavioral Health, and the National Association of Counties (NACo). She leads with compassion, courage and a conviction that collaboration can create lasting change that helps communities thrive.
PEOPLE • PETS • PARKS
MY CORE PRIORITIES
PEOPLE
A thriving DeKalb begins with people.
Creating more attainable housing, addressing homelessness with dignity and practical solutions, improving access to healthcare and mental health services, supporting women and families, investing in young people, strengthening our arts and cultural community, and making county government work better for residents.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive in the community they call home.
PETS
Animal wellbeing is a community, public safety and public health issue.
Through the Save Our DeKalb Animals (SODA) initiative that began in 2024, we have pushed DeKalb toward a more comprehensive approach to animal services, one that emphasizes prevention, spay/neuter, responsible pet ownership, better policies, community partnerships and improved shelter outcomes.
My goal is simple: fewer animals entering our shelter and more animals staying safely with the families who love them.
PLACES
The places around us shape our quality of life, happiness and success.
I have worked to protect and improve our parks, trails and tree canopy while advocating for safer streets, sidewalks, pedestrian infrastructure and responsible development. District 2 has so many amazing assets, from healthcare to higher education to arts and culture, that need to be embraced and protected.
As DeKalb grows, we must preserve what makes our communities special while thoughtfully planning for the future.
MICHELLE'S FIRST TERM
A RECORD OF RESULTS
In my first term, we didn't just talk about change. We built the foundation for it.
Housing & Homelessness
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Led the creation of DeKalb County’s first Comprehensive Housing Plan and secured $250,000 to support the work.
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Introduced the Housing First Resolution, establishing stable housing as the foundation for addressing homelessness.
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Advanced an Affordable Housing Fund and a Community Land Trust feasibility study.
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Convened the 2024 Unhoused Summit, bringing government, service providers, advocates and community members together.
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Secured funding for DeKalb’s first comprehensive plan addressing homelessness.
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Helped secure nearly $600,000 for Wellroot’s The Oaks, supporting young people aging out of foster care.
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Supported research documenting the challenges facing families living in DeKalb's extended-stay motels.
Health, Families & Opportunity
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Invested more than $300,000 in Claratel Behavioral Health's integrated health program.
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Helped secure $1.4 million for MedCura Health and $1.5 million for Mosaic Health Center to expand access to healthcare.
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Established the DeKalb County Women's Commission to elevate issues affecting women and families.
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Invested approximately $1.44 million across 17 youth programs, including education, STEM, workforce development, mental health, environmental education and leadership.
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Advocated for DeKalb's new Arts Council.
Animal Wellbeing
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Created the Save Our DeKalb Animals (SODA) initiative.
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Helped advance the Animal Services 5-Point Common Sense Solutions Plan.
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Sponsored legislation addressing transient animal sales and irresponsible breeding.
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Expanded access to high-quality spay/neuter services and veterinary training.
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Funded 436 community-cat spay/neuter vouchers and successfully advocated for eliminating the $60 surgery fee.
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Secured $500,000 for a mobile spay/neuter vehicle.
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Created the annual State of DeKalb Animals Address, bringing residents, advocates, veterinarians, rescue organizations and county leadership together around solutions.
Parks, Environment & Transportation
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Invested in parks, nature preserves and greenspaces throughout District 2.
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Launched a Parks Listening Tour to hear directly from residents and Friends of Parks organizations.
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Working toward the long-awaited modernization and strengthening of DeKalb's Tree Ordinance.
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Supported environmental education and launched the DeKalb Youth Explorers Program.
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Funded sidewalk repairs, crosswalk and ADA improvements, road striping and pedestrian-safety planning.
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Advocated for major transportation improvements along North Druid Hills Road, Clairmont Road, Scott Boulevard, North Decatur Road, Briarcliff Road and Ponce de Leon Avenue.
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Advocating for the DeKalb and Decatur railroad quiet-zone corridor.
Responsible Leadership
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Served as Presiding Officer of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners in 2025 during an important transition in county leadership.
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Previously chaired the Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee.
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Helped guide major county budget, infrastructure and policy decisions.
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Directed more than $2.25 million in American Rescue Plan investments toward community needs.
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Championed accountable, accessible government and meaningful resident engagement.
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Made compassion a governing principle through Compassionate DeKalb and the Charter for Compassion.
WHY I'M RUNNING AGAIN
We've Built the Foundation. Now Let's Build the Future.
My first term was about more than completing a list of projects. It was about changing how we approach some of DeKalb's biggest challenges.
We created plans where plans didn't exist.
We brought people to the table who hadn't always been heard.
We invested in prevention instead of simply responding to crises.
And we began building systems designed to produce lasting results.
Now we need to finish the work…
A second term means moving from planning to implementation—putting our Comprehensive Housing Plan into action, expanding attainable housing, implementing our homelessness strategy, strengthening animal services, protecting our tree canopy and greenspaces, improving transportation safety, supporting women and families, investing in young people and ensuring that growth strengthens rather than diminishes our neighborhoods.
I believe experience matters. Relationships matter. Institutional knowledge matters. And results matter.
But I also believe how we lead matters.
I will continue to listen—even when we disagree. I will continue bringing people together around difficult issues. I will continue asking tough questions and demanding accountability. And I will continue approaching public service with compassion, curiosity and respect for the people I represent.
THE NEXT FOUR YEARS
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More housing people can afford.
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Real solutions to homelessness.
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Safer streets and stronger infrastructure.
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Healthier, more accessible, safer parks and protected greenspace.
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Better outcomes, spay/neuter programs and facilities for DeKalb's animals.
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Greater opportunity for women, families and young people.
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Thoughtful, responsible growth.
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Responsive and accountable county government.
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These aren't separate issues. Together, they determine whether DeKalb remains a place where people can live, work, raise families, grow older and thrive.
