August 14, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
After 14 years, the DeKalb County Election Commission has selected a new Administrator of Elections.
During a meeting Monday evening, a majority vote of the five-member commission chose Dustin Estes of Smithville to succeed Administrator Dennis Stanley, who recently announced his resignation effective at the end of the month. Stanley has served in the job since 2009.
Estes will officially take over on Tuesday, September 5.
“I am very excited. It’s an opportunity that I have been looking forward to for quite a while. I just appreciate everyone’s vote and I am looking forward to getting started. It’s a really big deal for me and my family,” said Estes after the meeting.
Estes said his first goal is to get familiar with the duties of the office.
“First, I’d like to learn the job as well as the ins and outs. That’s day one. I do have some long-term visions that I am thinking about, and I want to work with other local election administrators to get their input on what’s working for them so we can better implement those in DeKalb County,” he continued.
A lifelong resident of DeKalb County, the 33-year-old Estes is married to the former Courtney Rice and the couple has a daughter, Wyatt Estes, who is almost 15 months old, and another baby is due in February.
Estes is a graduate of DeKalb County High School, and he furthered his education at MTSU where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He currently works at Shiroki North America where he serves as Human Resources (HR Generalist).
“They (Shiroki) have been excellent for me. I have been there for almost seven years and in Human Resources for the last couple of years,” said Estes.
Two other candidates were in the running for the election administrator position including Tina Gee, who has worked as Stanley’s deputy administrator in the office for several years, and Roger Sharp, Jr., a computer tech for the election commission and a former computer tech for the DeKalb County School District.
After Stanley announced his resignation, the election commission advertised seeking resumes from persons interested in the position and Estes, Gee, and Sharp were the only respondents.
During the meeting Monday night, all three names were placed in nomination and seconded for administrator and a roll call vote of the five commissioners determined the outcome.
Commissioners Loree Hall, Ron Sifford, and Chairman Brandon Gay voted for Estes while Commissioners Kim Luton and Yvette Carver passed. Carver initially voted for Gee but then changed her vote to pass after the result was determined.