District Attorney-elect Kalki Yalamanchili was sworn in on Monday, although he won’t officially take over as Athens’ top prosecutor until Jan. 1.
Judge Lawton Stephens—who swore in Yalamanchili as an assistant DA 12 years ago—administered the oath of office, with fellow Superior Court judges Lisa Lott, Eric Norris and Patrick Haggard, other local judges and top police brass also present in Stephens’ packed courtroom.
Yalamanchili had to pause to compose himself as he thanked his parents for the opportunities they provided and his wife, Caitlyn, for sacrifices she made in allowing him to run for DA. He promised to make Athens “a safe community that applies the law equally to all people.”
The defense attorney ran as an independent in the November election, defeating progressive Democrat Deborah Gonzalez, the incumbent, by casting himself as a more moderate and competent alternative. With the support of Republicans as well as thousands of Kamala Harris voters, Yalamanchili received 59% of the vote in Clarke and Oconee counties combined.
One of the main criticisms against Gonzalez was that she was never able to fully staff her office, operating at times with as few as three or four attorneys out of 16 funded positions. Yalamanchili told Flagpole that he is already forwarding resumes to Athens-Clarke County Human Resources, and that he hopes to bring in about six new ADAs within the first couple weeks of his term. Holdovers hired by Gonzalez will also be given a chance to stay, he said.
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