Atlanta is gearing up for a crucial election season as residents prepare to cast their ballots for all 15 City Council seats and the Mayor’s office on November 4. This election is particularly notable with three key races currently wide open, igniting a competitive atmosphere among potential candidates.
City Council President Doug Shipman recently announced he would not seek re-election due to family commitments. In a related shift, District 2 Councilmember Amir Farokhi has stepped down from his position to pursue a role at the Galloway School. Additionally, District 11 Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet has declared her intention to run for the City Council President seat.
As the election day approaches, multiple candidates have already declared their candidacies or are expected to do so. The official qualifying period for candidates to appear on the ballot runs from August 19 to 22, but contenders must announce their intent before this period. Consequently, Atlanta is seeing a packed slate of candidates looking to engage voters well ahead of the election.
Recognizing the potential for change, the nonpartisan coalition Committee for a Better Atlanta (CBA) is seizing the opportunity to influence the discourse surrounding the upcoming election. For decades, this coalition, composed of various business and civic organizations, has developed an annual policy platform aimed at addressing key citywide issues. As part of this initiative, the CBA administers a questionnaire to candidates focused on these critical topics, followed by interviews to generate scores for each contender based on their responses.
On June 17, CBA hosted its first candidate forum, a comprehensive event featuring 30-minute mini-panels for candidates who have filed their declarations of intent. This year’s forum spotlighted four key policy areas: strong governance and partnerships, inclusive economic growth, safe neighborhoods, and a sustainable city.
Each candidate was allotted a brief timeframe of about 30 seconds to a minute to provide focused answers to the posed questions, leaving them little opportunity for elaborate speeches or grandstanding. CBA Board Member Nick Fernandez remarked that the forum serves to “shape that early message around what the main issues voters should be focused on.” Hosting the panel early in the election cycle establishes a framework for candidates to refine their messages accordingly.
Engagement from candidates is essential, according to CBA Co-Chair Jordan Dawson, who emphasized the importance of hearing directly from candidates about the challenges outlined in their platform. “Engaged voting is the foundation of an inclusive and prosperous Atlanta,” he stated.
The turnout at the candidate forum reflected varying levels of competition, particularly in contested races such as the District 2 City Council seat, which saw strong attendance from candidates eager to answer questions. By contrast, the mayoral race, where incumbent Mayor Andre Dickens is expected to face little opposition, featured a lesser turnout, with Dickens absent while several long-shot candidates participated.
The full candidate forums were recorded and posted online, allowing voters to access the information as the election season progresses. As the races continue to evolve, it is anticipated that some candidates will drop out while others may join the fray.
As of now, the following candidates have declared their intention to run:
**District 1**
– Jason Winston (Incumbent)
– Sean Skillings
**District 2**
– Alex Bevel Jones
– Kelsea Bond
– Jacob Chambers
– Ocean Zotique
– Courtney Smith
– Rod Mack
– James White
**District 3**
– Byron Amos (Incumbent)
– Perrin Bostic
**District 4**
– Jason Dozier (Incumbent)
**District 5**
– Liliana Bakhtiari (Incumbent)
– Adam Gore-Wright
**District 6**
– Alex Wan (Incumbent)
**District 7**
– Jamie Christy
– Gerald Thad Flowers
– Rebecca King
– William Worthy
**District 8**
– Mary Norwood
**District 9**
– Dustin Hills (Incumbent)
– Charles Bourgeois
**District 10**
– Andrea L. Boone (Incumbent)
**District 11**
– Andre Burgin
– Curt Collier
– Steven Dingle
– Toni Ingram
– Nathan Jester
– Keith Lewis
– Wayne Martin, Jr.
– Reginald Rushin
– Sherry Williams
**District 12**
– Antonio Lewis (Incumbent)
– Delvin Davis
– Stephanie Flowers
**Post 1, At-Large**
– Michael Julian Bond (Incumbent)
– Juan Mendoza
– Matt Rinker
**Post 2, At-Large**
– Matt Westmoreland (Incumbent)
**Post 3, At-Large**
– Eshé Collins (Incumbent)
**Mayor**
– Andre Dickens (Incumbent)
– Helmut Love
– Kalema Jackson
– Marcus Lamar
– Walter Reeves
– Larmetria Trammell
image source from：saportareport
