Sunday, September 06, 2009
News, In this Issue..., Politics, Atlanta

Atlanta city council shake-up

As The Sunday Paper went to press, the Sept. 4 qualifying deadline for council races was drawing nigh. Here’s the way the district races looked as of deadline.   

By Chuck Stanley

    Just 10 months after the finale of a contentious, years-long presidential race, Atlantans again find themselves poised to go to the polls and determine the future of their communities. History tells us that voters don’t always turn out for citywide elections when offices at the national level aren’t at stake. But with the city strapped for cash and reeling amidst a string of high-profile crimes, including the murders of East Atlanta bartender John Henderson and boxing champ Vernon Forrest, Atlantans’ concerns about the future of their own neighborhoods are every bit as compelling, if not more so, than anything in the national news this week.

    Friday marked the final day for candidates to qualify for the Nov. 3 election. Two of the city’s three at-large council seats, the council presidency, and three district seats will be abandoned by their current occupants. Out of the 10 council seats being defended by their incumbents, four will face three or more challengers. This means that, with 15 members total, we may see a very different City Council in 2010. This week, The Sunday Paper looks at the candidates for Atlanta’s 12 district seats, with more coverage to follow on the citywide at-large and council presidency races in upcoming editions. 

    Memories of last year’s national election remain fresh, but Andra Gillespie, an Emory University political scientist, feels it is unlikely that hangover effects from months of bombardment with election news will keep people home when election day rolls around. Nor does she feel that political enthusiasm sparked by last year’s presidential campaigns will drive people to the polls. Turnout for the Nov. 3 City Council and mayoral election, says Gillespie, will be relatively low, but not because of anything that happened in 2008.
 
    “This is an off-year election. And so off-year election turnout is always lower than it would be for a Congressional election,” says Gillespie. But “turnout will probably be higher this year than it was in 2005 because [the mayor's office] is an open seat.” 
   
    Gillespie describes short resumes and a lack of organizational numbers as factors that can make it difficult for candidates for local offices to bring voters to the polls. The irony in voters’ apparent apathy toward choosing local leaders is that local office-holders tend to have more impact on the everyday lives of their constituents than leaders at the state and national levels.

    “What do people care about?” Gillespie asks. “They care about their schools, they care about their trash and they care about potholes.”

    In Atlanta, they also care a lot about public safety, which is the driving force in this year’s races.

CROWDED RACES

    The crown jewel of this year’s council race is the District 6 seat currently held by Anne Fauver, which includes Ansley Park, Virginia Highland and much of Midtown. Candidates have crowded this race like young girls rushing the ticket booth at a Jonas Brothers concert, so we’ve listed the candidates with some brief biographical information in a separate sidebar. The departure of Fauver, the only openly gay member of the City Council, could spark fears of losing a voice in the council by the 6th District’s gay community. This could put heterosexual candidates Tad Christian,  Bahareh Azizi and Elizabeth Coyle at a disadvantage come November.

    Only slightly less hectic than the frenzy in District 6 is the melee of candidates looking to replace departing District 11 Councilman Jim Maddox, who, like Fauver, is retiring from politics, as well as those hoping to unseat Cleta Winslow in District 4.
 
District 11 residents of Cascade Heights, Greenbriar and Kings Forest will decide between Johnny Dixon, former V-103 personality and president of the Greenbriar Campbellton Road Business Association; Alvelyn Sanders, senior editor of the Atlanta Tribune; and Juanita Smith, whose 32 years as a civilian member of the APD include experience working with a number of crime-prevention programs. Real estate broker Silas Kevil was a last-minute addition to the race, as were Keisha Lance Bottoms, an attorney and former magistrate judge, and A. Reginald Eaves, making for a crowded field. 

After the Sunday Paper's print edition went to press, three more council hopefuls qualified to run for the District 11 seat: Mo Finley, Edith Ladipo, a community activist with a background working for environmental causes and member of American Federation of Teachers amongst other groups for educators, and Ray Abram, a self described business leader.

     Winslow, whose neighboring 4th District runs westward from the Downtown connector and includes Mechanicsville, Castleberry Hill and the West End, faces three opponents this year. The District 4 challengers, up against an incumbent, are better funded than those making a run in District 11. Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association CEO LaShawn Hoffman and Multicast Media sales executive Sidney Wood raised nearly $10,000 combined, compared to the only $1,670 total raised by 11th District office-seekers during the campaign disclosure period ending June 30. DeBorah Williams, head of he Redeem outreach program, which advocates for the elderly and ex-convicts, is also making a run at the 4th District seat, but was uncertain last week about her ability to come up with the qualifying fee by Friday's deadline. 

DISTRICTS WITH SLIGHTLY THINNER CROWDS

    North of I-20, Ivory Lee Young Jr. looks to retain control of District 3, where neighborhoods like Vine City, Bankhead and English Avenue have long suffered from high crime. Like Young, who is a deacon at Providence Missionary Baptist Church, both challengers for the 3rd District seat bring strong religious backgrounds to their campaigns. The Rev. Darrion Fletcher, a self-described community advocate who earns his living making home improvements, believes his “out-of-order district” is ready for new leadership. Fletcher says greater visibility and accountability is needed from local leaders to improve the area. He promises to serve as a foot soldier in the community, working with other local leaders to reduce crime. Kendal Richardson, founder and CEO of Grapevine HIV/Aids Foundation and a minister for Frontline Ministries, is also vying for the District 3 seat.
   
    In an e-mailed message to The Sunday Paper, Richardson said of Young, whom he hopes to unseat, “Thank God for all that he has done, but together as a community we can do much better.” Richardson describes his campaign as “the impossible, being made possible.”    
   
    In District 12, comprised of Atlanta’s Southeastern Hammond Park, Capitol View and Glenrose Heights neighborhoods, incumbent Joyce Sheperd looks to defend her seat from community activist Curtis Davis Jr. Sheperd has represented District 12 since 2004. This year, she was embroiled in the controversy surrounding former Georgia congressman Pat Swindall, who, according to Sheperd, attempted to leverage illegal campaign donations in order to obtain political favors from the council member. Sheperd has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with money. She says she was not aware the $8,000 in question originated with Swindall, who was indicted for making illegal campaign contributions in June, until associates of Swindall began requesting favors. Davis, whose resume includes work with Atlanta Women and Youth against Crime, says one of his main focuses as a council member would be to establish a new police mini-precinct in his district.

After the Sunday Paper's print edition went to press, Keisha Waites, an  executive board member of the  NAACP, as well as of the Atlanta Commission on Women, signed up for the race in District 12. Waites, and a former Congressional Affairs Liaison for FEMA, ran last year for the Georgia General Assembly.

THE WAIT-AND-SEE RACES

    In District 1, PDQ delivery’s Roger Whitley recently told The Sunday Paper he would be unable to raise the $1,184 qualifying fee for a spot on the ballot against incumbent Carla Smith, barring a sudden windfall settlement from lawsuits he has filed against the city over what he describes as discriminatory code enforcement. 

    “I get tired of people wasting our money at City Hall,” Whitley says mournfully of his campaign’s demise. “$1,100 is a small price to pay to have a voice in the city of Atlanta.” Whitley made no mention of plans to run as a pauper, an option that would allow him to waive the fee. 

This leaves Mary Martin, whose only contact information is an out-of-service phone number and the address for a homeless shelter, as Smith’s sole competition in the district encompassing Grant Park, Summerhill and Woodland Hills. Martin, as of press time, had not qualified with the city for candidacy, making it seem likely that Smith will run unopposed this year. 
    
    There is also some uncertainty as to what sort of race might shape up in the 9th District. In what threatens to present a case of mistaken identity, incumbent Felicia Moore will square off against Darryl Moore Jr. Little is known about Darryl Moore, except that he is not related to Felicia Moore. He did not respond to repeated contact attempts by The Sunday Paper. Felicia Moore has represented the Northwest Atlanta neighborhoods of District 9, including Grove Park, Almond Park and West Highlands, since 1997.
   
    “I want to make sure that people distinguish between myself and [Darryl Moore Jr.] and make sure I reinforce that,” says Felicia Moore of the possible name confusion brought about by opposing candidates with the same last name.

    The incumbent notes that any campaign strategy will be contingent upon Darryl Moore, who had not raised any money through the disclosure period ending June 30, coming up with the qualifying fee by Sept. 4.
   
    “I’ve talked with him a couple of times,” she says of her prospective challenger. “He says he’s in it until the end, so we’ll see.”

    In the 8th District, which includes Buckhead west of Peachtree Street, it seemed until recently that former Ernst and Young CPA Yolanda Adrean would be free to cool her heels alongside the council’s unchallenged old-timers until the race suddenly heated up this week. Adrean, who served until early this year on the Beltline Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee, was the lone candidate for the 8th District seat being vacated by Claire Muller, who is running for council president, until Richard Coleman filed to have his name put on the ballot a mere four days before the qualifying deadline. Coleman could not be reached for comment about his candidacy. 

IT’S IN THE BAG

    For all the competition this year, four of the council’s incumbents can breathe easy--or, at least, it looked that way as Sp went to press on the evening of Sept. 3--knowing theirs will likely be the only names on the ballots for their respective seats. Kwanza Hall runs unopposed in central Atlanta’s District 2, which includes Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, Atlantic Station and Centennial Park. In District 5, stretching from Oakland Cemetery to East Lake and including Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown and Kirkwood, Natalyn Archibong faces no competition. Howard Shook remains the only candidate to represent Buckhead east of Peachtree Street in District 7. Additionally, C.T. Martin will add to his 16 years serving District 10’s Adamsville, Westview and Boulder Park neighborhoods in West Atlanta. SP

DISTRICT 6 CANDIDATES

Bahareh Azizi
Research Support Manager, Georgia Tech Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. CEO, A&B International Trading Corporation; volunteer, Junior League of Atlanta.

Stephen Brodie
Senior Consultant, Cap Gemini Ernst and Young.
Chair, Atlanta Human Relations Commission; committee member, Beltline Subarea 6 Steering Committee; NPU-E board member; member, Midtown Neighbor’s Association; chair, Midtown Land Use Committee.
Endorsed by International Brotherhood of Police Officers.

Tad Christian
Stay-at-home father.
Former president of Morningside Lenox Park Civic Association; former member of City of Atlanta Board of Zoning; volunteer, Morningside Elementary School Operations Committee.

Elizabeth Coyle
Communications consultant.
Former president of Council of Intown Neighborhoods and Schools; former president, Morningside Elementary PTA; former vice-chair for Neighborhood Planning Unit F; former president, Atkins Park Neighborhood Association; member, MARTA Stakeholder Advisory Committee on the Alternatives Analysis for the Beltline; founding member of the BeltLine Neighbors Coalition; chair, BeltLine Network; Citizen Representative on the board of directors of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

Miguel Gallegos
Former flight attendant; former delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Endorsed by North Georgia Labor Council/AFL-CIO. 

Alex Wan
Director of Development, Jerusalem House.
Member, Morningside Lenox Park Neighborhood Association; former business liaison, Morningside Lenox Park Association; Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, Atlanta Development Authority; board member, Asian American Heritage Foundation.