First mayor led bid for Peachtree Corners’ cityhood

By Joel Anderson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The leader of the movement to incorporate Peachtree Corners also will become the new city’s first mayor.

Mike Mason emerged Wednesday as the sole candidate to qualify for the mayoral race, which means he will serve the inaugural four-year term as Peachtree Corners’ top elected official.

“It’s humbling and gratifying that the people of Peachtree Corners think I can be their leader,” Mason said. “I won’t let them down.”

While Mason drew no competitors, more than a dozen other residents on Wednesday declared intentions to run for six City Council positions. The elections will be on March 6.

Candidates for Post 1, Post 2 and Post 3 will be elected by voters from specific districts; Post 4, Post 5 and Post 6 are at-large seats and will be chosen by residents across the city.

The candidates included several residents who played major roles in the campaign for cityhood, among them Robert Byars, Scott Ehrlich and Alex Wright. Few opponents of the incorporation effort chose to run for office, indicating they preferred to operate as watchdogs of the new government.

“We seek to contain government greed and ensure that the new government in Peachtree Corners is something truly unique among all governments — forever unobtrusive and inexpensive,” reads the “About Us” section of the formerly anti-city website peachtree
cornersfacts.com.

But David Leader, one of the more vocal opponents of the city’s incorporation, decided to pursue public office.

“Even though I wasn’t for the city, I believe we can make it into a positive,” said Leader, who will face three other contenders for Post 6.

Mason will get an unforeseen head start in building a government for Gwinnett County’s first new city in 55 years. As one of the founders of the powerful United Peachtree Corners Civic Association, Mason already had strong relationships with county officials and leaders in neighboring cities.

Norcross Mayor Bucky Johnson made no secret of his preference in the mayoral race.

“[Mason] should be mayor,” Johnson said. “It makes perfect sense.”