Council president candidates clash over public safety during debate
The two candidates competing to be Atlanta’s next City Council president traded barbs on the debate stage Wednesday, straying from policy discussion to attack each other’s records and campaign rhetoric.
Two-term council member Marci Collier Overstreet and political newcomer Rohit Malhotra are facing off for the coveted council leadership position. It is arguably the most contentious and consequential race on the ballot in the upcoming city elections.
Although the position holds only tiebreaking voting power, the role makes key committee chair assignments, facilitates the flow of council meetings and serves as the bridge between the City Council and the mayor.
Overstreet is running with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ endorsement and paints her progressive opponent as an outsider who has the potential of upending smooth proceedings at City Hall with his policy stances.
Malhotra is the founder of a progressive policy nonprofit, the Center for Civic Innovation, that’s frequently challenged the decisions of current and past elected officials. He campaigns on the promise of a fresh perspective and a chance for increased input from community organizations.
During the debate, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club, Overstreet accused Malhotra of seeking to “defund” the city’s police department and attacked the finances of the nonprofit he founded.
Malhotra “should really own up to the fact that he actually funded groups that want to defund or abolish the police department,” Overstreet said.
Malhotra’s nonprofit awarded grants to community groups that, in 2020, advocated for disinvestment in traditional policing. But he hasn’t echoed that opinion himself. The two groups were among 250, he has said, that received grant funding.
Malhotra condemned Overstreet’s attacks that he said mimic Republican political warfare used against Democrats nationally.
“Remember the words ‘defund the police’ — which I have never said — actually came after George Floyd was murdered, and people were asking for changes in policing,” Malhotra said. “Policing is a part of a comprehensive strategy; it doesn’t have to be the only one.
“And to create a false binary is not only wrong — it’s dangerous,” he said.
Both Overstreet and Malhotra agreed that community engagement during the planning process of the city’s new public safety training center fell short of what it should have been.
Each of the candidates stressed the importance of the council president role in shaping policy discussion inside City Hall, and how they’d make key committee appointments.
Overstreet touts the endorsement of the mayor and many of her council colleagues, saying collaboration between all elected officials is crucial for productivity.
“It is important for you to know that I’ve been a collaborator, a consensus builder and a communicator on City Council for the entire eight years,” she said. “Those are the things that makes a president understand better who is well-suited for what.
“You can change the trajectory of a city with the wrong appointments.”
Malhotra argued the president should operate more independently from the mayor and City Council — serving first and foremost as a public advocate.
“The City Council president doesn’t report to the mayor, does not report to the council. It reports to the people,” he said. “And I think that we have to make sure that committee assignments are not exchanged for favor or are done in a way that just rubber stamps what the executive branch of government wants to do.”
Both candidates agreed the city should follow through with previous promises of installing light rail along the entire Beltline trail loop.
“I do believe that in that transportation corridor, we should absolutely explore all areas — north, south, east and west Beltline,” Overstreet said. “All 22 miles deserve for it to be a full transit corridor as it’s meant to be.”
The next council cohort will also make a decision about whether to continue to lease beds in the city’s detention center to Fulton County. The lease agreement between the two municipalities is set to expire next year, but city officials haven’t begun to plan for a withdrawal yet.
“We promised the public that this detention center would be shut down,” Malhotra said. “We could have had a center by now that is actually providing direct services to people.
“The city of Atlanta needs to get out of the jailing business, as it promised to do.”
Overstreet did not say directly if she supports an end to the lease, but stressed the importance of continued collaboration with the county.
Mayoral candidates debate alongside empty lectern
The three political hopefuls who launched challenges against incumbent Dickens criticized the first-term mayor for declining to take part in the debate.
Dickens holds significant advantages over the challengers in fundraising and name recognition.
Helmut Love Domagalski, a corporate consultant; Kalema Jackson, a former Atlanta police officer; and Eddie Andrew Meredith, a community advocate and faith leader all launched mayoral campaigns despite never having run for office.
The group was critical of the city’s lengthy infrastructure project backlog, the administration’s response to public safety training center opposition and the mayor’s feud with the city’s former inspector general, which led her to resign.
Domagalski, a Republican, said he would focus on bolstering city services and public safety efforts by expanding the city’s use of technology — particularly artificial intelligence. He called for new leadership to combat potential corruption inside City Hall.
Jackson, also a Republican, stressed the importance of bolstering the city’s police department and taking steps to combat inflation. Jackson also said the city would benefit from a leader who aligns with the Trump administration and state legislative policies.
Meredith stressed the importance of his community service background and advocated for increased investment in community programs to help curb crime and unhoused rates for neighborhoods across the city.
About the Author
Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
