Roswell, South Fulton select new mayors in runoff election
Mary Robichaux, a former Georgia state representative, appears to have unseated Kurt Wilson as Roswell mayor on Tuesday in one of more than a dozen runoff elections across metro Atlanta.
Robichaux’s victory comes after an election season punctuated by some loud voices of dissatisfaction with Roswell’s leadership. Reached by phone on Tuesday night, she said Wilson called her to concede and offered to help with the transition.
“Close to 18,000 (people) voted in this one runoff election for Roswell,” Robichaux said. “That’s a high number. I’m very proud of Roswellians — that they came out and voted and had their voices heard.”
On Tuesday, runoff elections were held to settle local contests across 30 counties in Georgia. Runoffs were held between the top two candidates in races where no one captured the majority of votes in the Nov. 4 election.
They settled several races for the city council and the school board in the city of Atlanta, along with mayoral contests in South Fulton, Sandy Springs and East Point, as well as Roswell.
In the South Fulton mayor’s race, City Council member Carmalitha Gumbs appeared to win handily against former council member Mark Baker in a runoff after they emerged from a nine-way contest.
She will replace incumbent khalid “Kobi” kamau, who was the subject of intense criticism over his spending of taxpayer dollars and international travel.
“The voters have spoken, and I’m excited for South Fulton’s future,” Gumbs said in an interview late Tuesday night. “I’m ready to get to work healing and uniting this city and getting the things we’ve been waiting for and moving this city forward.”
In Sandy Springs, incumbent Rusty Paul held onto his seat, capturing more than twice as many votes as his opponent, communications strategist Dontaye Carter, according to unofficial results.
In East Point, Keisha Chapman appeared to easily beat Joshua B. Butler IV in the mayor’s race.
And there are two new city council members in the city of Atlanta.
Thomas Worthy, a chief public policy officer at Piedmont Healthcare and a MARTA board member, appeared to defeat Thad Flowers in the District 7 council race. In the District 11 council contest, Wayne Martin appeared to beat Nate Jester. Martin is a former community coordinator for an at-large City Council post and has served in leadership roles at the Atlanta Housing Authority and Atlanta Public Schools.
Three spots on the Atlanta school board were on the ballot Tuesday. In the District 2 race, Mozley Park resident Tony Mitchell appeared to easily beat parent Marlissa Crawford.
In the District 6 race, school counselor Patreece Hutcherson appeared to unseat incumbent Tolton R. Pace. And in the race for the at-large District 8 seat on the board, educator Kaycee Brock appeared to beat 23-year-old Royce Mann.
During the race for Roswell mayor, Robichaux and many other residents expressed unhappiness with the direction of the current administration. Robichaux said Wilson and the city council were making decisions without enough community input and failing to be transparent about the city’s spending.
In a letter made public in August, 21 former elected officials called on Wilson and council members to pause development at Mimosa Hall & Gardens until an independent review and a “formal historical impact assessment” could be done with input from preservation experts.
The removal of trees outside the antebellum property — which is the site of a redevelopment project meant to connect green spaces — prompted an outcry in June.
Here are some other unofficial results in runoffs for city council seats in metro Atlanta:
- In South Fulton, incumbent Jaceey Sebastian appeared to have clung to his District 4 seat by a razor-thin margin against Kenya Jordan Moore. And in District 2, Aaron Johnson appeared to have won against Stephanie G. Johnson.
- In Sandy Springs, Frank Roberts appeared to beat Michelle Sullivan in District 4.
- In Stonecrest, Karmesha Washington Smith appeared to beat incumbent Tammy L. Grimes in a close race for the District 5 seat.
- In Marietta, Daniel Gaddis appeared to easily beat Nora Gaudet in the council race in Ward 3. And in Ward 5, incumbent Carlyle Kent appeared to trounce Reggie Copeland, getting more than four times as many votes.
— Education Editor Eric Stirgus contributed to this story.
About the Author
Reed Williams is an enterprise reporter on the Local team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
