Fulton Commissioners Ivory, Arrington to challenge Chair Robb Pitts
Fulton County Commissioners Mo Ivory and Marvin S. Arrington Jr. plan to challenge commission Chairman Robb Pitts in this year’s election, calling for new leadership in the seat he has held for eight years.
Pitts, who has served as an Atlanta City Council member and Fulton commissioner for a total of more than 40 years, said his experience, credibility and calm are still needed in the commission’s at-large position — and will help him bring important projects to fruition.
Ivory, by qualifying to run for chair in March, would automatically vacate the District 4 seat she has held for a little over a year. It would set the stage for a Democratic primary May 19 between her, Arrington and Pitts.
A lot of change is ahead for the Board of Commissioners.
Ivory’s run for chair would mean five of the board’s seven seats are up for grabs this year, including a special election to fill Ivory’s District 4 seat.
In addition to Ivory’s post and the chair position, Districts 1, 3 and 5 are up for reelection. Those seats are now occupied by Bridget Thorne, Dana Barrett and Arrington, respectively.
Barrett on Thursday announced she is running for Georgia secretary of state.
For the 2026 elections in Georgia, qualifying is March 2-6. Primary elections are May 19, and the general election is Nov. 3.
In an interview, Ivory said she respects Pitts’ legacy but that it also is important to “protect the future.” She said several of her priorities have been shot down by Pitts and other commissioners.
Ivory said she supports a new jail, noting she was the only commissioner to vote against the plan approved in August to renovate the Rice Street jail and build a new facility for inmates with medical or mental health issues.
Ivory, 56, said she is running for chair because “we have a crisis right now.”
“When you walk into a house that’s on fire, you don’t just sit there and not grab a hose,” said Ivory, a professor at the Georgia State University College of Law with a background as an entertainment lawyer and political consultant. “I’m stepping down to step up because people sleeping on the floor of the jail can’t wait for me to finish out my term three years from now.”
Arrington, 54, was absent from that August meeting while recovering from surgery but said he would have voted against the jail renovation plan because he also thinks a new jail is needed.
“It’s time to pass the baton to the next generation,” Arrington said, referring to Pitts. “I’m the only practicing attorney on the County Commission, so I’m the only person that truly understands the judicial system.
“And I think we’ve got to have better relationships with our other elected officials — with the sheriff, the DA, the solicitor.”
Arrington added that the Rice Street jail should be demolished and rebuilt.
“We need a whole new jail,” he said.
In an interview on Thursday, Pitts said his many years of public service and institutional knowledge are key assets as he moves forward on several projects he plans to deliver.
These include a new hospital in southern Fulton County in the next four years; two new facilities for seniors, in both north and south areas of the county; and a new commercial truck driving and logistics program in the city of South Fulton, in partnership with Atlanta Technical College.
“My fingerprints are on most things in Atlanta that are good,” he said. “I’ve seen it, been involved in it, know the history and have the energy and vision to see these projects through to their completion.”
Pitts added that he is still fit at age 84, both physically and mentally.
“I’m in the community, and the people will tell you that,” he said. “Want to compare health records of any kind? Let’s do it. Want to run a 100-yard dash? Let’s do it.”
The district races
The stage appears set for a rematch between Thorne, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Maggie Goldman, a real estate agent and chair of the board for Fulton’s Continuum of Care, a program that seeks to end homelessness in the county.
The pair faced off for the District 1 seat in 2022, with Thorne winning by 394 votes out of 72,410 cast.
In District 3, at least two people are planning to run to replace Barrett.
Lee Morris, who served as a Fulton commissioner for eight years as a Republican before losing to Barrett in 2022, said he plans to run for the seat again this year — as a Democrat.
Morris, who also has served on the Atlanta City Council, said he is switching parties because of the “breakdown of the rule of law in this country” and because Morris’ beliefs are “probably more in line with Democratic platforms.”
“The neighborhoods that I’ve represented have changed,” he added. “They were predominantly Republican. Now they’re predominantly Democratic. And I think it’s important for me to represent the folks that I represent.”
Democrat Jodi Merriday confirmed she is running for the District 3 seat. She has served as ombudsman of neighborhoods for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, ombudsman of Atlanta Public Schools and as an assistant professor and lecturer at several colleges and universities in Georgia.
“There has been a rapid decline in civility and justice under the current national administration, and Fulton deserves a true-blue Democrat who will protect our seat,” Merriday said in a statement. “I will preserve principles of democracy and restore dignity to serving everyday people.”
In District 5, South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis and Sojourner Marable Grimmett, who ran unsuccessfully for the Board of Commissioners in 2019, are running as Democrats.
Willis, who has served on South Fulton’s council since 2017, touted her legislative and policymaking experience.
“One of the main responsibilities of our county is providing health services,” Willis said Thursday. “So I’m running because I want to make sure that we feel we have the resources to fill in the gaps where the federal government would now no longer provide subsidies.
“SNAP benefits are being cut so that now our county is going to face food insecurity more than ever,” she said, adding that she has worked to address food insecurity in South Fulton.
Grimmett has worked for Fulton as director of constituent services for John Eaves when he was chair of the Board of Commissioners. She now works in marketing and communications for a nonprofit that finds college scholarships for children in underserved communities.
“I am a communicator, connector and collaborator,” Grimmett said Thursday. “I’m a Democrat who can work with Republicans in order to get things done.”
About the Author
Reed Williams is an enterprise reporter on the Local team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
