Primarily decided: May 19 election likely conclusive in some local races

Early voting began Monday in Georgia, and for several county commission races the May 19 primary election, or the June runoff, will likely be decisive.

In metro Atlanta, the primary will decide a couple of races, including the three-way Democratic contest in DeKalb County’s District 7, which is one of two “super districts” that divide the county in half. The primary will also determine Cobb County’s District 1 commissioner, where two Republicans face off.

In other races, the primary is especially important because the winners will emerge with an edge in the Nov. 3 general election, even though they will still face a candidate from the opposing party.

For instance, three Democrats are running in the primary for chair of the Fulton County Commission. They are incumbent Robb Pitts, Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr. and Mo Ivory, who vacated her District 4 commission seat in March to run for chair. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican attorney Eric Tatum in the November general election.

But a Republican has not served as the county chair for more than two decades, since Karen Handel won a special election in 2003 to replace Republican Mike Kenn.

(From left) Former Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory, Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr. and incumbent Robb Pitts will square off in the May 19 Democratic primary for chair of the Fulton Board of Commissioners. (AJC FILE)

Arrington said it’s possible for a Republican to be elected chair in Fulton County, but unlikely.

“The county is 70% Democratic, so I think it will be an uphill battle for him,” Arrington said of Tatum.

Ivory said she thinks the race will be decided in the primary but said she takes Tatum seriously.

“I do think it will be decided in the primary, and then I will show up as strong again in November,” Ivory said.

Pitts could not be reached for comment.

Tatum, 40, who lives in Milton, said he would not be running if he thought it was impossible to win.

“I certainly agree that the numbers would indicate that it’s an uphill battle to climb,” said Tatum, who described himself as “a follower of Jesus first” who is married with four daughters. “However, I think that what Fulton County needs more than ever is a unifier.”

Of the three Democrats in the race, Tatum said, “They all bring very different ideas and very different personalities and kind of mentalities to the position.

“It’s a very interesting race.”

DeKalb’s District 7

In DeKalb’s District 7 commission race, incumbent LaDena Bolton faces Jacqueline Adams and Oneka Willabus in the Democratic primary. No Republican is running.

Bolton, 41, has worked as a chemist for The Coca-Cola Co. and as a forensic chemist for the U.S. Army.

Elected in December 2024, Bolton said the Board of Commissioners has made significant progress on issues including paving the way for a countywide infrastructure overhaul, which involves increasing water and sewer rates as part of a decade-long series of increases.

“That set the tone for what we would do for the remainder of the year, both as a governing authority and then some of the things that we did individually in my district office,” Bolton said, noting her office is starting a youth aviation program.

She said the momentum of progress will be slowed if she is replaced.

“I know that transitioning anyone else in would ultimately put us behind the curve two to four years, because they will have to take time to get acclimated to understanding, first, how DeKalb County government works, but secondly, being able to operate at the speed that we’re going now, which feels like the speed of light.”

Her challengers disagree.

Adams, 58, said she’s running because she doesn’t see anything getting done.

“I’ve raised my children here, I have my family, I have six children and I have 13 grandchildren,” Adams said. “And so my life is here. I have my businesses here in DeKalb County. So it’s not just something to do.”

Adams said many families are struggling in DeKalb.

“You’ve got the pothole, damaging your cars and we’re not feeling prioritized, and the leadership is not performing,” Adams said. “So I want to be there to step up to the plate, and I’m focused on accountability.”

Adams, who lost to Bolton in the 2024 runoff, owns a hair salon and a consulting company and founded a nonprofit that mentors young people. She said she also restored a dilapidated building in Redan where she rents out space for events and offices.

Adams said DeKalb was thriving and vibrant when she moved there from the city of Atlanta about 35 years ago.

“Now it looks like a ghost town,” said Adams, who lives in the Stone Mountain area. “A lot of businesses are closing.”

Willabus, 48, who lives in south DeKalb and grew up there, said the water infrastructure is old and some roads aren’t paved often enough or don’t have lines marking the lanes. She also sees a lot of underused buildings in DeKalb that could be repurposed for affordable housing or small businesses.

“Driving around, looking around, walking around, it’s not like it was when I was in high school,” Willabus said of south DeKalb. “And when I speak to a lot of my friends that I was in high school with, none of them moved back to south DeKalb.”

“It’s very unnerving that we kind of look like we do, compared to other parts of DeKalb,” she added.

She said the county’s elected officials make promises “and it looks like nothing is ever done.”

She said it’s time for her to step up.

“You know what, I don’t like to be in the limelight,” she said. “I’m not a public speaker, but I need to do this.”

Willabus owns a salon that operates out of her home. She is a vegan and has cowritten two books.

A certified mediator, Willabus was chief of staff for Democratic state Rep. Imani Barnes, and now volunteers for Necessary Trouble, a grassroots organization that works to grow Democracy and foster “hope and change” in Georgia.

One hot topic in DeKalb is how the county would regulate data centers. All three candidates said they do not support campus-sized facilities in the county.

Cobb’s District 1

The Cobb County Commission race in District 1 will be decided in the Republican primary.

In that contest, incumbent Keli Gambrill is running against Clark Hungerford, chair of the Development Authority of Cobb County.

Incumbent Keli Gambrill (left) is running against Clark Hungerford, chair of the Development Authority of Cobb County, for the District 1 seat on the Cobb County Board of Commissioners. (Courtesy)

Gambrill, 56, is seeking a third consecutive term on the commission.

“I’m running because my constituents asked me to continue my representation because they found that I’ve been fair, honest, open and transparent, and that I have worked with the community to bring appropriate growth and development to the area,” Gambrill said. “And they have liked how I have conducted myself over the past eight years.”

She added: “I’ve pretty much been a politician that has done what she said she would do, which is hard to find these days.”

Hungerford, 73, said he retired in 2022 after 47 years in the banking industry.

“I’m running because there is nobody with business experience on the commission,” Hungerford said. “I have a wealth of successful banking and business experience. And I want to make that available to the county because we have a $1.2 billion budget each year, and we need to apply some business principles to the operations of the county.”

Fulton’s District 5

In another primary to watch, four Democrats will square off to replace Arrington in District 5 in south Fulton County.