Longtime Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts is headed to runoff

Robb Pitts, who has been chairman of the Fulton County Commission since 2017, appears headed for a June 16 runoff election against former Commissioner Mo Ivory, who gave up her seat on the commission earlier this year to mount a campaign against the longtime politician.

Pitts, 84, has served in various elected leadership roles — including serving two decades on the Atlanta City Council. He also has served as Atlanta council president and as a Fulton commissioner.

Ivory, who held the District 4 commission seat for just over a year when she stepped down, appeared to garner about 8,100 more votes than Pitts in unofficial results from Tuesday’s Democratic primary election, with 435 out of 437 precincts reporting. Fulton Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr. placed third.

“I’m very pleased with the results,” Ivory said in an interview early Wednesday morning. “I think it shows my campaign has resonated across Fulton County and people are ready for a change.”

In a statement, Pitts said he was pleased with the support he received and looks forward to “continuing the debate about why steady, experienced leadership best suits Fulton County for the challenged ahead.”

Arrington could not be reached for comment.

Regardless of who wins races in Fulton County this year, its Board of Commissioners will have a new look in 2027.

People wait in line to vote at the Buckhead Library on election day Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Atlanta. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

With Arrington and Ivory challenging Pitts for chair, and Commissioner Dana Barrett running for secretary of state, the Fulton Commission seats in Districts 1, 3 and 5 are up for grabs.

In District 5, former South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis was leading and appeared headed to a runoff against fellow Democrat Sojourner M. Grimmett, who works in marketing, communications and community outreach.

Willis, reached by phone early Wednesday, said she is running on her experience.

“I have a proven record,” she said. “I am just going to work harder and ask my voters to come back one more time.”

Grimmett said she is excited to go into the runoff.

“I’m honored by every vote and grateful for the trust this community has placed in me,” she said. “As a community advocate and someone many have called the People’s Commissioner, I look forward to continuing this journey with integrity, purpose and a deep commitment to the people we serve.”

The winner of the runoff will face Tiffany Henyard, a lifelong Democrat who is running as a Republican. Henyard moved to Union City last year, leaving behind a litany of controversies from her term as mayor of Dolton, Illinois.

In District 3, Lee Morris was leading and headed for a runoff with fellow Democrat Jodi Merriday. Morris is running as a Democrat after serving as a Republican Fulton commissioner for eight years, before losing to Barrett in 2022.

People wait in line to vote at the Buckhead Library on election day on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Atlanta. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

“It’s always great to win without a runoff,” Morris said. “But I was grateful to the voters.”

He added: “I’ll stand on my experience.”

In an email, Merriday pointed out Morris switched parties in the heavily Democratic county.

“The Democratic choice is clear,” said Merriday, who 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.

“I am the only true Democrat remaining in this primary race.”

Tuesday’s two-way Republican contest for the District 3 seat on the Fulton Commission was won by retiree Paul Burton.

In District 1, the stage is set for a rematch in the November general election between Bridget Thorne, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Maggie Goldman.

DeKalb County

In DeKalb County, incumbent LaDena Bolton won a three-way Democratic contest, meaning she will keep her seat in District 7, one of two “super districts” that divide the county in half. No Republicans entered the race.

Bolton thanked the community for its support, adding that people “know what good leadership looks like.”

“I’m on top of the world,” she said.

Nicole Massiah, the other Democratic incumbent on the DeKalb Commission, appeared to be headed for a runoff with Keyanna Jones Moore, an environmental policy aide, in District 3.

Business owner Andrea Bass Smith, a Republican, also is running for the District 3 seat.

Cobb, Gwinnett counties

Among the competitive primary races on Tuesday, both incumbents running for reelection on the Cobb County Commission appeared to easily win their Republican contests.

In District 1, Keli Gambrill’s apparent victory over Clark Hungerford means she will serve a third consecutive term on the commission, given there is no Democratic challenger.

In District 3, incumbent JoAnn K. Birrell appears to have defeated Republican Chris Wasserman on Tuesday, meaning she will face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.