Mo Ivory unseats Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts

Former Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory appeared to win the Democratic primary runoff election for chair of the Board of Commissioners, handily leading incumbent Robb Pitts.

Ivory captured about 66% of the votes, according to unofficial results. Pitts has been a fixture in local politics for more than 40 years, serving on the Atlanta City Council and as city council president before winning seats on the Fulton County Commission.

Ivory, 57, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she was grateful the voters elected her overwhelmingly to be “the new generation of leadership” in Fulton County.

“I just promise to serve in the way that I ran, which is with transparency, accountability and to work on the problems that Fulton has been facing for decades, which is what I’ve been saying the whole entire time: fix the jail, fund the courts, build hospitals and protect elections.”

Pitts could not be reached for comment.

The heated contest was one of three Democratic primary battles for Fulton Commission seats that were decided Tuesday, and an incumbent on the DeKalb County Commission was beaten handily.

During the campaign for Fulton chair, Ivory said she respected Pitts’ legacy but that residents were ready for change. Pitts, 84, has been chair since 2017.

Pitts argued he should keep his seat because the county needs experience and steady leadership.

Before she became a commissioner, Ivory worked for years behind the scenes as a political consultant for campaigns, using her background as an entertainment lawyer and radio personality to bring out celebrities and influencers to support her candidates.

A Grant Park resident and professor at the Georgia State University College of Law, Ivory ran unsuccessfully for Atlanta City Council in 2017.

With Tuesday’s win, Ivory will face Eric Tatum, a Republican attorney running for the at-large seat in a Democratic-leaning county, in the November general election.

Other Fulton races

In the Democratic contest for the District 3 seat on the Fulton Commission, Jodi Merriday appeared to beat Lee Morris, capturing about 58% of the votes, according to unofficial results. Morris served as a Fulton commissioner for eight years as a Republican before losing in 2022.

With Morris running as a Democrat this year, Merriday pitched herself as the only true Democrat left in the race. She has served as an 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.

Republican retiree Paul Burton also is running for the District 3 seat.

In District 5, former South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis appeared to win against Sojourner M. Grimmett, capturing about 57% of votes, according to the unofficial tallies.

Willis says she plans to bring the cities in District 5 the services they need related to healthcare, libraries and the justice system.

“I look forward to meeting my opponent in November, and I appreciate the trust and the confidence that the residents have placed in me to represent them as the Democratic nominee,” she told the AJC.

In November, Willis 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.

DeKalb incumbent unseated

In the Democratic contest for the DeKalb County Commission’s District 3 seat, Keyanna Jones Moore, an environmental policy consultant and community organizer, captured 61% of the vote to defeat incumbent Nicole Massiah, according to unofficial results.

On Tuesday night, Jones Moore called her victory “a win for the people of south DeKalb District 3.”