Bill Edwards has long been considered the mayor of south Fulton. Saturday, he makes it official.

Edwards will become the inaugural mayor of the new city when he’s sworn in this week. A former county commissioner, it won’t be the first time he’s in a position of leadership in the area.

This year, he won a runoff election for mayor of the new city of 100,000 after failing to earn more than half the vote in a nine-person race. He’s the only leader of the new city who’s held elected office before.

“Being away and looking back, it has made me a different Bill Edwards,” he said. “This guy is a little different than the guy who was Commissioner Edwards. …It’s been great years of learning for me.”

To read more about how Edwards thinks he changed — and his plans for the new city — click here.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Constituent Services Director Vesna Kurspahic helps a student with his service academy application at U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s office in Cumming, Ga., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Kurspahic is constituent services director for Congressman Rich McCormick. During the government shutdown, she is handling a caseload of roughly 250 requests without receiving any salary. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com