Maybe two political seasons are shaping up this fall — the one up in Washington, and the one down here.

Across metro Atlanta scores of non-partisan candidates will run for office in municipal elections in November. Based on conversations with a few last week, they won’t be arguing ideology.

They’ll be talking the unsexy talk of millage rates, zoning, development, public safety and garbage pickup. Sure, voters are frustrated with government, said Paul Moore, who is trying for the second time to unseat Powder Springs Mayor Pat Vaughn.

“But it has nothing to do with what is going on in Washington, not in this small town,” Moore said. “People want to know what local government can do to help with jobs, growth, this economy. And they want transparency.”

In Monday's newspaper, the AJC talks to a few candidates across metro Atlanta to see what made them want to run for office now and what they hope to change. It's a story you'll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper's iPad app. Subscribe today.

About the Author

Keep Reading

With the closure of the labor and delivery unit in St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, expectant mothers will instead be directed to deliver at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, about 45 miles away.  (Photo Illustration / Getty Images)

Credit: Getty Images

Featured

Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com