Over the past two months a common refrain from Avondale Estates residents went something like this: “We have to get this election over with—it’s not good for the city.”
The reference was to the city’s mayoral race, won decisively last week by incumbent Jonathan Elmore over former City Manager Clai Brown. The Nov. 5 election ended weeks of bickering between supporters of the two candidates on social media and in person.
In the end, Brown apparently couldn’t overcome the generous severance package he was awarded (though it was later greatly reduced) after he resigned as manager in Dec. 2017. A July 9 AJC article also pointed out he was criticized by the Director of Member Services and Ethics for the Washington DC-based International City/County Management Association, who pointed out the extreme rarity of a former city manager running for mayor in the city he served.
It’s also possible that Brown, particularly with newer residents, was associated with the city’s past—his father was city manager for 46 years dating back to the 1950s. Meantime Elmore has proven to be an aggressively pro-growth mayor since he was initially elected in March 2015.
Elmore totaled 921 votes (57.31 percent) to Brown’s 683 (42.5 percent)
Avondale Estates also elected newcomer Dee Merriam to its Board of Mayor and Commissioners and re-elected Mayor Pro Tem Brian Fisher, initially elected in Nov. 2015. The final count, with the top two candidates winning seats:
Merriam 947 (32.38 percent); Fisher 790 (27.01 percent); Candace Jones 634 (21.68 percent); Marguerite Belline 550 (18.8 percent).
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