A Mableton resident has launched a campaign to make history as Cobb’s first Latino county commissioner.
Edwin Mendez is seeking the commission’s District 4 seat currently held by Lisa Cupid, who is challenging incumbent Mike Boyce in his re-election as commission chair.
Mendez, 25, who plans to qualify as a Democrat, said he is running because as the county continues to grow and diversity, “we must invite our community to have a seat at the table.”
“Together with the community, I am looking to push forward new ideas about how we can invest in the people of District 4 who are continuously left behind as other parts of Cobb County benefit,” he said.
The District 4 seat covers south and southwest Cobb, and includes the areas of Mableton, Smryna, Powder Springs and Austell.
Mendez, a lifelong Cobb resident, is the son of Mexican immigrants, and said he has first-hand knowledge about the contribution of immigrants to Cobb County.
“I believe that if together we can pull more people into the decision-making process at the county level, then we can achieve these policy priorities and our county can be truly successful for the folks we have left behind,” he added.
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As part of his platform, Mendez wants to eliminate the use of the federal 287(g) program in Cobb. The program allows participating law enforcement agencies to investigate the immigration status of detained individuals they suspect of being in the country illegally.
He also said he’ll advocate for a $15 an hour minimum wage, public accountability for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, accessible transportation options and advocate for the creation of a Human Rights Commission that would protect Cobb residents from discrimination and harassment.
Mendez studied political science at Georgia State University and graduated in 2017. While attending college, he was an intern with the House Judiciary Committee at the Georgia General Assembly. He was a youth minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Smyrna and co-founded La Gente de Cobb, a Latino grassroots civic organization.
Mendez lives in Mableton with his wife, Sandra. You can learn more about him by visiting the Facebook page for his campaign. The primary election for the District 4 race will be held May 19, 2020. The final day to register to vote in the race is April 20, 2020.
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