The Cherokee County city where metro Atlanta meets north Georgia will soon have a new mayor, but this familiar face around Canton is no stranger to politics.
Bill Grant will begin his first term when he takes the oath of office at 6 p.m. Jan 2, before the City Council meeting. Grant was elected with 75 percent of the vote, defeating challenger Dwight Pullen by more than 1,200 votes.
Grant was first elected to the City Council in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. He resigned from the City Council in August to run for the office of mayor. Despite having the name recognition, the founder and owner of branding and marketing company Grant Design Collaborative said he did not expect to win the race, particularly with such a wide margin.
“You never know, and I never took one vote for granted,” he said. “It confirmed that the citizens really wanted the direction I see for Canton.”
Grant’s election for mayor is also historic for the city, a former cotton mill town transformed by suburban residential growth and commercial development. He is the city’s first openly gay elected official.
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The 57-year-old Dalton native said he’s always been open and honest about his sexuality, and said he’s “always felt welcome” in Canton. When he first ran for the City Council in 2011, he said he faced some pushback by a few people. While he’s also faced random, disparaging remarks, Grant said his two elections to the City Council and his win as mayor proves people are “judging me by my work and my heart.”
“It’s not something I hide,” he said. “Canton is very open-minded. They don’t care as long as you do what you say you’re going to do.”
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, an advocacy organization for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, said Grant’s win as mayor signals that more Georgia voters are recognizing that “someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not a deciding factor in voting for the best people.”
Once he’s sworn into office, Grant said he wants to get the ball rolling on creating a long-term plan on how Canton will grow over the next few decades. This will involve the city addressing the future of zoning, housing, infrastructure and transportation. He also said he wants to make progress on the project to expand the city’s Waste Water Treatment Plant, which will allow the city to treat more water as its population grows.
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Grant also said he’s interested in talking with the City Council about introducing an anti-discrimination ordinance, which has been adopted in other cities around metro Atlanta. He also said he’d like to create a diversity task force that would encourage a variety of people to get involved with the city, including teenagers and young adults.
Like most of metro Atlanta, Canton is learning how to address the growth while maintaining the quality of life residents have come to expect local governments provide. Canton has not grown as fast as other metro Atlanta cities, and has held on to its small-town charm for a little longer, Grant said.
For example, the city's downtown features popular businesses and restaurants, but it's also a place where people gather for the Farmers Market, First Friday events and other festivals. Canton has also been a proponent of incorporating historic buildings into its landscape. The city in 2018 purchased the historic Canton High School from the Cherokee County School Board to use for its City Hall.
It used the former First Baptist Church of Canton as its City Hall for more than 10 years before moving into the historic high school building. The old church building is now home to the city's police department and municipal court. in 2017, it acquired the former Jones mercantile building on East Main Street from the county to renovate and put on the market for use.
“I really feel like Canton has been able to maintain that character and authenticity really more so than our neighbors in the north metro region,” he said.
One Canton resident, Carmen Slaughter, who has known Grant for about 10 years, said she’d like to see the mayor shift the city’s attention towards efforts to revitalize the southern part of the city, which stretches on Marietta Highway between I-575 to Waleska Street. That area, which she describes as a “gold mine” of small businesses, is in need of more attractions that will draw families to that part of the city.
“I would love to see the some of the energy directed into downtown to ebb and flow into south as well as north Canton,” she said.
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Grant will succeed outgoing Mayor Gene Hobgood, who also has a long history in Cherokee County politics. Hobgood was elected twice as Cherokee’s tax commissioner and sole county commissioner. Hobgood, who has been mayor since 2008, said he believes Grant will do a good job as mayor.
“He’s a very smart individual, and he’s very thoughtful,” he said. “I think he has a great vision for this city.”
Grant has lived in Canton for more than 20 years. He married his longtime partner, Jeff, in 2017. He’s a founding member and former president of the Canton Main Street program, which advocates for a successful and vibrant downtown.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Grant is also the former president of the Cherokee Arts Center and is a member of the Cherokee County Historical Society and Upper Etowah River Alliance. He’s also a supporter of the Service League of Cherokee County, Cherokee Family Violence Center and the Goshen Valley Ranch. Grant is the former national president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
Grant said he’s looking forward to serving residents in a city he said is “ideally located” between the north Georgia mountains and the heart of Atlanta.
“The people are really what make Canton very special,” he said. “It makes me proud to know that I’ll be representing them.”
Who is Bill Grant?
Age: 57
Birth place: Dalton
Spouse: Jeff Brown
Occupation: owner, Grant Design Collaborative
Education: graduated in 1984 from Berry College with bachelor’s degree in English and psychology
Public service: first elected to City Council in 2013; re-elected in 2017.
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