Local governments handle the roads you drive on every day, development in your neighborhood and whether or not you can have backyard chickens. Atlanta’s next big local election takes place this November, when there will be changeover in both the mayoral office and its city council. Each of the 12 city council districts has someone running, and there are three at-large posts up for grabs as well.
But when you live in a city like Atlanta, where there are dozens of neighborhoods and 26 neighborhood planning units, the boundaries of which don’t always line up with those of city council districts, how do you know who you can vote for?
Georgia Voice delved into the latest campaign disclosures of candidates for each of the districts, and clarifies which is yours.
Numbers shown here were pulled from campaign contribution disclosure reports submitted between June 28 and July 15. Use the CTRL+ on your PC or Command+ keys on your Mac to zoom in on maps.
District 1
Atlanta’s District 1 includes Baywood, Benteen Park, Boulevard Heights, Browns Mill Park, Custer/McDonough/Guice, Chosewood Park, Grant Park, Lakewood, Lakewood Heights, Leila Valley, Mechanicsville, Norwood Manor, Ormewood Park, Peoplestown, Rebel Valley Forest, South Atlanta, State Facility, Summerhill, Swallow Circle, Thomasville Heights, Villages at Carver and Woodland Hills. The district is represented by Councilwoman Carla Smith, who is running for re-election.
Smith has four challengers for her spot, including openly gay candidate Bill Powell.
Rontaverous Aribo
$17,807.88 received
$9,573.56 on hand
Mo Ivory
$85,827 received
$61,241.41 on hand
William “Bill” Powell *
No contributions reported
Carla Ann Smith
$35,230.19 received
$26,494.67 on hand
Tanya Washington
$12,831.34 received
$7,242.65 on hand
Mayoral candidate Kwanza Hall represents District 2 right now, which includes Atlantic Station, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, Georgia Tech, Inman Park, Marietta Street Artery, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Poncey-Highland and Summerhill.
Consultant and community activist Amir Farokhi raised more than $125,000 so far, and small business owner Lauren Welsh close to $100,000.<
Amir Farokhi
$125,228 received
$85,889.83 on hand
Stephon Ferguson
$11,667 received
$2,616 on hand
Zelda Laverne Jackson
$125 received
$7.27 on hand
Nicholas Mulkey
$2,621 received
No balance on hand
Lauren Welsh
$94,972 received
$71,347.84 on hand
Ivory Lee Young Jr. was first elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2001, and this year he plans to continue his leadership. If elected, he’ll continue to represent Atlanta University Center, Atlantic Station, Bankhead, Center Hill, Dixie Hills, Downtown, English Avenue, Grove Park, Home Park, Hunter Hills, Knight Park/Howell Station, Marietta Street Artery, Mozley Park, Penelope Neighbors, Washington Park, Vine City and West Lake.
Young raised more than $30,000 in his campaign so far, but challenger Greg Clay put nearly $60,000 in his coffers thus far.
Ricky Brown
$5,720 received
$353.10 on hand
Greg Clay
$58,416.29 received
$27,408.83 on hand
Darrion Kenneth Fletcher
No contributions reported
Ivory Lee Young Jr.
$31,262.50 received
$17,470.50 on hand
District 4 is represented these days by Cleta Winslow. Winslow is running for re-election in November, but has not reported any monetary donations — just in-kind. Jason Dozier, who lives in the Mechanicsville neighborhood, raised the most so far in 4.
This district encompasses Adair Park, Ashview Heights, Atlanta University Center, Bush Mountain, Cascade Mountain/Road, Harris Chiles, Just Us, Mechanicsville, Mozley Park, Oakland City, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Venetian Hills, Villages at Castleberry Hill, West End and Westview.
Mr. Adassa
$13,772.14 received
$11,869 on hand
Christopher DeAndre Brown
$1,566.01 received
$37.46 on hand
Daniel Alanda Burroughs
$1,900 received
No balance on hand
Steven Chatman
$210 received
No balance on hand
Jason Dozier
$63,347.04 received
$41,792.75 on hand
Nicholas Hess
$9,115 received
$7,210 on hand
Kimberly Parmer
$12,928 received
$12,568.13 on hand
Jonathan Whitfield
$75 received
No balance on hand
Elizabeth Whitmore
$1,180 received
$605 on hand
Sister DeBorah Williams
No balance on hand
Cleta Winslow
No expenses reported
Natalyn Mosby Archibong is running for her fifth term, but openly LGBT candidate Liliana Bakhtiari is hot on her heels. Bakhtiari disclosed campaign contributions of just shy of $30 less than Archibong as of the July filing.
If elected, Bakhtiari would be over the Cabbagetown, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, East Atlanta, East Lake, Edgewood, Grant Park, Kirkwood, Lake Clair, Oakland, Ormewood Park, Reynoldstown and Villages at East Lake neighborhoods.
Natalyn Mosby Archibong
$60,459 received
No balance on hand
Liliana Bakhtiari
$60,429.44 received
$55,509.44 on hand
David Brown
$2,960 received
$1,543.92 on hand
District 6 will have new representation after this election, as longtime Councilman Alex Wan seeks higher office. Two LGBT individuals seek to fill the seat of openly gay Wan — Kirk Rich and Lock Whiteside. Rich raised about $96,000 so far, the most of 6th candidates, but is followed by lawyer Jennifer Ide. Whiteside disclosed $245 in monetary campaign contributions thus far.
This district includes Ansley Park, Atkins Park, Candler Park, Druid Hills, Linridge/Martin Manor, Midtown, Morningside/Lenox Park, Piedmont Heights, Sherwood Forest and Virginia Highland.
Tracey Austin
$8,200 received
$6,208.74 on hand
Jennifer Ide
$80,599 received
$53,783 on hand
Kirk Rich*
$95,764 received
$78,066.76 on hand
Lock Whiteside*
$245 received
No balance on hand
Charles Howard Shook is running unopposed to retain his seat. His district includes Brookhaven, Brookwood Hills, Buckhead Forest, Buckhead Village, East Chastain Park, Garden Hills, Lenox, Lindbergh/Morosgo, North Buckhead, Peachtree Heights East, Peachtree Hills, Peachtree Park and Ridgedale Park.
Charles Howard Shook
$180,797.50 received
$83,775.18 on hand
Incumbent Yolanda Adrean has some competition — Buckhead businessman John Paul Matzigkeit. Adrean raised more than $65,000 this election cycle and Matzigkeit just over $31,000.
Their district encompasses Arden/Habersham, Ardmore,Argonne Forest, Berkeley Park, Brandon, Brookwood, Castlewood, Channing Valley, Chastain
Park, Collier Hills, Collier Hills North, Colonial Homes, Kingswood, Loring Heights Margaret Mitchell, Memorial Park, Mt.Paran/Northside, Mt. Paran Parkway, Paces, Peachtree Battle Alliance, Peachtree Heights West, Pleasant Hill, Randall Mill, South Tuxedo Park, Springlake, Tuxedo Park, West Paces Ferry/Northside, Whitewater Creek, Wildwood, Woodfield and Wyngate.
Yolanda Adrean
$65,894 received<
$20,342.45 on hand
John Paul Matzigkeit
$31,250.16 received
$16,627.73 on hand
Dustin Hillis looks to be a strong contender for the next council member representing District 9 — the other candidates did not disclose any campaign contributions.
District 9 includes Almond Park, Atlanta Industrial Park, Bankhead/Bolton, Blandtown, Bolton, Bolton Hills, Brookview Heights, Carey Park, Carver Hills, Center Hill, Chattahoochee, Collier Heights, Cross Creek, English Park, Grove Park, Fernleaf, Hanover West, Hills Park, Lincoln Homes, Monroe Heights, Ridgewood Heights, Riverside, Rockdale, Scotts Crossing, Underwood Hills, West Highlands, Westover Plantation and Whittier Mill Village.
William Harrison
No contributions reported
Dustin Hillis
$10,523.87 received
$29,480.13 on hand
Gabriel Primary Lavine
No contributions reported
Jared Samples
No contributions reported
Right now, candidate Kenneth Hill leads in fundraising totals. District 10 is made up of Adamsville, Audobon Forest, Audobon Forest West, Baker Hills, Bakers Ferry, Bankhead Courts, Boulder Park, Carroll Heights, Cascade Avenue/Road, Chalet Woods, Collier Heights, East Ardley Road, Fairburn Road/Wisteria Lane, Fairburn Mays, Florida Heights, Green Acres Valley, Green Forest Acres, Harland Terrace, Ivan Hill, Mays, Oakcliff, Old Gordon, Peyton Forest, Ridgecrest Forest, Westhaven, West Manor, Westview, Wildwood, Wilson Mill Meadows and Wisteria Gardens.
Jan-Gregory DAguiar
$364 received
No balance on hand
Kenneth Hill
$32,077.08 received
$7,414.82 on hand
Erika Yvette Mitchell
$3,435.45 received
$317 on hand
Beverly Rice
$3,464 received
$77.98 on hand
One of seven newcomers will take over for Keisha Lance-Bottoms. Leading the fundraising right now is Marci Overstreet.
Their district has a slew of Atlanta neighborhoods: Adams Park, Arlington Estates, Ashley Courts, Beecher Hills, Ben Hill neighborhoods, Brentwood, Briar Glen, Butner/Tell, Campbellton Road, Cascade Avenue/Road, Cascade Green, Cascade Heights, Deerwood, Elmco Estates, Fairburn, Fairburn Tell, Fairway Acres, Fort Valley, Greenbriar, Greenbriar Village, Green Forest Acres, Heritage Valley, Huntington, Kings Forest, Lake Estates, Laurens Valley, Magnum Manor, Meadowbrook Forest, Mellwood, Midwest Cascade, Mt. Gilead Woods, Niskey Cove, Niskey Lake, Old Fairburn Village, Pamond Park, Princeton Lakes, Regency Trace, Rue Royal, Sandlewood Estates, Southwest, Tampa Park, Venetian Hills, Westwood Terrace and Wildwood Forest.
Harold Hardnett
$15,015.11 received
$13,324.45 on hand
LaTarsha DeShon Holden
$95 received
No balance on hand
Anthony Johnson
$20,298 received
$2,124.63 on hand
Edith Marie Ladipo
$550 received
$472.98 on hand
Brionte McCorkle
$19,667 received
$10,078.53 on hand
Marci Overstreet
$46,297.65 received
$30,610.40 on hand
Dr. Georgianne Thomas
$4,008.28 received
No balance on hand
Joyce Sheperd raised more than $100,000 already to represent District 12 for a fifth term. She’s got four challengers, but none are quite at that level yet.
Their district represents Amal Heights, Betmar LaVilla, Blair Villa/Poole Creek, Browns Mill Park, Capitol View, Capitol View Manor, Fort McPherson, Glenrose Heights, Hammond Park, High Point, Joyland, Lakewood Heights, Oakland City, Orchard Knob, Perkerson, Polar Rock, Rosedale Heights, South River Gardens, Swallow Circle/Baywood, Sylvan Hills and Venetian Hills.
Randy Gibbs
$21,913.92 received
$7,746.72 on hand
Michael Jackson<
No contributions reported
Antonio Lewis
No contributions reported
Joyce Sheperd
$106,769 received
$28,058.67 on hand
Diana Watley
$8,818.95 received
$7,942.89 on hand
At-Large Posts
In addition to the 12 districts, the Atlanta City Council has three at-large posts, right now represented by Michael Bond, mayoral candidate Mary Norwood and Andre Dickens. Both Bond and Dickens look to maintain their positions, but only Dickens is running unopposed. In fact, candidate Courtney English has almost $100,000 more than Bond raised in hopes of replacing him. Matt Stephens Westmoreland received more than $140,000 in his race to win Norwood’s vacated spot.
At-large post 1
Michael Bond
$37,592 received
$18,357.69 on hand
Courtney English
$134,873.90 received
$94,366.21 on hand
Anthony Green
No contributions reported
At-large post 2
Christopher Lynn Martin
No contributions reported
Cory Ruth
$53,651 received
$5,134.64 on hand
Matt Stephens Westmoreland
$146,039 received
$136,352.80 on hand
At-large post 3
Andre Dickens
$143,359.48 received
$74,996.24 on hand
Council president
What would it be like if Atlanta had a gay mayor and a gay city council president? It’s a definite possibility, as Wan has the most dollars in so far to lead the council, and out mayoral candidate Cathy Woolard isn’t broke either. Laban King is also an openly LGBT mayoral candidate.
Fellow council members Clarence Martin and Felicia Moore are in the running against Wan. All Atlantans, regardless of which neighborhood they reside in, will be able to vote for the Atlanta council president.
Clarence Martin
$211,131 received
$178,008.68 on hand
Felicia Moore
$159,097 received
$115,468.85 on hand
Alex Wan*
$225,953.59 received
$172,516.26 on hand
* denotes openly LGBT candidate