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City elections in Atlanta, Georgia (2021)
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Special state legislative • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • How to run for office |
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2024 →
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| 2021 Atlanta elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: August 20, 2021 |
| General election: November 2, 2021 Runoff election: November 30, 2021 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, city council president, city council, & municipal court judge |
| Total seats up: 24 (click here for mayoral elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2021 |
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, held general elections for mayor and city council, as well as retention elections for municipal court judge, on November 2, 2021. A runoff election was scheduled for November 30, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was August 20, 2021.
In the runoff elections for Atlanta City Council At-large Post 3 and District 1, both candidates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click here to read their responses.
Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
City council
General runoff election
Atlanta City Council general election | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| At-large Post 3 |
Jacqueline Labat   Keisha Sean Waites |
| District 1 |
Nathan Clubb Jason Winston |
| District 3 |
Byron Amos Erika Estrada |
| District 4 |
Cleta Winslow (i)Jason Dozier |
| District 5 |
Liliana Bakhtiari Mandy Mahoney |
| District 12 |
Joyce Sheperd (i)Antonio Lewis |
| Atlanta City Council President |
Natalyn Mosby Archibong (i)Doug Shipman |
General election
Judicial offices
Atlanta Municipal Court retention elections | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Baker's seat |
JaDawnya Baker (i) |
| Bey's seat |
Ardra Bey (i) |
| Gaines's seat |
Crystal Gaines (i) |
| Graves' seat |
Calvin Graves (i) |
| Gundy's seat |
Terrinee Gundy (i) |
| Jackson's seat |
Gary Jackson (i) |
| Portis' seat |
Christopher Portis (i) |
| Ward's seat |
Christopher Ward (i) |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Georgia elections, 2021
January 5, 2021
- United States Senate election in Georgia, 2020 (Perdue vs. Ossoff runoff)
- United States Senate special election in Georgia, 2020 (Loeffler vs. Warnock runoff)
- Georgia Public Service Commission election, 2020
February 9, 2021
March 9, 2021
November 2, 2021
- Mayoral election in Atlanta, Georgia (2021)
- Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia, elections (2021)
- Atlanta Independent School District, Georgia, Homestead Tax Exemption Measure (November 2021)
- Fulton County, Georgia, Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Measure (November 2021)
November 30, 2021
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Atlanta City Council At-large Post 3
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Continue to foster smart growth, thriving small businesses and economic stability while protecting our residents from displacement.
Educate and bridge the COVID gap of learning loss and also empower and expose youth in creative ways to tap into their talents and potential.
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Restoring Public Trust: Transparency and Ethics One of the biggest challenges our city faces is the need to eradicate the current “Pay to Play” culture that has permeated for many decades. Until we put an end to nepotism and cronyism city hall will remain toxic and plagued with scandal. Public trust and integrity are essential for our city to thrive, attract new industry, new commerce and new residents. As a city-wide City Council representative, I will propose and support legislation that all City of Atlanta employees abide by a much-needed, updated and revised Employee Code of Ethics along with strict, actionable penalties for violating the code.
Affordable Housing: We must protect Seniors and legacy residents from gentrification. By far, one of our biggest untapped potentials for economic development and growth is the south side of Atlanta. We need to finally make an honest, robust and concerted effort to drive development south of I-20. The returns for the rest of the city will be huge. This is another avenue we can explore to create more affordable housing, either directly or by working with private developers. In partnership with HUD and the state of Georgia, the city can re-invest in bank owned and foreclosed multi-family housing units that have been abandoned or condemned due to high water bills.
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Safe Neighborhoods & Livable Communities Criminal Justice Reform Equity & Diversity Smart Growth & Economic Development Affordable Housing Transportation
Education & Youth Empowerment
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Everybody Matters
My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Integrity Trust Fairness Unbiased Intellectual honesty and ability to reason Bipartisan
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Establish long- and short-term objectives and priorities; Oversee performance of the local public employees; Oversee effectiveness of programs; Establish tax rates; Enter into legal contracts; Borrow funds; Pass ordinances and resolutions; Modify the city’s charter; Regulate land use through zoning laws; Regulate business activity through licensing and regulations; Regulate public health and safety; Exercise the power of eminent domain; Communicate policies and programs to residents; Respond to constituent needs and complaints; and
Represent the community to other levels of government.
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Jacqueline Labat (Nonpartisan)
Gets jalapeño business!
LOL
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
The Beltline rail will benefit the entire Metro Atlanta region by helping solve transportation, environmental challenges, affordable housing and employment issues. The investment could create short and long term jobs, develop an efficient way for residents to travel, and remove thousands of vehicles from the state’s busiest roadways.
The Beltline rail is also a partial solution to pollution, transportation, and unemployment and would have positive impacts all along the line. This would potentially take thousands of vehicles off the interstate, and spur billions in economic development and job creation for the region. Impacted neighborhoods would all have the opportunity to benefit from the vast economic development along the prospective rail line. The project has the potential to create thousands of short and long term jobs due to the acquisition and construction on the right-of-way, building new tracks and stations.
In an effort to decrease the number of vehicles on our roads, I been a vocal champion and advocate of policies that encourage families to walk, Uber, carpool and use public transportation. As a society we must become less reliant on vehicles. To accomplish this goal, I fully support the expansion of Marta, walking trails, biking trails and sidewalks to ensure safe, well-lit and clean environments are available to all.
COVID changed the way people live, work and play. For this reason, I support expanding MARTA’s rail network, and ensuring Atlanta is a safe city for pedestrians and cyclists. I also support relaunching the City bike share program to provide affordable first- and last-mile access to transit, especially in communities with low rates of car ownership.
Additionally, we must provide pedestrian and bicycle friendly amenities that make people want to walk and ride within city limits. This includes sidewalks, bicycle lanes, parks and greenspace, public transportation, city beautification projects, culture and the arts, and revising zoning and other policies to create mixed use spaces that people want to be in and around.
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
An audit from last September found that the city had significantly overspent on administrative costs related to Renew Atlanta bonds, and lacked a detailed up-to-date procedural manual that reflects current business practices. This is unacceptable. I would push for a full review of our current practices and backlog in order to cut out the waste and focus resources into the field.
Infrastructure will only be a priority if we make it a priority. Our resources must be focused on the most effective and efficient processes, so that we can deliver noticeable improvements as quickly as possible. We must also ensure our water and sewer system is ready for the increased demand that comes with population expansion. This is a regional issue, as growth will extend to the entire metro region. We must upgrade our water and sewer system to meet increasing demand while providing clean, potable water at affordable rates.
It’s the job of city leaders to properly plan for the city’s future needs. When you look at our most vibrant cities across the country, they all tend to be dense, walkable and diverse with a good balance of housing, commerce and recreation along with robust public transportation options.
I support increasing and incentivizing the supply of duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes, especially in areas close to public transportation or in walkable neighborhoods. Cities need a variety of housing styles and options to develop the vibrant, diverse neighborhoods that older cities like Boston and New Orleans are known for.
There’s definitely an opportunity to rezone over 2,000 properties near MARTA stations to include more accessory dwelling units, multi-unit housing and overall higher density properties. I would also like to see more mixed use developments south of I-20 where land is still relatively available for redevelopment.
The Department of City Planning has developed a map showing parts of the city where high percentages of residents own a car. These tend to be in places suffering from a shortage of affordable housing in the northern part of the city, and places without walkable communities in the southern part. Changing zoning to allow multi-unit housing provides “invisible density” that increases affordable housing supply but is relatively indistinguishable from single-family houses, reducing neighborhood opposition. This would allow lower income residents to live closer to work instead of being pushed to the outskirts. It also encourages development of denser neighborhoods and walkable communities where cars aren’t strictly needed.
Sustainability is extremely important to Atlanta’s continued growth and vitality. The water shortages a few years ago really drove home the realization that without water we don’t have a city. Fulton County is expected to need more than 300 million gallons of water per day by 2035 (only 14 years from now!) and we’re almost entirely dependent on surface water. No rain, no water. The weather is also getting hotter which means more and more days of high electricity usage for air conditioning. We can’t risk the same types of grid failures Texas just experienced.
Sustainability is good for business, good for residents, and good for growth. There are new and exciting building construction technologies such as engineered wood beams as strong as steel, on-site water treatment systems, solar integrations and other building design techniques that create interesting and sustainable architecture. I would love to see Atlanta regularly featured as a leader in innovative green building design and the high paying architecture, construction, engineering, education, manufacturing and maintenance jobs that come with that.
Keisha Sean Waites (Nonpartisan)
Having served on both the Juvenile Justice and Public Safety committees during my tenure in the General Assembly, I quickly realized the Policing and Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) is an essential tool to addressing the underlying factors that impact crime and violence.
Arresting and jailing people who are causing disturbances or harm as a result of substance use, mental health challenges, or survival activities doesn’t serve our communities. Instead, it pushes people even further to the margins, away from the connections and resources that support recovery and wellness.
The cycle of arrest and incarceration does not address the actual issues people are struggling with. In the meantime, our communities continue to suffer from a lack of housing options and access to income, mental health services, medical care, and substance use recovery services. There is widespread agreement: we need a different approach if we want safer and healthier communities for all.
PAD fosters a new approach to community safety and wellness by engaging in creative problem-solving to respond to community concerns, and addressing people’s human needs with dignity, patience and care.
Atlanta City Council District 1
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Atlanta’s streets are congested and unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. I have a transportation plan that recognizes the need to invest in and redesign our infrastructure, including basics like sidewalks, complete streets designed for all users, and frequent transit in dedicated lanes.
Atlantans are increasingly rent burdened which has pushed lower income Atlantans away from neighborhoods with good transit and jobs, exacerbating the existing inequities. There is no panacea for our affordable housing crisis but we can establish a dedicated funding source to build and preserve affordable housing.
Jason Winston (Nonpartisan)
Another key to a thriving city is accessibility. Investing in transportation means cleaner air, less congestion and more job and educational opportunities for people. I didn’t have a car for two years when I moved to Atlanta and relied on MARTA for transportation. That’s why I’m personally committed to additional investment in MARTA. With the “More MARTA” program, we have a huge opportunity to expand Atlanta transit and make our city cleaner and more connected. I will work to expand our Transportation options and prioritize the safety of all Atlanta residents and that includes making our streets safer for pedestrians, bikers, and scooters. That also means working to ensure our city streets and sidewalks are 100% ADA compliant and
Every resident of District 1 deserves the opportunity to afford good housing. I will lead the way to more affordable housing by expanding the use of underutilized public assets and fostering coordination between Atlanta’s housing agencies. I will work with Invest Atlanta and the Atlanta Housing Authority to identify underutilized city-owned property that can be identified and developed primarily for hard working families and individuals making low or moderate incomes. The focus should also be on existing property that has adequate access to public transportation. I will also prioritize working with non-profit and private companies to expand and create more projects like the Haven at South Atlanta, which will provide affordable housing to fa
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Jason Winston (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Jason Winston (Nonpartisan)
I've always tried to follow the example of my grandfather, The Reverend Otis Hill, to whom I owe so much.
A Baptist preacher, farmer and small business owner, Grandad taught me about the meaning of community and the importance of serving others with humility.
Together, we’d carve headstones in his barn so that families could mark the graves of their loved ones.
I didn’t know until I was older that he usually gave the headstones away to families that couldn’t afford them because he believed that roots matter and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.
As I grew, I took those lessons with me.
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
We need to improve our buses, because I believe better buses make for better cities. This includes building out a network of bus only lanes with signal prioritization. This is a relatively low-cost option to dramatically improve our bus network and allow Atlantans to use public transit to quickly move around the City, including areas lacking MARTA heavy rail. Then improve frequency on those routes. The MARTA bus network redesign will be a great opportunity to achieve this.
We also need true Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to provide cross-town connections. We have our first opportunity, with the Summerhill BRT line right here in District 1 to show that this can be a successful transit option for Atlanta but we need to ensure it’s executed well and truly has a dedicated right of way to move Atlantans quickly around Atlanta.
We need to hold MARTA accountable for BeltLine rail and push for innovative solutions like public-private partnerships so folks can actually use it in their lifetime. This includes pursuing federal TIFIA loans to jump start construction, ensuring we are well prepared to successfully pursue federal New Starts grants, and working with our federal delegation, including our two U.S. senators who live in District 1! We need high frequency transit to truly provide Atlantans an alternative to driving.
Jason Winston (Nonpartisan)
Investing in transportation means cleaner air, less congestion and more job and educational opportunities for people.
I’m personally committed to additional investment in MARTA. With the “More MARTA” program, we have a huge opportunity to expand Atlanta transit and make our city cleaner and more connected.
I will work to expand our Transportation options and prioritize the safety of all Atlanta residents and that includes making our streets safer for pedestrians, bikers, and scooters.
That also means working to ensure our city streets and sidewalks are 100% ADA compliant and safe for wheelchairs and strollers.
We must also prioritize more, “Complete Streets,” projects throughout the city to safely accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation, and vehicle traffic in dedicated transit lanes.
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
Nathan Clubb (Nonpartisan)
We need to ensure we have the level of staffing necessary and policies in place for true community policing to provide presence and rebuild trust with communities. We also need to expand the Policing Alternatives and Diversion (PAD) program to 24/7 and ensure that we are working with partners, including Fulton County, to provide sufficient behavioral health services to those being diverted. We also need to ensure we have policies for APD for when they should refer individuals to PAD instead of making an arrest. We need to close the Atlanta City Detention Center as a jail and seek to leverage it instead as a reentry center where wrap-around services, from job training, to counseling, to housing, can be provided. We need to reduce crimes committed by youth through working in collaboration with Atlanta Public Schools and our Parks and Recreation department to ensure we have sufficient youth activities, from sports leagues to employment opportunities. Successful reform will require collaborating with Fulton County and State as it relates to mental and behavioral health, the County in terms of reducing the jail population through diversion and reductions in recidivism, and the judicial system to ensure solutions are actually actionable. We also need to partner with the private sector on everything from obtaining needed services, to expanding employment opportunities, to funding youth activities.
Jason Winston (Nonpartisan)
I would also prioritize investing in Youth Violence Prevention Centers and working to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and private citizens through neighborhood- based initiatives and a focus on community policing.
I will look to pragmatic evaluation of our law enforcement policies, addressing biases and disparities in policing while moving resources to the programs that need them the most.
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Candidate survey
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About the city
- See also: Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is a city in Fulton County, Georgia. As of 2020, its population was 498,715.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Atlanta uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Atlanta, Georgia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | Georgia | |
| Population | 498,715 | 10,711,908 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 135 | 57,716 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 40.4% | 57.2% |
| Black/African American | 49.8% | 31.6% |
| Asian | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| Native American | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 2.9% |
| Multiple | 3.2% | 3.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 4.9% | 9.6% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 91.7% | 87.9% |
| College graduation rate | 53.4% | 32.2% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $64,179 | $61,224 |
| Persons below poverty level | 19.2% | 14.3% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Atlanta, Georgia | Georgia | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
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