Voters in Atlanta City Council Districts 7 and 11 will return to the polls for runoff elections on Dec. 2. Those in Southwest Atlanta’s District 11 will choose between Wayne Martin and Nate Jester, while those in Buckhead’s District 7 will choose between Thomas Worthy and Thad Flowers.
Atlanta Civic Circle asked the candidates who didn’t make the runoffs if they are endorsing anyone – and what issue mattered most to them for the district. They highlighted issues like making housing more affordable, improving infrastructure, preventing residents’ displacement, and ensuring that their district gets its fair share of resources from the city.
District 11: Wayne Martin v. Nate Jester
Wayne Martin was the top finisher for the District 11 city council seat on Nov. 4 with 33.2% of the vote, followed by Nate Jester with 20.7%, out of 9,152 votes cast. The open seat attracted a field of eight contenders — the most crowded of any Atlanta race — after Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet decided to run for city council president, defeating Rohit Malhotra.
Martin, an ordained minister, is the CEO of Covenant Ministry, the outreach ministry for Cathedral of Faith Church. He’s also worked in government relations for Morehouse School of Medicine, Starbucks and Comcast. Martin is backed by much of Atlanta’s political establishment, including an endorsement from Mayor Andre Dickens.
Jester, a real estate lawyer, is the co-founder of Cascade Centennial, which partners with nonprofit landowners to build mixed-income apartments. The Marine Corps veteran and Harvard Law graduate has attracted endorsements from progressive groups like the Georgia Working Families Party.
Since the Nov. 4 election, Jester has won endorsements from four of his former opponents: Toni Belin-Ingram (15.9% of the vote), Andre Burgin (6.3%), Reginald Rushin (6%) and Steven Dingle (3.4%). Belin-Ingram and Rushin did not respond to our questions, but the Jester campaign announced the endorsements.
Burgin campaigned on using digital tools to make Atlanta’s government more open, accountable and responsive. After meeting with both Martin and Jester, he said, he’s endorsing Jester because of his willingness to provide “specific implementation plans with measurable outcomes and timelines” for these kinds of tools.
Burgin hopes that whoever wins the District 11 runoff will implement transparent, public dashboards to track the district’s share of city resources and its progress on infrastructure projects and the like. “District 11 residents have consistently said they want results over rhetoric, accountability over promises,” he said.
Dingle said he’s backing Jester because his real estate and legal background positions him to “tackle affordable housing and economic development head on.” Jester “will be the most present and effective when it comes to protecting residents of District 11 from displacement while also improving the district with direct community involvement,” Dingle said.
The other two unsuccessful District 11 candidates, Harold Maurice Hardnett (10.2% of the vote) and Curt Collier (4.3%), haven’t endorsed either Martin or Jester and did not respond to Atlanta Civic Circle’s requests for comment.
(Note: Two days after publication, Collier endorsed Martin, according to the Martin campaign).
District 7: Thomas Worthy v. Thad Flowers
In District 7, Thomas Worthy led with 27.1% of the vote on Nov. 4, followed closely by Thad Flowers with 26.4%, out of 7,084 votes cast, sending both to the Dec. 2 runoff.
Worthy, the chief public policy officer for Piedmont Healthcare, has the support of Atlanta’s political and legal elites, including an endorsement from the mayor. He has received campaign contributions from attorneys at Troutman Pepper Locke and Greenberg Traurig, plus former House Speaker Terry Coleman’s consulting firm Coleman Consulting.
Flowers, a senior public affairs specialist for engineering firm AtkinsRéalis and a former chief of staff for Atlanta City Council, is running as the more “Democratic” choice in the nonpartisan race. He’s attracted high profile endorsements from US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Lithonia) and the Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council (AFL-CIO).
The three unsuccessful District 7 candidates – Jamie Christy (19.2% of the vote), Rebecca King (16.8%), and Allen Daly (10.4%) — haven’t endorsed either Worthy or Flowers.
Christy said she’s met with both candidates, but hasn’t decided yet to endorse anyone. “District 7 needs someone who is independent and not beholden to special interests,” she said. “We deserve a councilperson who will fight for District 7 so it receives fair funding and is treated equally like other districts.”
Daly believes “voters deserve to evaluate leaders on ideas, not endorsements.”
He campaigned on a “Smart Streets Now” plan for improving Atlanta’s traffic management system to relieve congestion and improve emergency response times — a proposal he hopes District 7’s next council member will advance. “District 7 faces real challenges — traffic, infrastructure, and safety — and we can’t afford to settle for vague rhetoric,” Daly said.
King said in a text that she wasn’t endorsing anyone, because she doesn’t look at endorsements when she votes and sees “no value in them.”
Runoff election information:
Atlanta’s runoff elections for the District 7 and 11 city council seats, plus three school board seats, are scheduled for Dec 2. Early voting runs from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26. For additional information visit our Election Hub. Voters can confirm polling locations, view sample ballots, and check registration status at mvp.sos.ga.gov