Dickens misses firefighters’ deadline to sign union contract
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens ignored the Atlanta Fire Rescue union’s March 13 deadline to sign the city’s first-ever contract with the union, despite its threat of legal action. Atlanta City Council unanimously ratified the contract almost a year ago, in April 2025.
The union warned the mayor March 6 that it would take legal action for breach of contract and state labor law violations if he didn’t sign. Instead, Dickens attacked the legitimacy of International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 134 President Nate Bailey in a lengthy statement to Atlanta Civic Circle. City Council members – several endorsed by IAFF Local 134 – have stayed mum.
Statewide and metro Atlanta races to watch for May primaries
Georgia’s upcoming elections will be hotly contested up and down the ballot — and it starts with the May 19 primary elections. Here’s our full rundown of the Democratic and Republican candidates who’ll officially appear on the ballot for races ranging from the governor’s office to the state legislature to Fulton County Commission.
Judicial races usually don’t draw challengers, but this year two Georgia Supreme Court justices and two Georgia Court of Appeals judges are facing opposition. Those nonpartisan races also will be decided May 19.
Musical chairs in three Atlanta legislative districts
When Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) suddenly announced her retirement from her Senate District 44 seat on March 5 — just a day before the qualifying period ended — Rep. Saira Draper (D-Atlanta) quickly swooped in to get on the ballot. She’s running with Parent’s endorsement against Nadine Thomas in the Democratic primary for the now-open SD 44 seat.
Draper’s last-minute move precipitated a flurry of five Democratic primary candidates to run for her now-open House District 90 seat: Nicole Horn, Bentley Hudgins, Howard Mosby, Matthew Nursey, and Leisa Stafford.
The last-minute switcheroos left one of Parent’s constituents, Matthew Woodruff, thinking that his Democratic representatives had acted somewhat undemocratically. “That timing made it extraordinarily difficult for new candidates to step forward and offer voters a choice,” he said in a Decaturish letter to the editor. “In many states, political norms encourage incumbents who plan to retire to announce that decision before candidate qualifying begins, specifically so that potential candidates have adequate time to organize campaigns and present voters with meaningful choices.”
In another surprise, Rep. Park Cannon (D-Atlanta) decided not to seek reelection for her House District 58 seat – and also didn’t give much advance notice. That set up a last minute scramble, with Demetria Henderson, Edith Ladapo, Kyle Lamont, and Mathewos Samson qualifying for the ballot. It’s a safe blue seat, so voters will effectively decide in the Democratic primary who’ll replace Cannon.
HD 58 overlaps with Atlanta City Council District 2, which elected its first Democratic Socialist, Kelsea Bond, last November. Eager to press their advantage, several members of the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) local chapter recruited Samson, also a DSA member, to run for the seat. The DSA hasn’t yet officially endorsed Samson — but their formidable ground game will make for a tough primary for the three Democrats in the race.
ON THE CALENDAR
UPCOMNG CANDIDATE FORUMS
- Sunday, March 29 at 3 pm / Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor/ City of South Fulton Southwest Arts Center / Hosted by Georgia Black Republican Council / RSVP
- Thursday, April 2 at 6 pm / Republican cadidates for secretary of state / Lousiana Bistreaux East Point / Hosted by Georgia Black Republican Council / RSVP
- Monday, April 20 at 6 pm / Forum for secretary of state, superior court judge, Fulton County chair, and Fulton County District 5 candidates / Hosted by Taking Pride in the Southwest Side / RSVP
- Tuesday, April 21 at 12:30 pm / Forum for gubernatorial candidates / The Battery / Hosted by the Georgia Association of Manufacturers / RSVP
Special election for Fulton Commission District 4 will be Nov. 3.
A Nov. 3 special election has been set for Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory’s District 4 seat, because Ivory had to resign to run for commission chair against incumbent Robb Pitts in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, Fulton Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. is also running for commission chair, but there is no special election for his District 5 seat.
That’s because Ivory’s District 4 term, which runs through 2027, overlaps with the term for commission chair, which starts in January 2027. However, Arrington’s District 5 term only runs through the end of this year, so he wouldn’t have to vacate his commission seat if elected chair.
Click here to see who is running for the District 5 seat, as well as the other Fulton County Commission races on the May primary ballot.
The Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections decided it was more cost-effective to place Ivory’s District 4 seat on the ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election, instead of holding a primary.. That means candidates from all parties will be listed on the ballot. A runoff is scheduled for Dec. 1, if needed.
It looks like Rohit Malhotra, the founder of the Center for Civic Innovation, will throw his hat in the ring for Ivory’s District 4 seat on the Fulton Commission, after losing a hotly contested race for Atlanta City Council last year to Marci Collier Overstreet. The Working Families Party started a petition earlier in March to draft Malhotra for the race — and he took to Instagram on March 13 to say he was “seriously” considering running.
ICYMI: House District 94 special election heads to April 7 runoff
Education consultant Venola Mason and former Snellville mayor Kelly Kautz will head to a runoff on April 7 to replace Rep. Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain) for her House District 94 post. The March 10 special election was the first competitive race in more than a decade for the safe Democratic seat, attracting four candidates.Mason, 46, and Kautz, 48, fended off two Gen-Z contenders in their early 20s: Audrey Lux and Ikenna Ugwumadu.
Read the full story here, and find out what Stone Mountain voters had to say.
Atlanta Press Club to host debate for Congressional District 14 runoff
The Atlanta Press Club will host a debate March 22 for the two runoff candidates for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s hotly contested Congressional District 14 seat. From a crowded field of 17 candidates, Trump-endorsed MAGA Republican Clay Fuller and Democrat Shawn Harris have emerged to face off in the April 7 runoff election for the heavily Republican district.
Harris, a farmer and retired Army brigadier general, finished first in the March 10 special election with 43,241 votes or 37.3% of the vote (43,241 votes), while Fuller, the district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, bested a pack of fellow GOPers to finish second with 34.9% of the vote (40,388 votes).
While Fuller is expected to win, anything is possible. Voters will have a chance to hear from both candidates at the Atlanta Press Club debate, part of its Loudermilk Young Debate Series. Hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting, it will livestream March 22 from 3 pm to 3:30 pm on GPB.org, as well as on the Atlanta Press Club YouTube channel.
Today’s Democracy Digest was written by Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon and edited by Meredith Hobbs. As always, thank you for reading and supporting local journalism.