Mayor Andre Dickens’ favored candidates, bar one, prevailed on Tuesday in Atlanta’s runoff elections, winning both of the open Atlanta City Council seats and two of three Atlanta Board of Education seats.
For the city council races, Thomas Worthy won District 7, while Wayne Martin won District 11.
For the school board, Kaycee Brock won Seat 8 At-Large and Tony Mitchell won District 2. The one upset came in Southwest Atlanta’s District 6, where progressive challenger Patreece Hutcherson defeated incumbent Tolton Pace. At midnight, Hutcherson had 54.1% of the vote (2,476 votes) over Pace’s 45.9% (2,097 votes).
Hutcherson, a counselor for the Douglas County School System, campaigned against public school closures and privately run charter schools. Pace, a youth minister appointed to the seat in January, earned Dickens’ endorsement after finishing first in the Nov. 4 general election.
For the citywide Seat 8 At-Large school board race, Royce Mann, 24, was the progressive challenger against Brock, an experienced educator and consultant, who recently worked for the Charter School Growth Fund and the KIPP Foundation, which supports a national network of public charter schools, and was backed by Dickens. But Brock won decisively, with 52.7% of the vote (9,937 votes), compared with 47.3% (8,906 votes) for Mann.
Mann conceded the race around 11:45 p.m. and called Brock soon after. In the spirit of collaboration, they are having coffee together soon, he said.
“I am going to be in this fight for a long time to come,” Mann said in a heartfelt speech to a small group of family and supporters at a Lake Claire townhome. “Now is a time to recommit ourselves to what’s motivated this campaign — the belief that Atlanta Public Schools can be a world class school system that truly serves every student regardless of their background.”
From her watch party at Vesper in Glenwood Park, Brock told Atlanta Civic Circle that she understands voters’ concerns over Atlanta Public Schools (APS) closing schools, while funding privately run charter schools.
Her views are not so far from Mann’s, Brock added. “Anybody that knows me knows that I’m about community and community input,” she said. Regarding APS closing public schools, Brock said, “We need to be thoughtful about what happens with facilities, and I think facilities should be used for the improvement of student outcomes.”
Voter concerns over APS closures
The Southwest Atlanta voters whom Atlanta Civic Circle spoke to on Election Day expressed grave concerns over how the school board is running APS.
“I’m very unhappy with the privatization of schools,” said retired fourth grade public school teacher James Tyler, 74, at the C.T. Martin Recreation Center. He considers the mayor’s proposed extension of the city’s eight Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) until 2055 to be “unwise,” because it diverts needed property tax money away from APS.
“There’s so much disparity in the resources,” said Brian Hamilton, 48, who has one daughter in an APS charter school and another daughter in public school. Hamilton said he just wants to see “some level of change.”
At the Adams Park Library, Rinette Scott, 75, said she voted for the progressive candidates in the runoffs – Mann and Hutcherson for the school board and Nate Jester for city council District 11. “I’m tired of the establishment,” she said, adding that elected officials should be more hands-on in the community.
Pat Perryman, 75, said she voted for Brock over Mann in the citywide Seat 8 At-Large school board race, because she has a grandson with autism and Brock articulated a plan for special needs students.
But for her local APS representative in District 6, Perryman voted for Hutcherson over Pace, the incumbent, because of her concerns over school closures. “We’re losing a lot of our schools in the Southwest district, so I’m interested in these schools being revitalized,” she said.
Another Adams Park voter, Harold Benson, 70, said he simply voted for “whoever the mayor said to vote for.”
Atlanta Board of Education District 2
For school board District 2, Tony Mitchell, who was backed by the mayor, resoundingly beat outsider Marlissa Crawford, garnering 73.6% of the vote (1,098 votes) to just 26.4% (394 votes) for Crawford.
Asked about voters’ concerns over school privatization, Mitchell told Atlanta Civic Circle. “I believe in the public school system. I went to public school the majority of my whole life. I want to see that grow.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Mitchell added. Crawford could not immediately be reached for comment.
Atlanta City Council District 11
In Southwest Atlanta’s city council District 11, Wayne Martin, who was backed by the mayor, declared victory shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Martin won 58% of the vote (2,188 votes) to his opponent Nate Jester’s 42% (1,588 votes).
“I am 99.9% certain that we won this race,” he told a cheering crowd at his watch party at the OMG! That’s Good restaurant in Campbellton Plaza.
Martin had finished first in the Nov. 4 general election amid a crowded field of ten candidates. The ordained minister and former government affairs executive for Starbucks and Morehouse School of Medicine emerged as the establishment favorite. He was also backed by the sitting District 11 Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet, whose successful run for city council president opened up the race.
Martin’s watch party drew a packed crowd that included Dickens, Overstreet, former State Rep. Roger Bruce, Fulton County Commission hopeful Sojourner Grimmett, and Curt Collier – the only former District 11 candidate to back Martin. The rest of the District 11 field united behind Jester, who positioned himself as the progressive choice.
The District 11 city council election was largely free of the mudslinging that often characterizes local Atlanta politics. In his victory speech Tuesday night, Martin referred to Jester and his other opponents as “fellow candidates.”
Martin told Atlanta Civic Circle in November that he and Jester are just “two Ben Hill kids trying to make a difference.”
Asked about the apparent divide in Atlanta politics between establishment candidates and progressive challengers, Martin made an appeal to unity. “I think we all want to get to the same place, and we have different ways that we want to do it — but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s division,” he said.
Atlanta City Council District 7
In Buckhead’s city council District 7, Thomas Worthy, also backed by the mayor, resoundingly defeated Thad Flowers with 59.3% of the vote (1,569 votes) to Flowers’ 41.7% (1,076 votes).
Worthy thanked his opponent in a statement to Atlanta Civic Circle, congratulating Flowers on a strong race and praising his commitment to the community.
“Atlanta deserves safe streets, reliable infrastructure, and a city government that delivers,” Worthy said. With the FIFA World Cup coming in 2026, he added, “We have a real opportunity to show the world the best of our city.”
This story has been updated with final vote totals.
