Election results showed most incumbents were leading in Atlanta school board races, where odd-numbered seats were up for election this year.
District 5 seat holder Erika Mitchell won re-election as returns show her with a sizeable lead over challenger Raynard Johnson. Likewise, Jessica Johnson, the At-Large Seat 9 incumbent, led her opponent Nkoyo Effiong Lewis. District 1 incumbent Katie Howard was running unopposed.
In the District 3 contest, the returns showed challenger Ken Zeff defeating incumbent Michelle Olympiadis. In the At-Large Seat 7 race, challenger Alfred “Shivy” Brooks and incumbent Tamara Jones were in a tight race with William “Will” Sardin far behind. No candidate in that race won more than 50% of the vote, which means Brooks and Jones will likely square off in a runoff election on Dec. 5.
Some voters expressed displeasure with the incumbents. Elizabeth Baker, who brought her 8-year-old daughter Vivian to her Candler Park precinct, said she was unhappy that the school board parted ways with former superintendent Lisa Herring.
Baker said she chose Zeff over Olympiadis in the District 3 race. She liked what Zeff, a former interim Fulton County superintendent, had to say about his platform and felt that Olympiadis shared less about her plans. Baker also voted for Brooks.
”I’m not happy with the current board,” she said, “So the incumbent factor was less attractive.”
Credit: Ty Tagami
Credit: Ty Tagami
Kate Balzer, who voted at the Coan Park Recreation Center, said she doesn’t have kids in the Atlanta schools, but studied the school board candidates. Balzer said she voted for three challengers — Brooks, Lewis and Zeff. She liked what they had to say and felt they tried harder to explain their platforms than the incumbents.
Balzer said she couldn’t find much information about the candidates and admitted it wasn’t as urgent for her as some elections.
”Sometimes, and this election was one of them, I do the studying for the test the night before,” she said.
In Decatur, the school board had two seats up for re-election this year. Two newcomers were vying for the seat currently held by Tasha White, who chose not to run again. Returns show Tracey Anderson slightly ahead of India Phipps Epps. Incumbent James Herndon was running unopposed.
In Buford, Cory Burge had a large lead over Carolyn Buffington for a seat on its school board. Incumbent Matthew Peevy ran unopposed.
