Two incumbent officials had a very good election night in Fulton County, while the November challenger for a third is now set.
Fulton County Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand beat his opponent Duvwon Robinson by a margin of two to one in the Democratic primary, according to unofficial returns. The Board of Elections & Registration will meet June 18 to certify Tuesday’s results.
Ferdinand, a former IBM executive, said he has lived in Georgia since 1987 with all but two years of that spent in Fulton County. He was appointed tax commissioner in 1997 and has won reelection to four-year terms ever since.
Robinson attacked Ferdinand’s pay, which Ferdinand acknowledges is $594,350 a year, combining base pay with $1 per parcel on which he collects taxes for Fulton’s cities.
Ferdinand defended his compensation and pointed to his office’s 99% tax collection rate. He said Wednesday he did not run a negative campaign against Robinson and was glad voters had confidence in him.
“I’m just grateful that the public understood what I do and how I do it responsibly for citizens, and effectively for all the governments that I serve. And I’ll continue to do that,” Ferdinand said.
District 2 Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis didn’t face an opponent in the Republican primary, but two Democrats competed to run against him in the fall.
The winner was Megan Harris, who defeated insurance technology executive Jennifer Phillippi.
Harris is a financial services professional. A native of Atlanta, she began working for Bank of America in 2006 while seeking a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of West Georgia, subsequently earning an MBA, she said.
District 2 covers the northwestern corner of Fulton County.
Harris said she wants to collaborate with other commissioners on issues such as affordable housing, jobs, public safety, better transportation, health care and environmental sustainability.
In the central part of Fulton County, the District 6 commission race pitted incumbent Khadijah Abdur-Rahman against two Democratic rivals. There were no Republican primary contenders in the heavily Democratic district.
Abdur-Rahman’s opponents were Ali Carter, a former aide to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens — who campaigned on Carter’s behalf — and mental and behavioral health counselor Ciara Anderson.
Abdur-Rahman easily fended off both challengers, taking 55% of the vote to Carter’s 28% and Anderson’s 17%.
She has said her priorities include continued efforts to reduce the jail population and overburdened court system, to provide more services for seniors, sustainable jobs and government efficiency.
Abdur-Rahman lost a nine-person special election for the District 6 seat in 2019 but came back to win the following year’s regular Democratic primary. She was unopposed in the 2020 general election.
About the Author
