It was a good night to be an incumbent mayor.
As vote tallies trickled in across metro Atlanta Tuesday night, mayors across the region all appeared poised to win their re-election bids.
Hyperlocal races dominated the off-year election, which saw low turnout across the board. Besides the mayoral races on the ballot, local voters were tasked with picking city council members and deciding whether to fund certain capital projects. All vote totals are unofficial until certified Nov. 14.
While incumbent mayors throughout the area all looked likely to edge out opponents, unofficial election results indicate at least one other mayoral race isn’t over yet.
In Brookhaven, where Mayor John Ernst could not run again because of term limits, none of the four candidates to replace him appeared to garner more than 50% of the vote, which is necessary to avoid a runoff election on Dec. 5.
John Park, a longtime council member, was the top vote-getter but appeared to fall just short of the runoff threshold with all precincts reporting. Lauren Kiefer came in second, but trailed Park by a wide margin.
Park, who was watching results come in at the Red Pepper Taqueria, said he had expected a runoff but was pleased to have what he described as a “commanding lead.” It’s a sign people are generally happy with the way things are, he said.
“Voters are very much in support of what the city has done,” Park said.
Kiefer, who ran on a platform of halting the development of a new city hall and mixed-use development, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
In DeKalb County’s largest city, Stonecrest Mayor Jazzmin Cobble looked poised to win her first full term. Cobble was elected in 2022 in a special election after the former mayor pled guilty to federal fraud charges relating to misappropriating pandemic relief funds.
Cobble faced four challengers this time, including two who ran against her previously, and led all by a wide margin.
Incumbent mayors in Cobb County’s Smyrna, Clayton County’s Morrow and DeKalb’s Doraville also appear poised to win re-election.
Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton, who was first elected in 2019, faced two challengers in his quest for a second term. Unofficial results show him past the 50.1% majority required to avoid a runoff election.
Under Norton, the city approved a massive redesign of its downtown corridor, a move that was divisive amongst residents. Norton also came under fire on social media earlier this year in the wake of a land deal some accused of being shrouded in secrecy. Ken Hymes, a political newcomer and one of Norton’s opponents, campaigned on increasing transparency.
In Morrow, Mayor John Lampl went head-to-head with City Councilwoman Van Tran. The two regularly disagree during council meetings.
Tran proposed the city offer multilingual ballots over the summer, an idea another council member called “un-American” before changing her position and introducing legislation in support of the initiative. But shortly after council members agreed to the proposal, they moved to censure Tran for “unacceptable behavior,” a move she decried as retaliatory.
Unofficial results show Lampl ahead of Tran by a roughly two-to-one margin.
Incumbents in Austell, Powder Springs and Smyrna also are expected to keep their seats.
In city council races across the region, it was more of a mixed bag for incumbents.
Roswell Post 1 Councilmember Sarah Beeson appeared to keep her seat, but by narrow margins. Less than two dozen votes separated her from opponent Jason Miller. Beeson has criticized the city for a lack of transparency, which the city’s mayor and another councilman have pushed back against.
In Clarkston, Councilmembers Awet “Howard” Eyasu and Debra Johnson won re-election but Councilwoman Laura Hopkins lost to Mark Perkins, the third-highest vote-getter in the race. Perkins, a local business owner, has served on the council previously. He was elected to temporarily fill a vacancy in 2021.
In Dunwoody, incumbents in two contested council races led by wide margins. Incumbent council members also held onto their seats in Fayette County.
Incumbent Fayetteville City Councilman Joe Clark won with a large margin against challenger Cathy Vaught. Incumbent Brooks City Councilman Todd Speer also pulled out a large margin of victory despite facing three challenges.
In the race for Morrow City Council’s Post 4, a runoff is expected. Incumbent Khoa Vuong was the top vote-getter, followed by challenger Oscar Lanza Menjivar.
There were few reports of voting issues throughout the region.
Staff writers Taylor Croft, Jim Gaines, Adrianne Murchison, Mark Niesse, Jillian Price, Leon Stafford and Ty Tagami contributed to this report.
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