By John Schaffner
editor@reporternewspapers.net
Brookhaven resident and real estate firm president Kerry Witt says he plans to challenge U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Atlanta) in the November election.
Witt, president of the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, plans to run for the 5th Congressional District seat as an independent.
Witt suggested he might run during the Jan. 12 meeting of the Brookhaven Community Connection and then formally announced his candidacy by e-mail on Jan. 18, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
“Why now and why me you might wonder?” Witt said in his e-mail. “I think the time is right. Observing our government run amuck concerns me enough to try and change the status quo.”
Witt noted that to be nominated as an independent candidate, he will need a petition bearing notarized signatures from 5 percent of the registered voters in the district.
“The task may sound daunting for some,” Witt wrote. “But, if the voters of the 5th District want a choice for the first time in 10 years, I will need their help” with the nomination petition. I will also need the help others outside the 5th District to make this endeavor possible.”