Remarks made by a Sandy Springs mayoral candidate at a forum hosted by WSB-TV and Rough Draft Atlanta, which took place on Oct. 8 and streamed on Oct. 9, have triggered emotional reactions from both the incumbent and challengers.
The Candidate Forum is available to view on WSBTV.com.
During a portion of the debate where the candidates questioned each other, Councilmember Andy Bauman read from an email allegedly sent by incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul to the council in 2021, expressing his hesitation about running for another term.
Rough Draft reviewed a copy of the email, which said, “I think it’s time for me to simply step aside. I’m a tired puppy – mentally, emotionally, and physically. . . I just don’t have the gas left in the tank to do a full campaign and do the job this community deserves.”
After Bauman read from the email, he said to Paul, “Your words – you said you didn’t have the gas in the tank to do the job this community deserves. These were your words. And, for the past four years, we’ve seen tired leadership, stalled growth, vacant and aging buildings, and traffic. That’s still a nightmare. Don’t the citizens of Sandy Springs deserve better than a tired puppy again?”
At the forum, Paul responded that Bauman’s statement “is not a very good description of how we’ve performed over the last four years. I’m excited about this community. I believe it’s got a great future.”
“I believe with the great leadership, we can continue to go forward,” Paul continued. “That was written at a very low point in my life, where I had some family issues. We worked through those, and I refueled the tank. We’re ready to go.”
Paul, in fact, did not withdraw from the 2021 contest, winning by a 3-1 margin over Dontaye Carter.
Carter calls out comments
On Oct.9, Carter, who is a candidate for mayor again, issued a press release and a Facebook post, saying that he was “deeply bothered by a question asked during yesterday’s forum.”
“That moment has sat heavy on my heart,” he wrote. “Not because I share the mayor’s politics, I don’t. I have a completely different vision for where Sandy Springs should go. But I also believe there are moral lines that should never be crossed, no matter the office, no matter the election.”
“For a sitting council member — someone who has served alongside the mayor for 4,835 days – to display such disregard for empathy raises a serious question: If you can’t show compassion for a colleague, how can you show compassion for the people you were elected to serve?” the email continued.
Paul thanks Carter
Paul responded later that afternoon with a Facebook post thanking Carter “for his compassion and for speaking out.”
“During last night’s mayoral forum, one of my opponents chose to bring up a personal email I sent to the City Council years ago — one where I described myself as a ‘tired puppy,'” the post said. “The truth behind that message was simple: my family was in crisis. It was one of the hardest seasons of my life, and I was doing everything I could to hold things together — as a father, a husband, and mayor. Those words came from a place of deep emotional exhaustion, not from being tired of serving this city, but from carrying a heavy personal burden while still showing up every day to do the job.”
Paul said Bauman’s question “was deeply disappointing.”
“There are lines that should never be crossed, and family should always be one of them,” he said. “I may have a few gray hairs and, yes, I still have a Rolodex — but that’s not a sign of being tired.”
Bauman responds
In a statement to Rough Draft, Bauman said he “simply asked the question many residents are asking.”
“After 12 years in office, and after an email he sent to all city council members’ council emails saying he was ‘a tired puppy’ and didn’t have the gas in the tank for the job, which is a matter of public record, can Mayor Paul give this job the full energy it demands?” Bauman said.
“Sandy Springs needs fresh leadership ready to tackle today’s challenges and deliver results,” he continued.
