Updated: Rusty Paul and Dontaye Carter will meet in a December runoff to be Mayor of Sandy Springs.
| Sandy Springs Mayor | Percentage (%) | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Bauman | 19% | 4,327 |
| ^Dontaye Carter | 21% | 4,703 |
| ^Rusty Paul (I) | 43% | 9,620 |
| Jody Reichel | 16% | 3,613 |
| 46/46 Reporting | Updated 1 a.m. |
The 9,620 votes incumbent Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul received gave him a significant lead in a four-way race, but it appears it won’t keep him out of a runoff.
Paul’s runoff opponent is expected to be Dontaye Carter, who has garnered 4,703 votes with all 46 precincts reporting. City Council member Andy Bauman’s 4,327 votes put him in third place.
City Council member Jody Reichel trailed with 3,613 votes.
“Last night’s results show that our campaign connected with people on a real level. Sandy Springs is a tale of two cities — families are being priced out, we saw a school close because enrollment keeps dropping, and too many residents feel overlooked,” Carter told Rough Draft Atlanta. “It’s time to address the elephants in the room: affordability, transportation, and protecting our schools.
Carter thanked his campaign supporters and said they’d be needed in the runoff.
Bauman said that though he came up short of making the runoff, he was proud of his campaign and its message.
“Voter turnout was the highest in our city’s history, and that’s something to celebrate. The people of Sandy Springs care deeply about their community and its future, and I’m grateful to have been part of that,” Bauman said. “In the coming days, I’ll share some reflections on what I believe this election said about where we are as a city and where we can go from here.”
Paul said it’s not a surprise in a four-way race to have a runoff. He felt good holding a substantial lead with early and absentee voting. Now, he said, his campaign must get supporters back to the polls.
“I wish we didn’t have to do this. It’s going to cost the city a lot of money, because we have to pay for the next election,” Paul said. “But the voters have their right to make their choice, and I’ll be back out making the case again that I’m the best one to do the job going forward.”
Carter faced Paul for a second time, after being soundly defeated in 2021, but this time, there were two more opponents in the race.
“We’re really excited by the momentum, by seeing the diversity of the electorate that’s showing up right now, giving us a ton of hope,” Carter said. “And we’re just at this place where it’s like, hey, let’s just keep running up the numbers.”
Rough Draft has also contacted Reichel regarding the results, but has not received a response.
