Sandy Springs voters resoundingly approved a municipal referendum, granting the city government redevelopment powers by a margin of 63% to 37%, leading to potential tax allocation districts.
In competitive county commission and state house races, Democratic candidates continued the statewide “blue tsunami” by flipping a few Republican held seats. All election results are preliminary counts and will not be official until certification.
Election Day in Sandy Springs
The referendum’s approval does not automatically create a redevelopment district, increase taxes, or approve a project. Any potential tax allocation districts, financing plans, or redevelopment plans require separate review and approval.
Sandy Springs will have legal authority under Georgia’s Redevelopment Powers Law to consider using new redevelopment tools in the future to support residents’ quality of life and the local economy.
Elected officials, led by Mayor Rusty Paul, have focused recent redevelopment discussions on the downtown City Springs district and the city’s North End along Roswell Road.
In state legislative races, Democratic challenger and former CDC contractor Beth Fuller flipped the District 53 seat in the State House, securing 51.2% of the vote against two-term incumbent Republican Deborah Silcox. The district runs south from the city of Roswell through Sandy Springs and into Buckhead.
Democratic Party incumbents took all General Assembly seats, including portions of Sandy Springs, with state Rep. Esther Panitch (District 51), state Rep. Shea Roberts (District 52), and state Rep. Betsy Holland (District 54) returning to office.
In State Senate races, Democratic candidate Kevin Abel took more than 60% of the vote in District 14, a seat previously held by Lt. Gov.-elect Josh McLaurin. Incumbent state Sen. RaShaun Kemp (D- District 38) beat Republican Eric Helvy by more than 60 percentage points in a district including southwest Sandy Springs.
Fulton County elections
Nearly 460,000 ballots were cast across Fulton County, representing a 60% voter turnout, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
This election cycle, Fulton County had two local option sales taxes up for five-year renewals. While voters approved the education-related sales tax by more than 35 percentage points, the transportation-related sales tax passed by fewer than 4,000 votes, or 50.8% of counted ballots.
TSPLOST is a 0.75-cent sales tax paid outside of Atlanta city limits to raise funds for local governments to invest in transportation and infrastructure projects. ESPLOST is a one-penny sales tax dedicated exclusively to public schools and their capital project needs.
Democratic candidate Maggie Goldman, a Johns Creek resident, flipped the District 1 seat held by Republican Bridget Thorne in a 2022 rematch. Goldman won by about 10,000 votes, with more than 75,000 ballots counted. The North Fulton district includes the Sandy Springs panhandle.
Democratic candidate Jodi Merriday cruised to victory over Republican candidate Paul Burton with more than 60% of the vote to fill the District 3 seat currently held by Dana Barrett. The district includes parts of Sandy Springs, Buckhead, and Midtown Atlanta.
New commission leadership
Democratic candidate Mo Ivory cruised to victory over Republican Eric Tatum with 75% of the vote, becoming the first black woman and Latina to be elected to chair the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
After resigning her District 4 seat to run against Chair Robb Pitts, Ivory will now usher in a new era of leadership in Georgia’s most populous county with four new Democrats on the county commission.
Ivory said she will work hard to earn the trust of residents who did not vote for her through the way she and the commission govern, in a Nov. 3 campaign statement.
“We know Fulton County has not yet reached its full potential,” Ivory said. “With new leadership, we have an opportunity to change that and build a county government that delivers on the promise of what Fulton County can be, together.”
In the District 4 special election, Rohit Malhotra, the runner-up in last year’s Atlanta City Council President election, received two-thirds of the vote. The district includes parts of Atlanta, College Park, East Point, and the city of Hapeville.
Malhotra describes himself as a progressive Democrat and defeated three other candidates, including Democratic candidate Aaron A. Sampson Jr. and independent Natalie Hall.
In District 5, covering the southern end of Fulton County, Helen Z. Willis secured more than 94% of the vote, defeating Republican Tiffany Henyard, a former Illinois mayor.
