2009 Atlanta elections
| Elections in Georgia |
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A municipal election in theCity of Atlantawas held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Atlanta is the capital of thestateofGeorgiaand is thelargest city in Georgiaand is the center of theAtlanta metropolitan area,thelargest metropolitan areain theSouth.
Voters filled the offices ofmayor of Atlanta,members of theAtlanta City Counciland members of the Atlanta Board of Education, for terms commencing January 2010 and ending January 2014. Voters also voted inretention electionson a number of Municipal Court judges. The election wasnon-partisan,meaning thatpolitical partyaffiliations did not appear on the ballot.
Mayor[edit]
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The mayor is the city'schief executive officerand head of theexecutive branch,which carries out the laws that have been instituted by the council. The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of city government.
Incumbent mayorShirley Franklinwas prevented byterm limitsfrom running for another term in 2009.[1]
The four leading mayoral candidates, based on standing in polls, took part in a final debate sponsored by theAtlanta Journal-ConstitutionandWSB-TVwere City Council PresidentLisa Borders,City CouncilwomanMary Norwood,state SenatorKasim Reed,and attorney Jesse Spikes. Minor candidates included Peter Brownlowe, Kyle Keyser, and write-in candidates.[2]Previously on October 14, 2009, Emory University sponsored a debate which included the six front running candidates.[3]
Mary Norwood received the most votes in the November election but did not win a majority. Therefore, she and Kasim Reed, who placed second, advanced to a runoff where Kasim Reed won the election.
Results[edit]
First round[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mary Norwood | 36,091 | 45.81% | |
| Nonpartisan | Kasim Reed | 28,640 | 36.35% | |
| Nonpartisan | Lisa Borders | 11,389 | 14.46% | |
| Nonpartisan | Jesse Spikes | 1,943 | 2.47% | |
| Nonpartisan | Kyle Keyser | 579 | 0.74% | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Brownlowe | 101 | 0.12% | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 67 | 0.09% | |
| Total votes | 78,790 | 100% | ||
Runoff[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Kasim Reed | 42,549 | 50.42% | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Norwood | 41,835 | 49.58% | |
| Total votes | 84,383 | 100% | ||
City Council members and President of the City Council[edit]
The city council has fifteen members. The council's role is to advise the mayor and passlocal ordinances.Twelve are elected insingle-member districtsby area, while three are electedat-largefrom one-third (four) of the 12 voting districts (referred to as "posts" ).
The President of the Council is elected from the city at-large and is thepresiding officerof the Council, acting as chair of all Council meetings. The President of the Council votes on the Councilonly in case of a tie.The President of the Council appoints chairs and members of the various committees, subject to rejection by a majority of the council and also acts as acting mayor (exercising all powers and discharging all duties of the mayor) in case of a vacancy in that office or during the disability of the mayor.
There were three candidates for Council President:Ceasar C. Mitchell,Clair McLeod Muller, and Dave Gregory Walker.[8]
Mitchell placed first in the November election, with 48.67% of the vote, but not a majority.[2]Therefore, he and Muller, who placed second, advanced to a December runoff.
Board of education[edit]
The Atlanta Board of Education establishes and approves the policies that govern theAtlanta Public Schools.The board consists of nine members, representing six geographical districts and three "at-large" districts. One person is elected per district to represent the schools in a given district for a four-year term.
City of Atlanta Municipal Court Judges[edit]
The following current City of Atlanta Municipal Court Judges were on the November 3, 2009 ballots for either dismissal or retention:
- Deborah S. Greene (Chief Judge)
- Howard R. Johnson
- Clinton E. Deveaux
- Andrew A. Mickle
- Barbara A. Harris
- Catherine E. Malicki
- Elaine L. Carlisle
- Herman L. Sloan
- Calvin S. Graves
- Gary E. Jackson
- Crystal A. Gaines
All the judges were retained.
References[edit]
- ^Salzer, James; Deans, Bob; Kanell, Michael E.; Bradley, Mark (January 4, 2009)."There's plenty on our plates: 2009 may be a bumpy year, but it's not likely to be boring".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Archivedfrom the original on June 4, 2011.RetrievedAugust 11,2009.
- ^ab"Election Summary Report"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 21, 2011.
- ^"Emory to Host Atlanta Mayoral Candidates' Forum".Emory University.October 7, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 11, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 4,2010.
- ^"Election Summary Report Fulton County, Georgia General and Special Municipal Election November 3, 2009 Official and Complete".Fulton County.Archivedfrom the original on November 22, 2020.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"DeKalb County Municipal and Special Election Official and Complete Election Summary November 3, 2009"(PDF).DeKalb County, Georgia.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 22, 2020.RetrievedMay 31,2020.
- ^"Election Summary Report Fulton County, Georgia General Municipal Election Runoff Recount December 9, 2009 Official and Complete".Fulton County.Archivedfrom the original on September 4, 2020.RetrievedMay 30,2020.
- ^"DeKalb County Municipal and Special Runoff Election Official and Final Election Summary December 1, 2009"(PDF).DeKalb County, Georgia.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 22, 2020.RetrievedMay 31,2020.
- ^Hunt, April (September 14, 2009)."Candidates run for city posts".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Archivedfrom the original on October 30, 2009.RetrievedNovember 3,2009.