Dr. Nicole “Nikki” Evans Jones and Eshé Collins are headed to a runoff election for the Atlanta City Council Post 3 at-large seat after neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote.
The Atlanta Center for Civic Innovation called the race at 10:15 p.m. and declared the duo would head into a runoff election on Dec. 3, 2024.
Neither candidate made it to the 50 percent point required to win, but Jones came out ahead with 39 percent of the vote, while Collins received 25 percent.
It narrows the competitive field from five candidates to two. The pair will face off in a runoff election for the shortened council term.
Council member Keisha Waites freed up the seat in March when she stepped down from the role to run for the Fulton County Clerk of Superior and Magistrate Courts.
Whoever wins the runoff race will serve the rest of Waite’s four-year term ending December 2025 before the position opens up again.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution election results showed just under 200,000 people voted in the local race. There were some upsets – the Atlanta Community Press Collective predicted Eshé Collins and Devin Barrington-Ward would head to runoff.
Barrington-Ward got the fourth fewest voted, raking in only 13.7 percent of the ballot. Amber Connor came out slightly ahead with 15 percent of the vote.
Candidate Duvwon Robinson rounded out the race with about 6 percent of the vote.
The two candidates facing off in the upcoming runoff race are each fixtures in the city.
Dr. Nicole Evans Jones is a lifelong Atlantan, former Atlanta Public Schools employee and small business owner. Jones owns 360 Strategy Consulting and hosts “Townhouse Talks” on Instagram Live where she holds chats from her home.
The council candidate has a Bachelor’s degree from Howard University in political science and a Master’s and Doctorate in Educational leadership from Clark Atlanta University. Jones is also known for her public relationship with current Mayor Andre Dickens, though the two are no longer together.
Her campaign focuses on “putting neighborhoods first”,” with a focus on three major areas: public safety, housing and transportation.
Jones committed to prioritizing recruitment and retention of public safety officers alongside increased funding for 311 and pre-arrest diversion programs. In the transportation realm, she is focused on sidewalks and bike infrastructure, finishing the Beltline trail and adding rapid transit to Campbellton Road.
The candidate is in favor of “attainable housing” through rezoning that allows for accessory dwellings and multi-family homes. Jones committed to fighting against blight and fully funding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Eshé Collins is another Atlanta fixture, though her tenure is in the education sector. She has been on the Atlanta Board of Education since her election in 2013 – she was reelected in 2017 and 2021. Collins was previously the board chair and vice chair.
Today, she represents District 6. The board member didn’t step down to campaign for her election and does not intend to give up the position unless she wins the council race. Collins’ board term ends in November 2025.
The board member was born and raised in Atlanta. Collins is also a civil rights lawyer with a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Spelman College, a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University and a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Across the legal and educational fields, Collins has received honors from Georgia Trend, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Atlanta Business League. She also received the Martin Luther King Torch of Peace Award and the President’s Award for Community Service and Social Justice.
Collins’ campaign is broken into three focus areas: equitable development, education and youth empowerment and environmental sustainability. The candidate said she aims to invest in small businesses, create programs to support education and youth advancement and pass “innovative and sustainable policies” to help the environment.
While the candidates have not yet announced individual campaign plans in the weeks leading up to Dec. 3, the Center for Civic Innovation announced a virtual and in person “runoff forum” on Nov. 12 at 460 Edgewood Ave NE.
The forum follows in the nonprofit’s trend of bringing together candidates to break down their stances on key issues.
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