South Fulton Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs launched her campaign for mayor on Sunday.
Gumbs has served on the city council since South Fulton’s first election in 2017.
She announced her candidacy during a time that Mayor Khalid Kamau is under scrutiny for alleged “unauthorized use of city resources” and was temporarily barred from city hall in February.
The mayor did not return a call for comment to SaportaReport.
Gumbs’ announcement took place at Renaissance Church of Christ in South Fulton. She said that as mayor, she would prioritize growth and development that would benefit residents and create jobs.
She also addressed concerns about the growing interest of companies to build data centers in the southern part of Fulton County.
Residents have said that they are weary of warehouses in place of walkable communities and amenities.
“Smart growth is about making sure that everything has its place,” Gumbs said. “Making sure that it is in the right location and not backed up to our housing…”
During the South Metro Development Outlook Conference in February, government officials said data centers have been welcomed because of the property tax revenue they bring to jurisdictions.
Gumbs’ platform promises include working with neighboring cities on shared infrastructure and economic projects.
South Fulton residents are impacted by a controversial project underway in College Park.
Three South Fulton residents are suing the city of College Park and NextEra Energy Resources. The company owns a College Park property that abuts a South Fulton community and would house a lithium-ion battery energy storage plant.
College Park officials approved rezoning for the land a year ago during a meeting in which no advance public notice was provided for the measure. The project was an issue that South Fulton residents had objected to for years.
Note: SaportaReport will report on more candidate announcements in metro Atlanta cities throughout the year.
