At a sparsely populated Nov. 21 candidate forum, Capital B reporter Chauncey Alcorn asked the two candidates for the Atlanta City Council Post 3 at-large seat: What differentiates you from your opponent?
It’s been a standing question since the race for the vacant Atlanta City Council seat went into a runoff election. On Nov. 5, Atlantans narrowed the field from five candidates to two: Dr. Nicole “Nikki” Evans Jones and Eshé Collins.
Neither candidate received the required 50 percent of votes to win. Jones came out with about 40 percent of the vote, and Collins received about 25 percent. Now, the duo will finish out the race with a Dec. 3 runoff election.
But with only a week until voting closes, Jones and Collins face an uphill battle on two major fronts: getting voters to turn out and getting voters to see the difference.
At the Nov. 21 forum, Alcorn said he’s received feedback that both candidates sound “very similar” in terms of their backgrounds and policy platforms. The duo struggled to differentiate themselves at a forum hosted by the Atlanta Center for Civic Innovation earlier this month.
“I think it is clear that our alignment on policy issues are, you know, around the same, but I do think we have an opportunity to really elect someone with the actual experience of this space,” Collins said.
Collins emphasized that she’s the only candidate to be elected to public office. The civil rights attorney has served on the Atlanta Board of Education since 2013. As a board member, she’s worked around policy and budgeting – Collins said that makes her a “day one” candidate.
When Alcorn presented the question to Jones, she said her philosophy is about doing your best “whatever station of life you’re in.” She referenced her experience as a public school principal, where she balanced school budgets, raised student achievement and provided leadership.
“I think that when you have had experience at the table, then your experience should be impactful on your big goals,” Jones said.
Neither candidate focused on the difference between their policies, though – and there are changes between platforms. They come down to details. Both list “public safety” as a core to their platform, but Collins wants community policing, addressing the root of crime and trust between law enforcement and residents. Jones wants improved police recruitment and retention, de-escalation training, pre-arrest diversion, and rental support funding for public safety officers. In a questionnaire, she supported the “investment in the Public Safety Training Center.”
At the Nov. 21 transit and urbanism forum hosted by MARTA Army and Beltline Rail Now, the candidates honed in on housing and transit policies. Both Collins and Jones list affordable housing and living as their top priorities.
Their platforms are differentiated mostly around issues like transit and Beltline rail.
Collins came out in favor of light rail around the 22-mile trail loop. She said it’s “unfortunate” that the issue has become divisive because it was passed by citizens through the More MARTA referendum in 2016.
“I do think that is key for us to not only explore but move forward in the development of that interfaced approach,” Collins said.
The attorney said Beltline rail needs to be embedded in project conversations. Jones took a less definitive stance on the light rail project.
“I am for transit on the Beltline, I look at it as a civil rights and American Disabilities Act focus to make it more equitable for those who cannot walk on the Beltline,” Jones said. “Now what that looks like, we’ve got to talk about that.”
Jones said the original plans that stalled decades ago “may not work now.”
The candidate reiterated that she wants to be on the transit committee, particularly to improve the city’s flawed MARTA system by expanding Bus Rapid Transit, improving running times and eventually adding rail “where it makes sense.”
Both candidates are strong supporters of improved public transit in the city, even if their approaches vary. Some of those differences came to light at the Nov. 21 forum, but the audience listening to the detailed breakdowns was small.
Only about 20 people turned out to the Sylvan Hills Middle School auditorium to hear from the candidates. Several were reporters. It’s a tiny crowd, particularly when the city has an approximate population of 500,000.
The people in attendance were engaged, though. They asked questions about MARTA improvements and public school support and proposed infill stations across the city. Neither candidate knew all four proposed stations.
But the turnout displays a second challenge for the duo: getting people to the polls. They’re fighting the hurdle of typically low turnout for city races. The Nov. 5 election saw a boost in votes, likely due to the turnout of voters for the presidential election. About 179,000 people voted in total for the city council race.
Residents and the candidates alike have said some people struggled to make a choice in the Nov. 5 election, often stumped by a lack of party affiliation for each candidate. Some left the council ballot blank.
In years past, even fewer people have voted. Less than 80,000 people voted in the 2021 runoff election that put Mayor Andre Dickens in office.
There’s no guarantee that the people who voted on Nov. 5 will return for the runoff election on Dec.3, particularly to choose between candidates with similar platforms. But forum attendee and MARTA Army Board Member Carden Wyckoff presented another issue.
Wyckoff said she wasn’t impressed by the forum, especially when it came to transit discussions.
“They seem very out of touch with transit, and they don’t seem to be riders of it,” Wyckoff said.
The voter said she’s past “storytelling” and wants to know specifically what each candidate is doing in their first 90 days.
“I need specifics,” Wyckoff said. “I’m about to vote for you, I need to know.”
Early voting for the Atlanta City Council Post 3 at-large seat is open now. The runoff election is Dec. 3, 2024.
We had a chance to elect a true Atlanta trailblazer with Amber Conner. Unfortunately once the Mayor decided to support his former girlfriend, common sense went out the window. At this point it doesn’t matter which one wins because they are both the same. And both have nearly identical positions as the others on city council who continue to make empty promises and yet are still elected year after year.