2 Vying For Atlanta City Council President: General Election Guide

ATLANTA, GA — A longtime Atlanta City Council member is hoping to now head the local council as its president with a win Tuesday in the general election.

But first, Marci Collier Overstreet must get past Rohit Malhotra, founder and executive director of Atlanta Civic Center for Innovation.

Overstreet has served as Atlanta City Council District 11 member since 2018, working for residents in the city's southwest region. There, she focused on drawing a surge in access to fresh food and public transit while bettering emergency services in the district, according to her biography.

Aiming for his chance at becoming council president is Malhotra, whose background includes social entrepreneurship, digital communications, open data and community organizing. His work consists of serving in a White House fellowship role specializing in social impact bond efforts for the Obama administration, according to his biography.

During the Atlanta Press Club's debate this month, the question arose of Atlanta's $30 million-plus deficit that led to layoffs at the Atlanta City Hall and other departmental cuts last year. Moderators said spending on police overtime was a contributing factor.

Overstreet said her plans are to adjust overtime, maintain the city's AAA bond rating (which indicates the strength of investments) and identify vacancies within the local police department. She noted Atlanta has established a vacancy review board.

"Serving on City Council for the past eight years has been a complete pleasure, and I have actually participated actively in the last eight budgets," Overstreet said. "The City of Atlanta is in excellent standing. We have a triple A bond rating, and I will continue to do the work to make sure that we remain triple A in our bond rating."

Malhotra, with no local government experience, said his career has lived in the world of public service. He noted the Atlanta Civic Center for Innovation has spent a decade partnering with the Atlanta City Council on multiple policies, including "dissecting the budget" for the council.

"I don't think your experience is measured by how long you've been in politics, but instead how long you've been doing the work," he said. "… We can catch things like a $30-million dollar shortfall. We can catch those things ahead of time if we're able to look at the intricate details of the budget."

Overstreet was put in the hot seat when accused of not speaking up when a fellow councilmember was suspected of calling Black people in southwest Atlanta "thugs and felons."

Additionally, Malhotra said Overstreet hosted Black History luncheons with GOP-Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who Malhotra said strived to remove Black History from schools.

Other accusations involved Overstreet's senior campaign member, who was suspected of emailing threats targeting Malhotra and his family.

"Actually, none of that is accurate," Overstreet said. "I am a Black woman raised by the city that I love very much, and I actually have Black children and a Black husband, so I have not been one that would be silent about any type of racism that would happen around the City of Atlanta. ... I will always speak up for those that need us the most."

Flipping the question, Overstreet demanded Malhotra speak on his campaign's alleged divisiveness.

"Being divisive is a smokescreen, but you and no one else would ever be able to call me racist or staying silent when we're talking about people that I know well and I love, so that is incorrect," Overstreet said. "I would hope you do a little more research."

Her response did not sit well with Malhotra, who said the concern should be the issues at hand rather than identity. He denied wanting to be divisiveness.

Overstreet brought up the matter of Malhotra's company reported losing almost $400,000 last year, though he has secured a 200 percent raise for himself in past years. She questioned how Malhotra's initiatives "could not be considered public safety hazards."

"We have given out millions of dollars to Black-led organizations in this city who are working on issues of food insecurity, who are working on issues that really matter for people today," Malhotra said. " ... It is very important that we get our facts straight. I am proud of the endorsements that I have. I am proud to earn the support of community every step of the way and proud of the work of Atlanta Civic Center for Innovation."

Candidates also faced questions of extreme federal overreach from the Trump administration, the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, transit and the Atlanta Detention Center.

Here is a full list of Atlanta City Council races.

How To Vote

Georgia voters have until Nov. 4 to cast their ballots in their local municipal races. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, as long as people are in line by 7 p.m., they will be allowed to vote.

Absentee ballots need to be returned before polls close on Election Day to be counted. Voters have several options to request absentee ballots and for returning the completed ballots.

If there is a runoff, it will be held on Dec. 2. The last day to register to vote in the runoff will be on Monday, Nov. 24.

Early voting will start no later than Nov. 24 and will last for two days.

Election officials said absentee ballots in the runoff will be mailed as soon as possible.

Voters should go to the My Voter Page to determine their eligibility to vote and to locate their polling place and early voting location. Voters can also confirm their current addresses and view sample ballots.

A sample ballot for Fulton County can be found online.