Patch Analysis: Brookhaven's City Council Runoffs

On Tuesday, Dec. 4, Brookhaven residents head to the polls once again to choose the new city’s first mayor, and also complete the election of its first city council.

On Monday, Patch analyzed the mayoral runoff. Here is our look at the three city council races that will be decided one week from today:

DISTRICT 1

On Nov. 6, Rebecca Chase Williams finished the race with a commanding 45 percent of the vote in a five-candidate race. Her closest competitor, Kevin Fitzpatrick, tallied 19 percent of the vote.

Williams won all four of District 1’s precincts. Her closest margin of victory came in the smallest precinct, Kittredge Brookhaven, where she finished with 38 percent of the vote, compared to Fitzpatrick’s 31 percent.

Williams has also been endorsed by third-place finisher Alan Cole, who fell 50 votes short of making the runoff himself.

Both candidates are well-financed. Williams has raised more than $31,000 for her campaign, while Fitzpatrick has raised more than $21,000, according to data from recent filings.

Unlike other campaigns this year, the issue over whether Brookhaven should have become a city in the first place, isn’t lingering in District 1. Brookhaven’s northernmost district was one of the birthplaces of the cityhood movement, and the community voted strongly in favor of cityhood on July 31.

More than 5,700 voters turned out on Nov. 6, representing 36 percent of all votes cast in Brookhaven on that day.

Our take: Nothing has happened to make Patch believe that Williams has lost any of her Nov. 6 mojo.

DISTRICT 3

If anyone shirks their electoral duty with the excuse that one vote doesn’t make a difference, tell them to look at this race. Only 10 votes separated first-place finisher Bates Mattison and Kevin Quirk.

This was Brookhaven’s most crowded race, with nine candidates seeking the position. So far there’s been only one endorsement; third-place finisher Deborah Anthony endorsed Quirk shortly after the election.

Quirk won three of District 3’s five precincts, including the all-important Silver Lake precinct, where 49 percent of the district’s overall votes were cast. Quirk won the precinct, 28 percent to Mattison’s 19 percent.

If Anthony’s endorsement means anything at all, it may come in the Briarwood and Brookhaven precincts, where she finished second behind Mattison, and in the Ashford-Dunwoody Road precinct, where she came in second behind Quirk. She also finished second in the Cross Keys High precinct, which another candidate, Julia Russo, won.

Our take: A toss up. It’s anybody’s guess. But don’t be surprised if the margin of victory is as razor thin as Nov. 6.

DISTRICT 4

Joe Gebbia finished first in this race on Nov. 6, winning 40 percent of the vote, compared to Karen Lord’s 34 percent. Kerry Witt finished in third, with 26 percent.

Gebbia won three of District 4’s precincts: Briarwood, Cross Keys High and Woodward Elementary. Lord won the Montclair Elementary precinct.

Gebbia seems to have a much higher profile than Lord. During Monday night's Brookhaven runoff debate, Lord was the only candidate who was not in attendance, or have a representative present.

Nonetheless, Lord defeated Witt - who was endorsed by the Atlanta Board of Realtors and had a higher media presence - with a strong, door-to-door campaign organization. 

District 4 had the lowest turnout of any other Brookhaven race on Nov. 6, with 2,068 votes cast. It also has Brookhaven's highest concentration of Hispanic residents and the most Buford Highway frontage of any city council district.

Our take: Leaning Gebbia, if only on the surface. But watch out for a possible strong showing from Lord, even enough to win the seat.

Related Items:

Police, Zoning, Hispanic Outreach Among Topics In Brookhaven Runoff Debate.

District 2: The Wild Card In Brookhaven's Mayoral Runoff?

Brookhaven Runoffs: Who Has Your Support?

Your Complete Guide To Brookhaven Elections.

Crowded Brookhaven City Council Races Result In Runoffs.