South Fulton voters deny embattled mayor a 2nd term; race going to runoff
Voters in South Fulton have decided not to give the city's mayor a second term, but who will replace him remains uncertain.
On Tuesday, Mayor Khalid Kamau, who goes by Mayor Kobi, received a little more than 4.7% of the votes, placing him sixth, according to data from the Secretary of State's Office.
With no candidate making the threshold of 50% plus one vote, the race will go to a runoff between Councilmember Carmalitha L. Gumbs and two-term Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Mark Baker. Whoever wins will be the city's third mayor.
Also on December's ballot will be multiple seats on the South Fulton City Council.
Controversy in the South Fulton mayor's office
During his time in office, Kamau has fought with the City Council over allegations that he spent tens of thousands of dollars of the city's funds without approval.
In April, Kamau announced at a City Council meeting that he would not be seeking re-election, pointing to the position's annual salary of $47,000 as the reason.
"To keep this promise of doing this job full-time and this job only, I have sold my mother's house. I've been on food stamps and turned down some pretty good job offers," Kamau said. The mayor also announced that he would be "scaling back" his work during the remainder of his time in office.
Kamau had previously asked the City Council to raise his pay to $85,000. That request was denied.
In August, Kamau said he had reversed his decision and would be running in November's election. He faced eight other challengers, including Gumbs, Baker, and former Mayor William "Bill" Edwards.
South Fulton City Council results
District 2:
In the only City Council race without an incumbent, voters will decide between Aaron Johnson, the chief of staff to outgoing Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman, and attorney Stephanie G. Johnson.
District 4:
While incumbent Councilmember Jaceey Sebastian received the most votes in Tuesday's election, it was not enough to prevent a runoff. He will face Kenya Jordan Moore in December.
District 6
Incumbent Councilmember Natasha Williams was reelected to her seat, defeating business owner Tashima Freeman.