Fulton County commission flips to Democratic majority with new chairwoman

ATLANTA - Voters reshaped the political balance of Fulton County government Tuesday night, electing a new chairwoman and expanding Democratic control to six of seven commission seats.

Fulton County commission election

What we know:

Chairwoman-elect Mo Ivory secured victory to lead the Fulton County Board of Commissioners alongside four newly elected leaders. Longtime Chairman Robb Pitts lost his position in the May primary. Republican nominee Eric Tatum lost his bid Tuesday night. 

"The residents in Fulton county have made their voices heard loud and clear … that they want new leadership in Fulton county," Ivory said.

Ivory will preside over a commission where six of the seven members are Democrats. She will be joined on the board by District 1 Commissioner-elect Maggie Goldman, District 3 Commissioner-elect Jodi Merriday, District 4 Commissioner-elect Rohit Malhotra and District 5 Commissioner Helen Willis.

Ivory said she and the incoming board members have already begun working as a team. She also extended an invitation to the lone Republican on the board to collaborate with the six Democrats to address community needs.

"I am going to be the first African-American, Latina, female Chair, who is a lawyer," Ivory said. "And that means something to me and I am going to read and I am going to research and I am going to be all in it, understanding what it is," 

County jail reform plans

What they're saying:

Ivory highlighted overcrowding and poor conditions at the Rice Street jail as her immediate focus upon taking office. She noted that plans may pivot following the county's acquisition of the Atlanta City Detention Center.

"We have plans to build a new fqcility, when that plan was in place," Ivory said. "We had not contemplated the sale of AC/DC to the county. So there has been a change since that happened. I want to point out that I never voted for that new Jail. In that proposal I was the only commissioner that did not vote for that plan so we're gonna look at things and we're gonna figure out if that's the best plan moving forward."

Ivory also pledged to restore decorum to public meetings following past combative commission arguments. She plans to alleviate jail crowding by boosting funding for county courts, suggesting a forensic budget audit could locate necessary dollars.

When asked whether unused money exists in the county budget, Ivory expressed confidence.

"Yeah I do," Ivory said. "I think so-we are gonna have to. People are hurting."

Additional county priorities

The backstory:

Beyond jail conditions, Ivory pointed to a broader slate of goals for the new commission, including building a new hospital and protecting local elections. She maintained that restructuring existing budget allocations will help fulfill those commitments.

Forensic audit timeline

What we don't know:

County officials have not announced a specific date for launching the forensic budget audit or detailed the scope of any potential revisions to previous jail construction plans.

Commission term transition

What's next:

Ivory and the incoming commissioners will be sworn-in in January, with the exception of Malhotra, who will be sworn in just days from now because he was elected during a special election to fill Ivory's vacated seat.