Candidates for Atlanta city council meet face-to-face ahead of runoff

ATLANTA - The two candidates running for Atlanta’s Post 3 At-Large City Council seat shared similar visions for the city at a forum Tuesday evening in Buckhead at the Piedmont Center.

"I'm running to put neighborhoods first," Nicole Jones, candidate for Atlanta City Council Post 3 At-Large, said.

"For me, [it’s] continuing to fight for a city that’s for us, for all of us," Eshé Collins, candidate for Atlanta City Council Post 3 At-Large, said.

Jones, a former administrator for Atlanta Public Schools who now owns a small business, and Collins, a civil rights attorney serving on the Atlanta Board of Education, are vying to replace Keisha Waites, who stepped down earlier this year. 

Both candidates said they would take a different approach to the role than she did.

"I will be way more present, I think, [than someone who] never stepped down," Jones said. "And then I want to ensure that the council is an independent body."

"One thing that I’ve heard from the community a lot is [the need for] someone that is actually present and engaged," Collins said.

On Election Day, Jones received about 40% of the vote, while Collins earned approximately 25%. Amber Conner, who moderated the sparsely attended forum, also ran in the general election, but did not qualify for the runoff.

The candidates were asked about the controversial proposal to increase pay for city officials—76% for council members and 133% for Board of Education members. Neither candidate ruled out supporting the raises.

Nicole Evans Jones 

"People who have the role currently, it is a part-time job," Jones said. "They have another job. I think there's an advantage to making this a full-time job."

"It’s the level of responsiveness, the accountability, and the roles and responsibilities that our community truly want their elected officials and their representation to actually have," Collins said.

Eshé Collins

At the end of the forum, FOX 5 pressed the candidates on what distinguishes them from their opponent.

"I think it’s the impact part," Jones said. "You can talk a lot, but what have you done with the power that you have?"

"I definitely think the distinguishing factor is that, you know, [I] truly have the experience [of] being able to talk about the work but also leading the work," Collins said.

When asked about the biggest issue facing Atlanta, Collins said, "We have to [build] a city to address affordability and be more aggressive and more innovative."

Jones responded, "I think at the root, most of [the] issues are jobs and job training."

Nicole Evans Jones and Eshé Collins

The runoff election will take place on Dec. 3, with early voting starting Saturday. 

Registered voters, including those who did not vote for this seat in the general election, are eligible to vote in the race.