Board approves Cathy Woolard as Fulton County's top election official
ATLANTA - Fulton County approved a new head of the county’s Board of Registration and Election.
Cathy Woolard, a former Atlanta City Council president and Atlanta mayoral candidate, was approved this week by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to serve in the roll. Woolard was nominated last week by Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts.
"The Chair of the Board of Registration and Elections is a presiding role and there’s nobody better to carry out those duties than a former President of the Atlanta City Council," said Chairman Pitts. "I have personally served alongside Ms. Woolard and know that she is the right choice to lead the Board of Registration and Elections during this unprecedented time."
Woolard thanks the chairman for the opportunity and said she was ready to get to work in a series of tweets Wednesday evening:
"My experience as a candidate and as presiding officer of the Atlanta City Council gives me perspective and context for the challenges we face as voters and public servants conducting safe and fair elections. I look forward to getting started."
"Thanks to FulCo Chairman Pitts and members of the Commission for supporting my appointment as Chair of the Board of Registration and Elections."
Cathy Woolard
Woolard’s appointment is not without scrutiny. Tuesday, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger criticized the county’s choice in series of tweets that read:
"Fulton County needs to think again before appointing someone who is bought and paid for by Stacey Abrams to run elections in Fulton County."
"Appointing such a blatantly partisan and conflicted individual, who is literally on Stacey Abrams’s payroll, will do incredible damage to the already terrible reputation Fulton has for running elections."
"If the Fulton County Commissioners go through with this partisan and irresponsible selection, I will seek the removal of Fulton’s entire election board through SB202, Georgia’s new election law."
Pitts took the opportunity of Woolard’s approval to rebuff Secretary Raffensperger’s disapproval.
"As desperate as he might be for a cheap political victory, Secretary of State Raffensperger does not have the authority to unilaterally remove Fulton’s elections board," stated Pitts. "Cathy Woolward is a longtime public servant who is well qualified for this role and has a history of participating in elections. Secretary of State Raffensperger knows this but he’s more concerned with playing political games and appeasing believers of the Big Lie than he is with reality. Rather than work to make voting easier for Fulton County's residents, Secretary of State Raffensperger is once more siding with the conspiracy theorists."
"I wish we had a Secretary of State who cared as much about Fulton County’s voters as he did about winning his upcoming primary, but unfortunately we do not. Thankfully, here in Fulton County, we now have Ms. Woolard to fill the void where his leadership has failed," Chairman Pitts concluded.
Woolard, in addition to her notable public service, also has her own public affairs consulting firm and is a panelist on The Georgia Gang which airs every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on FOX 5 Atlanta.
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