Polls open Tuesday to decide Mableton's first mayor, city council

MABLETON, Ga. - The city of Mableton will be decided who its inaugural leaders will be during Tuesday's election. Fifteen different precincts will be opening to pick six city council members and its first mayor.

The election comes just days after a measure failed in the Georgia Legislature that would allow some areas to de-annex from the newly formed city.

Many of the 28 candidates were out Monday evening waving signs and knocking on doors. Turnout for early voting was lower than expected. Only about 2,500 of the more than 47,000 registered voters cast their ballots.

"Turnout has been very slow," said Cobb County Elections Dir. Janine Eveler.

Eveler says they have had plenty of people calling with questions, despite their best efforts to get the word out. Eveler says they mailed out letters, put videos with information on the county website, social media, and even had a couple of town halls.

"A lot of people have said they weren't aware they were in the city," said Eveler.

In the short time Mableton has been a city, things have not gone smoothly. Hundreds signed a petition, and had town halls, trying to de-annex their neighborhoods from the city.

State Rep. Terry Cummings even tried to come up with legislation that would change the boundaries, but didn't have time to get it in during this legislative session. 

"It just got too complicated to try to resolve, and the deadline was really Friday. It ran into snag, after snag, after snag," said Rep. Cummings.

Rep. Cummings says she's not done yet, she'll still be there for the residents, and maybe it will come up at a later time.

In the meantime, candidates for Mableton Mayor and council are spending the final moments trying to get people to the polls.

When is the Mableton City election?

The polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on March 21. 

For those not sure if they live within the city of Mableton, they can go to the Cobb County Government website at CobbCounty.org, type in an address, and it will show if it is within the city limits. There are also sample ballots. 

Who is running for Mableton mayor?

Those on the ballot for Tuesday’s election vying to be Mableton’s first may include

Aaron Carman - A business unit executive and sales manager with just under two and a half decades of experience. 

LaTonia Long - A public policy manager who has worked closely with the Georgia Legislation. 

Michael Murphy - A business owner and long-time Mableton resident.

Michael Owens - A cybersecurity executive, former Cobb County Democratic Party chair, and Marine veteran.

Who is running for Mableton City Council?

About two dozen candidates are vying for the Mableton’s six district seats. 

They are:

For Mableton City Council District 1

Ron S. Davis - A semi-retired business owner and long-time Mableton resident

DeBorah Johnson - Community organizer and first Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia - Cobb African American Caucus.

For Mableton City Council District 2

Monica Evette Delancy - An educator and non-profit executive director.

Dami Oladapo - An IT strategy and operations executive.

Kisha N. Scott - A product and merchant marketer.

For Mableton City Council District 3

Victor Arnold - A business owner.

Keisha Jeffcoat - A product leader and Army veteran.

Barry Tyler Krebs - A sales manager with more than four decades of experience and long-time resident.

Yashica Marshall - An attorney.

Williams Wilson - A consultant and long-time resident

For Mableton City Council District 4

Jennifer Anthony - An educator and school administrator.

Patricia J. Auch - A regulatory affairs associate.

Cassandra Lynn Brown - A director of sales with more than two decades of experience.

Heidi Dasinger - Marietta Power & Water business development manager

Robert Graham - A paramedic and business owner.

Shanequa E. Moore - A CEO of a community-based agency.

Brian Patrick - The founder of The Patrick Company, a real estate investment firm as well as owner of Genie Clean, a residential and commercial cleaning company.

Robb Pendleton - An associate casting director at Catrett & Associates Casting.

For Mableton City Council District 5

Cheyrl Davis - Works for the State of Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

Chijioke Ebbis - Affordable Housing Regional Asset Manager

TJ Ferguson - An IT sales architect

Stephanie Joy Loose - A certified public accountant and Army veteran.

For Mableton City Council District 6

Ricky Dickens - Withdrew from the race on Feb. 27, 2023.

Debora Herndon - Large-scale real estate

Where are the voting precincts for the Mableton City election?

The 15 polling precincts in Tuesday’s Mableton election are:

BIRNEY 02 - C. Freeman Poole Senior Center, 4025 South Hurt Rd, Smyrna, GA 30082

BRYANT 01 - Trinity United Methodist, 821 South Gordon Rd SW, Austell, GA 30168

BRYANT 02 - Riverside Epicenter, 135 Riverside Parkway, Austell, GA 30168

COOPER 01 - Calvary Baptist Church of Austell, 4780 Flint Hill Rd SW, Austell, GA 30106

HARMONY-LELAND 01 – S. Cobb Comm. Ctr, 620 Lions Club Dr, Mableton, GA 30126

HARMONY-LELAND 02 - Impact Worship Ctr., 6925 Mableton Pkwy, Mableton, GA 30126

LINDLEY 01 - Lindley Middle School, 50 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Mableton, GA 30126

MABLETON 01 - S. Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Rd, Mableton, GA 30126

MABLETON 02 - Mableton Elementary School, 5220 Church St SW, Mableton, GA 30126

MABLETON 03 - Thompson Comm. Ctr., 555 Nickajack Rd SE, Mableton, GA 30126

MABLETON 04 - Floyd Middle School, 4803 Floyd Rd, Mableton, GA 30126

OREGON 02 - Worship with Wonders Church, 1887 Powder Springs Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30064

PEBBLEBROOK 01 - Mableton Banquet Hall, 6114 Mableton Pkwy SW, Mableton, GA 30126

RIVERSIDE 01 - City View Elementary School, 285 S Gordon Rd SW, Mableton, GA 30126

SWEETWATER 02 - Floyd Road Baptist Church, 3996 Floyd Rd, Austell, GA 30106

To learn more about the election, visit cobbcounty.org/elections.