2023 Mableton mayoral election

This article was nominated for deletion. The discussion was closed on 9 February 2024 with a consensus to merge the content into the article Mableton, Georgia#Government. If you find that such action has not been taken promptly, please consider assisting in the merger instead of re-nominating the article for deletion. To discuss the merger, please use the destination article's talk page. (February 2024)

|

2023 Mableton mayoral election |  | March 21, 2023 (first round)
April 18, 2023 (runoff) | 2027 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Candidate  | Michael Owens | Aaron Carman
First round  | 1,846
31% | 2,162
36%
Second round  | 3,396
56% | 2,703
44%

* * *

|  |
Candidate  | LaTonia Long  | Michael Murphy
First round  | 1,472
24%  | 561

* * *

|  | Elected mayor

Michael Owens
Democratic

|

Elections in Georgia

Federal government

|  Presidential elections

* 1788–89
* 1792
* 1796
* 1800
* 1804
* 1808
* 1812
* 1816
* 1820
* 1824
* 1828
* 1832
* 1836
* 1840
* 1844
* 1848
* 1852
* 1856
* 1860
* 1868
* 1872
* 1876
* 1880
* 1884
* 1888
* 1892
* 1896
* 1900
* 1904
* 1908
* 1912
* 1916
* 1920
* 1924
* 1928
* 1932
* 1936
* 1940
* 1944
* 1948
* 1952
* 1956
* 1960
* 1964
* 1968
* 1972
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Presidential primaries

Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2016
2020
2024

Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections

* 1789
* 1792
* 1793
* 1794
* 1795
* 1798
* 1799
* 1800
* 1804
* 1806
* 1813
* 1816
* 1818
* 1819
* 1823
* 1824
* 1825
* 1828
* 1834
* 1837
* 1840
* 1843
* 1846
* 1847
* 1852
* 1858
* 1867
* 1871
* 1873
* 1877
* 1879
* 1883
* 1885
* 1888
* 1891
* 1894
* 1896
* 1900
* 1902
* 1909
* 1913
* 1914
* 1918
* 1920
* 1924
* 1926
* 1930
* 1932
* 1936
* 1938
* 1942
* 1944
* 1948
* 1950
* 1954
* 1956
* 1960
* 1962
* 1966
* 1968
* 1972
* 1974
* 1978
* 1980
* 1984
* 1986
* 1990
* 1992
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2008
* 2010
* 2014
* 2016
* 2020
* 2022
* 2026
* 2028

U.S. House elections

* 1789
* 1791
* 1792
* 1794
* 1796
* 1798
* 1800
* 1802
* 1804
* 1806
* 1808
* 1810
* 1812
* 1814
* 1816
* 1818
* 1820
* 1822
* 1824
* 1826
* 1828
* 1830
* 1832
* 1834
* 1836
* 1838
* 1840
* 1842
* 1844
* 1846
* 1848
* 1851
* 1853
* 1855
* 1857
* 1859
* 1868
* 1870
* 1872
* 1874
* 1876
* 1878
* 1880
* 1882
* 1884
* 1886
* 1888
* 1890
* 1892
* 1894
* 1896
* 1898
* 1900
* 1902
* 1904
* 1906
* 1908
* 1910
* 1912
* 1914
* 1916
* 1918
* 1920
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930
* 1932
* 1934
* 1936
* 1938
* 1940
* 1942
* 1944
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 6
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 4
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

Special elections

Senate
1796
1806
1807
1809
1813
1816
1818
1819
1821
1824
1828
1829
1833
1835
1837
1845
1880
1882
1894
1907
1911
1914
1922
1932
1972
2000
2020

House
At-large

1801
1802
1803
1806
1812
1813
1816
1819
1824
1829
1831
1835
1836
1837
1841
1843
1844
1st

1792
1827
1879
1906
1931
2nd

1827
1910
1913
1953
3rd

1846
1896
1932
4th

1871
1872
1918
1939
5th

1870
1929
1946
1977
2020
6th

1870
1932
1999
2017
7th

1958
1983
8th

1873
1882
1917
1940
9th

1875
1877
2010
10th

1895
1933
2007

State government

|  State elections

* 2000
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

Gubernatorial elections

* 1825
* 1827
* 1829
* 1831
* 1833
* 1835
* 1837
* 1839
* 1841
* 1843
* 1845
* 1847
* 1849
* 1851
* 1853
* 1855
* 1868
* 1871 (sp)
* 1872
* 1876
* 1880
* 1882
* 1883 (sp)
* 1884
* 1886
* 1888
* 1890
* 1892
* 1894
* 1896
* 1898
* 1900
* 1902
* 1904
* 1906
* 1908
* 1910
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930
* 1932
* 1934
* 1936
* 1938
* 1940
* 1942
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* 1954
* 1958
* 1962
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2006
* 2010
* 2014
* 2018
* 2022
* 2026

Lieutenant gubernatorial elections

* 1990
* 1994
* 1998
* 2002
* 2018
* 2022

Secretary of State elections

* 2018
* 2022

Attorney General elections

* 2022

State Senate elections

* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

House of Representatives elections

* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

Judicial elections

* 2024

Special elections

* Governor
* 1871
* 1883
* 1948

Ballot measures

2004

* Flag referendum
* Amendment 1

2020

* Amendment 1
* Amendment 2
* Tax referendum

Atlanta

|  City elections

* 2009

Mayoral elections

* 1973
* 1977
* 1981
* 1985
* 1989
* 1993
* 1997
* 2001
* 2005
* 2009
* 2013
* 2017
* 2021

Savannah

|  Mayoral elections

* 2015
* 2019
* 2023

Mableton

|  Mayoral elections

* 2023

* v
* t
* e

The 2023 Mableton mayoral election took place on March 21, 2023 in the Atlanta suburb of Mableton, Georgia, with a runoff held on April 18, 2023 as no candidate got 50% of the vote in the general election. Aaron Carman gained the most votes in the first round but lost the runoff to former Cobb County Democratic Committee chair Michael Owens who became the first mayor of Mableton, Georgia in over 100 years.[1] Despite the runoff election being described as historic, only 6,113 votes were cast and voter turnout remained low at 12.9% of 47,200 registered voters.[2][3]

## Background

[edit]

Mableton had previously been incorporated as a city on August 19, 1912 but was disincorporated four years later when a flood overwhelmed its sewer system.[4][5] The nonprofit organization South Cobb Alliance started the campaign for Mableton to be incorporated.[5] Mableton was the last of four proposed new cities in Metro Atlanta to be approved; the other three, East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings, all failed to be incorporated as municipalities in referendums.[6] In May 2022, Brentin Mock of Bloomberg News described the city movement in Metro Atlanta as being "defeated".[6] Though Mock reported that Mableton was different as it was the only one out of the four to have a majority non-white population and is assembling around "principles of diversity, affordability and inclusive voting rights".[5] Politically, Mableton is in Cobb County whose board of commissioners was majority white and Republican for most of its history, until 2020 when it became majority black and Democrat.[5] According to a preliminary analysis from Cobb County, the incorporation of Mableton would result in a net annual loss of $8 million from the city's budget after accounting for the services that the county would no longer provide for it.[5]

In November 2022, the city was reincorporated in an election with 53% of the vote and a margin of just over 1,700 votes.[7] The majority of no votes were concentrated in the north of Mableton, where household income is higher.[8] Human resources director Mark Sette said it was a "power grab" to annex unincorporated areas of north Mableton to "pay for all of the projects that they want down there [in south Mableton]".[8] Thousands of people signed a petition to de-annex areas that voted no from the city.[9] Mableton was different in that the supporters of de-annexation were multi-racial and multi-generational while organizers of similar secession movements tended to be mainly older white residents.[8]

Michael Owens stated that he was not against de-annexation but that his focus was on the majority of Mableton residents who wish to be in the city.[10] LaTonia Long and Michael Murphy both opposed de-annexation.[10] Mayoral candidate Aaron Carman said that he supported the people involved in the de-annexation effort but stated that if the de-annexation efforts do not pass, Mableton needed someone that could "bring the city together".[10] State representative David Wilkerson submitted two de-annexation bills that would have allowed some areas to de-annex from Mableton but both failed in the Georgia General Assembly.[11] A compromise bill in response to the bills submitted by Wilkerson was drafted by state representatives Terry Cummings and Michael Smith but this also failed as it was not published in time.[12][11]

## Candidates

[edit]

* Aaron Carman, sales manager and IT salesman[13]
* LaTonia Long, public policy manager and former chief of staff to state senator Gloria Butler[14] (eliminated in the first round, endorsed Owens in runoff)[15]
* Michael Murphy, business owner, chair of the Georgia Black Republican Council and former aide to Cobb County Chairman Mike Boyce[16][17] (eliminated in the first round, endorsed Owens in runoff)[15]
* Michael Owens, former chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee (2016–2019), candidate for Georgia Secretary of State in 2022, and candidate for Georgia's 13th congressional district in 2014 and 2020[13][18]

## General election

[edit]

### Endorsements

[edit]

Michael Owens

Statewide officials

* Roy Barnes, former governor of Georgia[19]

State legislators

* Erick Allen, former state representative from the 40th District[20]

Local officials

* Ron Davis, Mableton city councilor-elect for District 1[21]
* Craig Owens, Cobb County Sheriff[21]

Labor unions

* Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council[22]

### Fundraising

[edit]

Campaign finance reports as of March 15, 2023

Candidate  | Total raised  | Cash on hand
Aaron Carman  | $9,600  | Not disclosed
LaTonia Long  | $21,940[a] | $7,775
Michael Murphy  | $6,750  | Not disclosed
Michael Owens  | Not disclosed  | Not disclosed
[14]

### First round

[edit]

First round results[23] Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|

Aaron Carman  | 2,162  | 36%
Michael Owens | 1,846  | 31%
LaTonia Long  | 1,472  | 24%
Michael Murphy  | 561  | 9%
Write-in | 43  | 0.7
Total votes  | 6,084  | 100%

### Runoff

[edit]

Second round results[24] Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|

Michael Owens | 3,396  | 55.68%
Aaron Carman  | 2,703  | 44.32%
Write-in | 14  | 0.22%
Total votes  | 6,113  | 100%

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Long and her husband loaned her campaign $3,500.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Mableton first-ever mayor talks his top priorities for Cobb County's largest city". WABE. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
2. ^ "Michael Owens elected mayor of Mableton". Yahoo Sports. April 19, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
3. ^ Zickgraf, Ryan (April 19, 2023). "Turnout, enthusiasm remained low for Mableton's historic runoff elections". Atlanta Civic Circle. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
4. ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (August 20, 2023). "When Mableton first was (and shortly thereafter wasn't) a city". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
5. ^ a b c d e "A Different Kind of Cityhood Movement in Metro Atlanta". Bloomberg. May 26, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 - via www.bloomberg.com.
6. ^ a b "The Cityhood Movement Is Defeated in Metro Atlanta". Bloomberg. May 25, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 - via www.bloomberg.com.
7. ^ Dillon, Denise (November 9, 2022). "Voters choose to incorporate Mableton, making it Georgia's newest city". FOX 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
8. ^ a b c "Residents of Suburban Atlanta's Newest City Are Already Trying to Secede". Bloomberg. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023 - via www.bloomberg.com.
9. ^ Dillon, Denise (January 18, 2023). "Some residents push to de-annex from newly-formed Mableton". FOX 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
10. ^ a b c "Q&A with Mableton mayoral candidates". Yahoo News. February 28, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
11. ^ a b "Mableton de-annexation fails under the Gold Dome". Yahoo Finance. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
12. ^ Dillon, Denise (March 20, 2023). "Polls open Tuesday to decide Mableton's first mayor, city council". FOX 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
13. ^ a b "Mableton City Candidates" (PDF). www.mableton.org. March 21, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
14. ^ a b "LaTonia Long leads fundraising race among Mableton mayoral candidates". Yahoo News. March 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
15. ^ a b "Mableton Mayoral Candidate Michael Owens endorsed by former mayoral candidates". spotlightsouthcobbnews.com. April 3, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
16. ^ "Mableton mayoral candidates offer their plans for trash service". Yahoo Finance. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
17. ^ "Michael Murphy". Georgia Black Republican Council. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
18. ^ "Cobb County Democrat Dr. Michael Owens enters race for Georgia Secretary of State". spotlightsouthcobbnews.com. September 26, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
19. ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (March 3, 2023). "Roy Barnes Endorses Michael Owens In Mableton Mayoral Race". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
20. ^ "News leading up to the election of Mableton mayor and council". spotlightsouthcobbnews.com. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
21. ^ a b Johnson, Larry Felton (April 12, 2023). "Owens receives endorsement from Sheriff Craig Owens, District 1 Councilman-elect Ron Davis in his mayoral bid for Mableton". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
22. ^ Mableton, Michael Owens for Mayor of. "Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council Supports Owens for Mayor". Michael Owens for Mayor of Mableton. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
23. ^ "Election Results: City of Mableton, Clayton County special elections". FOX 5 Atlanta. March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
24. ^ "City of Mableton elects first mayor, city council". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. April 19, 2023. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

(2022 ←)  2023 United States elections (→ 2024)

U.S. House|

* Rhode Island
* 1st sp
* Utah
* 2nd sp
* Virginia
* 4th sp

Governors|

* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Lt. Gov
* Mississippi
* Lt. Gov

Attorneys
general|

* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Mississippi

Secretaries
of state|

* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Mississippi

Other
statewide
races|

* Kentucky
* Agriculture Commissioner
* Auditor
* Treasurer
* Louisiana
* Agriculture Commissioner
* Insurance Commissioner
* Treasurer
* Mississippi
* Agriculture Commissioner
* Auditor
* Insurance Commissioner
* Treasurer
* Pennsylvania
* Superior Court
* Supreme Court
* Wisconsin
* Supreme Court

State
legislatures|

* Louisiana
* House
* Senate
* Mississippi
* House
* Senate
* New Jersey
* Assembly
* Senate
* Virginia
* House
* Senate
* Special elections

Mayors|

* Akron, OH
* Arlington, TX
* Aurora, CO
* Boise, ID
* Bridgeport, CT
* Carmel, IN
* Charlotte, NC
* Chicago, IL
* Colorado Springs, CO
* Columbus, OH
* Dallas, TX
* Denver, CO
* Des Moines, IA
* Durham, NC
* Evansville, IN
* Fort Worth, TX
* Gary, IN
* Green Bay, WI
* Hartford, CT
* Houston, TX
* Indianapolis, IN
* Jacksonville, FL
* Kansas City, MO
* Knoxville, TN
* Lincoln, NE
* Mableton, GA
* Madison, WI
* Manchester, NH
* Memphis, TN
* Nashville, TN
* New Haven, CT
* Orlando, FL
* Philadelphia, PA
* Portland, ME
* Pueblo, CO
* Salt Lake City, UT
* San Antonio, TX
* Savannah, GA
* South Bend, IN
* Spokane, WA
* Springfield, MA
* Tampa, FL
* Tucson, AZ
* Wichita, KS
* Worcester, MA

Local|

* Allegheny County, PA
* Cherokee Nation
* principal chief
* deputy chief
* tribal council
* Chicago, IL
* Los Angeles, CA
* Minneapolis, MN
* New York, NY
* Philadelphia, PA
* Seattle, WA
* St. Louis, MO

States and
territories|

* Arizona
* California
* Colorado
* Florida
* Georgia
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Mississippi
* Nebraska
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New York
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Virginia
* Washington
* Wisconsin

Ballot
measures|

* Ohio
* August Issue 1
* November Issue 1
* Issue 2
* Oklahoma
* Texas
* Wisconsin

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[OH]: Ohio
*[TX]: Texas
*[CO]: Colorado
*[ID]: Idaho
*[CT]: Connecticut
*[IN]: Indiana
*[NC]: North Carolina
*[IL]: Illinois
*[IA]: Iowa
*[WI]: Wisconsin
*[FL]: Florida
*[MO]: Missouri
*[TN]: Tennessee
*[NE]: Nebraska
*[GA]: Georgia
*[NH]: New Hampshire
*[PA]: Pennsylvania
*[ME]: Maine
*[UT]: Utah
*[WA]: Washington
*[MA]: Massachusetts
*[AZ]: Arizona
*[KS]: Kansas
*[CA]: California
*[MN]: Minnesota
*[NY]: New York