Atlanta has a new City Council member, and her name is Eshé Collins.
The 44-year-old civil rights attorney and veteran Atlanta Board of Education member is projected to defeat business owner Nicole Evans Jones in their post 3 at-large runoff race on Tuesday.
Collins received more than 59% of the estimated 12,400 votes cast in Fulton County as of 10:56 p.m. Tuesday, with nearly 92% of precincts reporting, election data shows. Evans Jones received nearly 41% of Fulton County votes. The race also included East Atlanta precincts in DeKalb County, where Collins received more than 65% of all votes cast as of 9:49 p.m. ET.
An elated Collins described her victory as “surreal” Wednesday morning, expressing gratitude to voters who endured cold weather to cast ballots for her.
“Thank you for believing in me,” she said. “Thank you for asking the tough questions to understand where our thoughts were, where my experience lies, what I hope to bring in this seat.”
Collins’ campaign message centered on making Atlanta more affordable for everyone. The inflation-fueled higher cost of living in metro Atlanta has been a source of major frustration for Black voters this election cycle, especially the high cost of rent and lack of affordable housing.
Collins’ plan to improve affordability includes adjusting the city’s area median income formula to better reflect the needs of low-income renters. She also seeks to strengthen legislative requirements put on real estate developers hired to increase the city’s affordable housing stock.
“One of the things that we love about Atlanta is the cultural diversity that this city has,” Collins said on Wednesday. “It’s important that we build a system of affordability that allows that for everyone. Not just some of us, but for everyone.”
Collins will fill the remainder of the four-year term vacated by former municipal lawmaker Keisha Sean Waites, who resigned earlier this year to launch a failed bid to become the next Fulton County Superior Court Clerk. She will have to vacate her seat on the Atlanta Board of Education, according to APS communications director Seth Coleman.
Evans Jones and Collins were the top two vote recipients in a Nov. 5 general election field of five City Council contenders. A runoff election was announced in accordance with state law after none of the candidates received more than 50% of all votes.
The two runoff contenders have similar positions on issues important to Black Atlanta voters, both stressing the importance of creating more affordable housing, supporting the office of inspector general’s battle against corruption, and addressing income inequality.
Both women say their résumés set them apart. Collins, who served more than a decade on the Atlanta Board of Education, characterized herself as the more experienced candidate.
“Experience matters in this role,” Collins told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “This is a citywide seat. It is a key factor, particularly for the [affordability] movement and the sense of urgency we need.”
Evans Jones argued that she’s accomplished more in the education field during her time working as a K-12 counselor and principal. Her campaign emphasized transportation infrastructure so Black Atlanta neighborhoods are better connected to city services.
Evans Jones insists that her “neighborhood by neighborhood” approach to addressing constituent needs makes her the better choice to improve government outcomes and create stable leadership.
“I have been doing the work for the last 30 years of listening to neighborhoods while balancing those big goals,” she said.
Here’s a previous breakdown on both candidates and where they stand on key issues.
Who is Eshé Collins?
Age: 44
Where do you live?: Southwest Atlanta, Princeton Lakes
Current job title: Civil rights attorney
Where did you graduate high school?: Druid Hills High School. Class of 1998
Where did you graduate college?: Spelman College. Class of 2002
Major: Psychology and pre-med
Primary career path: Education and civil rights law
Priority issues: Equal opportunity, cost of living, safe and healthy neighborhoods, holding elected leaders accountable
Campaign website: https://www.collins4atlanta.com/
Awards/honors: Georgia Trend 40 under 40 (2015). Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 under 40 (2019). YMCA Women of Influence and Innovation through the YMCA (2020). MLK Torch of Peace Award. Outstanding Atlanta (2014)/Leadership Atlanta, ARP’s Regional Leadership Institute. Georgia State University President Award for community service and social justice (2016)
Do you support repealing the statewide ban on rent regulation?: Yes
Do you support rezoning parts of the city to build more affordable housing?: Yes
Do you support continuing to open the public safety training center (“Cop City”)?: Yes
Elevator pitch to Black voters: “We should all be able to live in this city affordably [and] have safe and healthy neighborhoods.”
The rundown: Collins has served more than a decade on the Atlanta Board of Education, experience she cites as one of the main reasons she’s the better choice to replace Waites on the City Council.
“I’m the only candidate in this race that has that elected experience and a proven track record of moving large systems and large decisions forward,” she told Capital B Atlanta earlier this year.
The 44-year-old attorney is looking to improve housing conditions in Atlanta by adjusting the city’s area median income affordable housing calculation so it better reflects the needs of low-income renters. She also wants to tighten legislative requirements put on developers tasked with building the city’s affordable housing stock.
“That is looking at legislation to increase our percentage of stocks that we earmark as affordable housing,” Collins said. “That is looking at some of our requirements or guidelines that we push for income limits.”
Who is Nicole Evans Jones?
Age: 57
Where do you live?: Atlanta/West Midtown
Current job title: Co-founder of The Wellth House, a social club for women leaders
Where did you graduate high school?: Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta. Class of 1984
Where did you graduate college?: Howard University in Washington, D.C., Class of 1988
Major: Political science
Graduate school: Clark Atlanta University. Master’s degree in counseling, human growth and development. Class of 1993
Doctorate: Educational leadership from CAU. Class of 2010
Primary career path: K-12 counselor and principal
Priority issues: Equitable transportation, attainable housing, promoting safe neighborhoods
Campaign website: https://www.nicoleevansjonesforatlanta.com/
Do you support repealing the statewide ban on rent regulation?: Yes
Do you support rezoning parts of the city to build more affordable housing?: Yes
Do you support continuing to open the public safety training center (“Cop City”)?: Yes
Elevator pitch to Black voters: “Securing the future of Atlanta is more than getting a quality education. Securing Atlanta’s future includes stabilizing and strengthening families where they live, neighborhood by neighborhood.”
The rundown: Evans Jones wants to set aside Atlanta general fund money to build housing for front-line workers, including teachers, police, firefighters, and nurses. Housing justice proponents have spent the past few years complaining about Atlanta municipal employees who can’t afford to live in the city where they work.
Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council have supported raising pay for city of Atlanta employees for at least two consecutive budget cycles.
“We lose a lot of our human capital when they can’t live in the city,” Evans Jones said. “If we make it more amenable to them, then those are great people to have walking around and living in our neighborhood.”
This story has been updated.
