Andrea Jones is tired of hearing about the controversies surrounding South Fulton Mayor khalid “Kobi” kamau.
The 51-year-old Jones is an Atlanta native who moved to South Fulton in 2015 because of the area’s more affordable homes and proximity to her family. She and other residents who spoke with Capital B Atlanta this week suggested the alleged scandals surrounding kamau’s tenure in office conform with stereotypes of Black politicians being corrupt and unfit to govern their own communities.
“The machinations that happened along with the current mayor have been embarrassing,” Jones told Capital B Atlanta on Wednesday. “I’m looking forward to turning that chapter, getting a person in the position that understands what that position entails and how to use it effectively.”
There’s a chance Jones won’t get her wish.
Kamau changed his mind about not seeking reelection in September. He’s one of nine candidates competing to serve as the next mayor of South Fulton, recognized as America’s Blackest major city since its founding in 2017 due to its growing population of over 110,000 people, more than 90% of whom are African American. Mayor kamau told Capital B Atlanta he prefers using all lowercase letters when spelling his first and last names.
Tina Strong, 55, who has lived in South Fulton for five years, worries about recent changes to some local zoning laws. She also wants the next mayor to help build more places to shop and enjoy a night out with friends and family without leaving city limits.
“There’s so many industrial parks and gas stations, but there’s no places for retail,” Strong told Capital B Atlanta on Thursday. “We have to travel so far out for entertainment.”
Concerns about South Fulton’s reputation being harmed by the mayor’s controversies, the proliferation of data centers in the city, and better ways to boost economic development are top of mind for many voters with less than a week left until Election Day on Nov. 4.
Politico called South Fulton a “city on the rise” that is “tearing itself apart” in 2022, less than a year after the second largest municipality in Fulton County chose kamau, a former City Council member and Black Lives Matter activist, to lead it. Clashes with the City Council over alleged corruption and the limits of the part-time mayor’s legal authority preceded what was to come.
Kamau’s controversies
In 2023, kamau was charged with illegal trespassing after entering a lake house along Cascade Palmetto Highway without permission. He has pleaded not guilty, telling reporters he was eyeing his potential “dream home” in an ongoing case that hasn’t been fully adjudicated. He has a virtual hearing scheduled to take place the day before Election Day and a final plea hearing set for Nov. 18, court records show.
In 2024, kamau took heat for proposing his own salary increase, from $47,000 to $85,000, arguing his compensation was too low. Some angry residents told WSB-TV they felt the boost in pay was unwarranted for a part-time mayoral position.
In January of this year, city council members grilled kamau for alleged misuse of taxpayer funds. An audit revealed in July that the mayor had spent $70,000 in undocumented travel expenses, including trips to Africa, Canada, South America, and Europe, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Kamau told Capital B Atlanta via email on Thursday that the accusations are “lies, manufactured to mislead voters.” He told officials during a July city council meeting that many of the purchases had promotional or operational value and were made in coordination with city departments.
“When I am wrong, I apologize,” kamau told Capital B Atlanta via email. “I have apologized about the trespassing incident — in writing. I won’t apologize for building international relationships in a domestic climate that is becoming increasingly hostile for Black and brown people and our economic interests. I won’t apologize for creating a 21st-century mayor’s office.”
Kamau said South Fulton has increased its budget to more than $431 million while cutting property taxes during his first term. He said his list of accomplishments also includes paving more than 260 miles of roads and purchasing more than 400 acres of land, some of which is set to be used to build a 911 center, new city hall, and waterfront property along the Chattahoochee River.
“I want us to keep moving forward, but with a bigger imagination for what is possible,” kamau said in an emailed statement. “We have more virgin land than any metro city; and we can use that to create an agricultural industry that makes us food sovereign and raises a generation of millionaire, Black farmers. We can lean into the creative culture Atlanta is already known for and build a cottage industry of Black content creators. We can lean into the relationships I’ve built across the Diaspora and become a crossroads for international commerce.”
The other candidates
The list of eight challengers vying to unseat kamau includes economist Joseph Adeyemi, former South Fulton City Council member Mark Baker, federal systems engineer Kelvin Davis, South Fulton’s founding Mayor and former Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards, acting City Council member Carmalitha Gumbs, retired nurse Jewel Johnson, local entrepreneur Ray Mills, and Ryan Olson, a local stuntman and actor.
Carmalitha Gumbs
Gumbs, 50, has spent 15 years living in the area now known as South Fulton and has served on the City Council since the city was founded nearly eight years ago. She served as chief of staff to DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes for two years before running for City Council.
Her campaign priorities include hiring more police officers to improve public safety, attracting more retail shops and entertainment venues, and “changing the narrative” about South Fulton’s elected leaders.
“South Fulton deserves better,” Gumbs told Capital B Atlanta on Wednesday. “It deserves leadership that cares about the city and its future. And they need to be focused on continuity. You need to have the person that is the most proven, most ready on day one to take the city over. I have that experience in leadership that will take the city to the next level.”
Gumbs recognized concerns some South Fulton residents have about the number of data centers being built in the city. She acknowledged voting in favor of allowing at least two of South Fulton’s six planned data centers during her time on the City Council, saying she did so because the facilities will bring jobs and needed revenue into the city.
More recently, she said she has proposed legislation to put a moratorium on future data centers.
“We’re right now, at this point, waiting to see if we have enough support to move that legislation forward,” Gumbs said.
Kelvin Davis
Davis is a U.S. Navy veteran, systems engineer, and enterprise architect as well as a single father of two who wants to modernize core South Fulton services, protect neighborhoods, and build a more resilient city economy. He suggested his background in project management gives him the experience needed to help the city solve its ongoing challenges.
“Execution matters,” Davis told Capital B Atlanta via email. “We’re a young, fast growing city, and residents deserve a mayor who treats City Hall like a mission: clear goals, honest timelines, on budget results. I’m a military intelligence veteran and systems engineer who has delivered complex projects for large institutions; I want to bring that same discipline to everyday services such as safer streets, reliable infrastructure, and a resilient local economy that is not at the mercy of national layoffs.”
Ryan Olson
Olson is a self-described professional stuntman who has spent more than a decade working in Georgia’s film industry on shows including “The Walking Dead” and “The Resident.”
He embraces not being a career politician and says his experiences on set have taught him teamwork, discipline, and how to perform under pressure. He supports implementing a temporary moratorium on data centers in favor of promoting “responsible” economic growth that benefits South Fulton residents, not just developers.
“South Fulton is full of potential,” Olson told Capital B Atlanta via email. “We’re one of Georgia’s youngest cities, with incredible talent, diversity, and pride. My vision is a city where City Hall works with residents — where information is accessible, service is efficient, and everyone has a voice.”
Jewel Johnson
Johnson, 71, is a retired nurse and a legacy resident of South Fulton who has spent more than four decades caring for the infirm. Now she wants to do the same for the city she loves by serving as its next mayor.
“I am concerned about the future of our city,” Johnson told Capital B Atlanta via email on Wednesday. “We fought for cityhood to control our destiny. I told folks cityhood was the right thing to do, but we elected the wrong folks.”
The “Talk Back Georgia” host is looking to restore trust in local government, in part, by auditing the city’s finances.
“There are too many mishaps, rumors and foolishness that have happened,” Johnson said. “This audit will lay it all out on the table. The people deserve to know, it’s their money.”
She also wants to expedite action on the city’s comprehensive plan for development and bring “quality economic development” to South Fulton to address food and healthcare deserts.
“We also need to look at emerging industries to develop in our city that can provide careers and jobs to our residents,” Johnson said.
Bill Edwards
It’s been more than eight years since South Fulton voters chose Edwards to be their city’s first mayor, and now he’s looking to return to the office.
The 75-year-old former Fulton County commissioner told WABE in April that he’s looking to restore “honor and some integrity” to the office as well as “peace of mind” for city residents.
His vision for the next four years includes stabilizing and restoring trust in South Fulton’s elected leaders, attracting new businesses, and addressing city residents’ concerns.
On his campaign website, Edwards claims credit for making South Fulton “one of the fastest-growing and most prosperous areas in Metro Atlanta.” He told WABE South Fulton was “$6 million in the hole” when he took office in 2017, but he helped right the financial ship before leaving office four years later.
He’s received video endorsements from state Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta, and South Fulton Police Capt. Hattie Cotton-Tukes, among other local residents.
Edwards’ time as mayor wasn’t without controversy.
In 2019, he and South Fulton City Council member Helen Willis were investigated after being accused of directing a $27 million development deal to expand Halperns’ Steak and Seafood Co., which is located in Willis’ district, to the Development Authority of Fulton County instead of South Fulton’s development authority, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The move may have deprived South Fulton of tax revenue, the AJC reported, but in 2020, City Council members ultimately decided against removing Edwards and Willis from office. Edwards went on to lose his reelection bid to kamau after a November 2020 runoff.
Edwards hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
“When you’re a city of almost 8 years old, you’re going to have problems,” Edwards told WABE in April. “The issue is, is the right leadership there to help you overcome those problems? I think I’m the right man to do that.”
Ray Mills
Mills is the owner of the Mills Academy, a local daycare center, who co-led a run for justice from Atlanta to Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 following the police murder of Mike Brown. On his website, the 40-year-old entrepreneur and author of “Let’s Start a Business” touts himself as a South Fulton native who wants to improve the city’s economy, education, efficiency in government, and care for the elderly, which he refers to as “the four Es.”
His plan to do that includes hiring more teachers, improving mental health resources, introducing enrichment initiatives, and broadening needs-based scholarships, which are paramount for fostering the prosperity of the youth. He also wants to increase South Fulton’s annual affordable housing budget by at least 10%, improve the city’s open records request system, and institute mandatory town halls every 60 days.
Mills hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
“By removing barriers to accessing top-notch training programs and elevating the state minimum wage to align with a livable standard, we can guarantee that each South Fulton citizen has the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully to society,” Mills says on his website.
Joseph Adeyemi
Adeyemi is a U.S. Navy reservist, an economist, and an experienced project manager who believes his professional background has given him the training and skills needed to lead South Fulton into a prosperous future.
The 38-year-old married father of three touts a track record of leading “complex, multi-million-dollar” projects in the public and private sectors. His plans as mayor include investing in community policing and youth programs to reduce crime, using technology to improve city services, implementing open budgeting to increase transparency, and attracting new businesses to create more job opportunities and promote “lasting wealth.”
He’s received endorsements from former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Andrew Young, Atlanta Board of Education President Erika Mitchell, and state Rep. Miriam Paris, D-Macon, among other current and former elected leaders.
Adeyemi hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
“The virtue of discipline, integrity and ethics instilled in me through my military training are the exact virtues that we lack in City Hall right now,” he told the AJC in October. “I’m running because our city deserves leadership that listens, takes action and drives real progress, especially for working families.”
Mark Baker
Baker is a retired school resource officer and former City Council member who previously served two terms as South Fulton’s mayor pro tem and also chairman of the city’s development authority, Envision South Fulton.
The two-time candidate for U.S. Congress was a sponsor of South Fulton’s 2020 Crown ACT law barring natural hair discrimination, and the city’s 2019 ban-the-box ordinance, allowing applicants to apply for city government jobs without being forced to check a box indicating they have a criminal record.
He also sponsored legislation ending no-knock warrants in South Fulton following the police murder of Breonna Taylor in 2020. He told Fox 5 Atlanta and the AJC he wants to turn the page on the city’s recent scandals.
Baker hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
“South Fulton has been dragged through headlines and dysfunction, becoming a cautionary tale rather than a capital of community excellence,” Baker’s campaign told the AJC. “But under Dr. Mark Baker’s leadership, South Fulton can be restored, re-energized, and respected again. He’s not returning for politics — he’s returning for the people.”
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