Who is running for the vacant seat on the Council?

The election will share the general election ballot with the widely watched rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, likely quadrupling the turnout for a municipal race.

We previously reported that Atlanta politicians are concerned that increased turnout will benefit both established candidates and newcomers to the race. But if there is a runoff — which would take place on December 3 — the finalists will have to work to get their supporters to turn out again.

The AJC plans to catch up with all the candidates in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for Post 3’s continuing coverage of the general race.

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Credit: AP

Speaking of the presidential debate, Atlanta Democrats remain steadfast in their support for Biden’s reelection bid despite criticism that the president should step down after a shaky debate performance on the CNN stage last week.

On Sunday, the AJC’s top brass published an editorial joining other major media outlets calling on Biden to step down and pass the torch to another party member for this election against Donald J. Trump.

But top Atlanta Democrats and close allies of the president have criticized the idea and strongly support the candidate.

Mayor Andre Dickens, a top Biden appointee, issued a statement Sunday calling attention to Trump’s actions as president.

“There are many reasons why a person should not be president,” he said, pointing to Trump’s 34 felony convictions, his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the role played by his appointments to the Supreme Court in overturning Roe v. Wade. . “But having a difficult debate night with a serial liar is not one of them.”

Former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, recently named a senior adviser to the Democrat’s campaign, also came to Biden’s aid.

“I can think of many reasons to call for a candidate to step down, including violently trying to overturn an election, demanding 11,000 more votes from the Secretary of State, felony convictions, sexual assaults and indictments in Fulton County,” she said on social media, as she criticized the newspaper’s editorial.

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Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

The drama of MARTA projects the closure of Five Points station to pedestrians and buses continues.

Our colleague David Wickert reports that Dickens met with MARTA officials Friday to discuss his concerns about the agency’s decision to close street access starting next month.

The closure – which will last for years – is due to plans to replace the huge canopy over Five Points and redevelop the station square, although rail transfers will not be affected.

But MARTA’s decision sparked backlash from community groups and city officials, including Dickens. They say, among other things, that the closure will make life more difficult for thousands of MARTA riders. But the transport agency said the closure was necessary to ensure the safety of passengers during the work.

After Friday’s meeting, Dickens said both sides expressed their views. They plan to meet again this week. “It was a very positive meeting, moving in the right direction,” the mayor said.

On Tuesday, dozens of Atlanta community leaders gathered at the station to protest the closure.

“We need to think about the people in Atlanta today who are using this system, who are relying on this system to get to work, to school, to the store, to get their kids to daycare,” Councilman said Jason Dozier.

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