NEWS
Q
Liliana Bakhtiari and Alex Wan won Atlanta City Council Districts 5 and 6, respectively. If Keisha Waites wins her At-Large runoff, the three would make the most LGBTQ representation on the council at the same time.
Wins, Losses
& RUNOFFS
Local LGBTQ candidates rack up record election results By Patrick Saunders OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN LGBTQ HOPEFULS running for public office on Nov. 3, several candidates won representation outright, with even more living to fight in the Nov. 30 runoffs. The most decisive finisher was Alex Wan. The former city council member cruised to an easy victory in the Atlanta City Council District 6 race, finishing with nearly 80% of the vote. In 2010, Wan became the first Asian American and first openly gay male member of the council. He served two terms before losing a race for council president in 2017.
“I am grateful that my friends and neighbors in District 6 have again affirmed my track record,” Wan said in a statement. “I am humbled and honored by the broad base of support during this campaign; it’s a great springboard to continuing to fight for our shared issues, including public safety, city service delivery and quality of life initiatives.” Another LGBTQ candidate — Diogi Pet Services owner Courtney DeDi — placed third in the same district race with 10% of the vote.
POISED FOR HISTORY
Queer community organizer Liliana Bakhtiari won the Atlanta City Council District 5 race without a runoff. She crossed the 50% threshold in the five-person race by just 20 votes, according to unofficial results. If that tally holds up, Bakhtiari becomes the first openly LGBTQ Muslim elected official in state history. theQatl.com 9
