Election Guide

Every seat contested in Sandy Springs municipal election

BY BOB PEPALIS

Every Sandy Springs City Council seat and the mayor’s position has multiple candidates for the Nov. 2 municipal election, with 15 candidates running for six council districts and the incumbent mayor facing opposition.

Qualifying for the Nov. 2 non-partisan municipal election ended at noon on Aug. 20. Mayor and council serve four-year terms.

Residents must be registered to vote by Oct. 4. Check your voter registration status at the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. Advance voting will be from Oct. 12-29.

Incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul, the city’s second mayor who first won election to the office in 2013, will face off against Dontaye Carter, a public relations consultant and former journalist.

In 2017, Paul’s only opponent dropped out of the race and several council seats were unopposed, allowing them to take office without a formal vote. That won’t happen in this election.

John Paulson, the incumbent in City Council District 1, will be challenged by Megan Harris for the council seat. Harris is a financial services advisor and owner of her own firm. Paulson is a registered professional engineer and president of a consulting firm.

With District 2 Councilmember Steve Soteres and District 3 Councilmember Chris Burnett both deciding not to run for reelection, Sandy Springs is guaranteed to have at least two new faces on City Council in January 2022.

Melody Kelley will run against Linda Trickey for the District 2 seat. Kelley, a chemistry professor, also served on the city’s Charter Review Commission this year. Trickey is an attorney of Cox Communications and has been active with the Fulton County Schools system.

Three residents in District 3 qualified as candidates, including Melissa Mular, Leslie Mullis and Eric Newberg. Mular is an IBM executive and involved in her homeowners’ association. Mullis is a retired Accenture executive and Sandy Springs Education Force volunteer. Newberg is chief financial officer for Diaz Foods.

Jody Reichel will face three challengers in her bid for reelection to the District 4 council seat. Also seeking the seat are Tochie Blad, Vernon Graham and Michelle Sullivan. Reichel is a real estate investor and community volunteer. Blad, who served as vice chair of the city’s Charter Review Commission, is an information specialist. Graham is a veteran corporate procurement specialist and Transportation Clubs Atlanta board member. Sullivan is a business owner. will face Colin Hubbard in his reelection bid for the District 5 council seat. DeJulio is first vice president of a national investment firm, a certified financial planner, civic volunteer and a Vietnam veteran. Hubbard is vice president of design and construction for Shelton McNally Real Estate Partners. He has served on the Sandy Springs Education Force and Leadership Sandy Springs as a board member and was appointed to the North End Revitalization Task Force in 2018.

Andy Bauman, the incumbent in District 6, will compete for the council seat against Jeff Howe. Bauman is a self-employed attorney and real estate investor. Howe is a business consultant.

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