Georgia: Can Direct Democracy Really Work for Atlanta?

Tue, Feb 19 2013 — Source: I-Newswire

And so it starts. Atlanta’s election for City Council has officially entered announcing season – the period of the year in which incumbents announce whether they are running for re-election, and challengers announce their intentions to dethrone the current seat holders. So far we’ve seen Matt Rinker - the openly gay challenger from District 5; Robert Welsh - the city native from District 1; and we’ve heard Carla Smith announce that she plans to run to retain Atlanta’s first District seat. But there’s one newcomer who seems to be generating a growing buzz in certain circles. 26-year-old Jon Jones has announced a run for Atlanta City Council’s District 2 seat; and along with it, he announced his plan to introduce a new style of governing to Atlanta government.