Welcome to the City Council president race, C.T. Martin
After 25 years repping West Atlanta, the so-called dean of council wants to lead the legislative body
Yesterday, City Hall’s campaign-filing database awoke from its slumber and confirmed that Atlanta City Councilman C.T. Martin filed his intent to run for council president. By doing so, it’s starting to look like the race for a prestigious yet largely misunderstood job will be quite an exciting contest.
The president post, which mainly involves overseeing meetings, assigning committees, and breaking the rare tie vote, is wide open for the taking now that incumbent Ceasar Mitchell is running to succeed term-limited Mayor Kasim Reed.
Martin joined the City Council in 1990, making him Council’s longest-serving member. He has spent more than 25 years focused on District 10, which includes Westview, Peyton Forest, and Adamsville, among other West Atlanta neighborhoods. He’s a soft-spoken legislator with a prickly personality who’s been known to throw some curveballs and bombs — and even an f-bomb — from time to time. Martin has served as Reed’s floor leader but has not shied away from occasionally criticizing the administration and blocking its policy initiatives.
Martin’s potential run for council president has been discussed for some time by City Hall observers, but the odds seemed long. For one, it would be his first stab at a citywide post. The native Atlantan says he is not concerned, saying that he’s managed other large campaigns, including one for Congressman John Lewis, D-Atlanta. Martin says he has thought about running for the president post in the past but opted to let someone younger compete for the lectern.
By declaring his intent, Martin can start raising campaign cash. He plans to do so over the next few months and officially begin planning a campaign, which he says is his favorite part about election season. Martin says he will gauge support and decide if he truly wants to put his name on the ballot. If he doesn’t see sufficient support, he could run for his current seat again or go back to his “first love,” education, and “begin the next phase of my life.”
“I’ve always wanted politics to be an educational setting for the community and myself,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot being on Council, working with people, dealing with the complexity of government, and my interest in history. You’re making history in many different ways. You get a chance to do that.”
But the main reason why Martin says he is jumping in the race: next year’s municipal elections could bring an overwhelming changing of the guard on the Atlanta City Council. When one person decides to seek another office, their seat becomes open. We’re not just looking at exciting politics — we’re looking at potentially saying hello to new faces and goodbye to familiar ones. Martin says he could bring stability and “maturity” to a City Council
“There is a need to have some good direction with the council, with the thought that there will probably be six or seven new people,” the Peyton Forest resident says. “I have served for a good while and am ready to move on, basically. I’ve got some ideas. We’ll help stabilize it if we get six or seven new people. Need some maturity.”
Martin’s not interested in power, he says; he is more focused on process and procedure, improving service delivery, and working with whomever becomes the next mayor (Martin says he has always thought the two leaders should collaborate more often.)
Martin becomes essentially the second candidate in the race next to Councilwoman Felicia Moore, one of Council’s eagle-eyed fiscal watchdogs and a frequent thorn in Reed’s side. Moore will likely launch her campaign next year. Moore, on Twitter, says she “will enjoy running” for the office against Martin. “Should make the race fun.”
He pooh-poohed the speculation that he’s running in part to help Reed block Moore from higher office.
“I would say that that’s wrong,” Martin says. “Every one has to make their own decisions about what they want to do. Whatever problems the two of them have, that was theirs.”
Councilman Alex Wan, who represents Ansley Park, Virginia-Highland, and other eastside neighborhoods, has been mentioned as a possible opponent. Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms, who represents far southwest Atlanta, has been said to be considering a run. Atlanta Public Schools Board President Courtney English has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. Know anyone else?