Key Cobb school board race separated by fewer than 100 votes

May 20, 2026May 20, 2026 by Wendy Parker

The Democratic candidates in a Cobb Board of Education primary in the East Cobb area are fewer than 100 votes apart following Tuesday’s elections.

Micheal Garza leads Susan McCartney by 78 votes in Post 4 results that are final, but unofficial, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.

Post 4 includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry high school clusters.

A critic of the Cobb County School District’s leadership, Garza has 5,016 votes, or 50.39 percent. McCartney, a retired teacher at Shallowford Falls Elementary School, has 4,938 votes, or 49.61 percent.

That’s a margin of 0.78 percent. Under Georgia law, second-place candidates can call for a recount if the difference is 0.5 percent or less.

Garza told East Cobb News Wednesday afternoon that “our campaign is confident that we will be named the winner of the primary when the results are made official.”

He said it’s his understanding that “every vote, outside of any provisional votes, has been counted in the early vote, mail vote, and election day vote.”

On her campaign Facebook page, McCartney conceded Wednesday afternoon, saying that “I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished with a grassroots effort and absolutely no financial backing from any groups or PAC’s. We ran a race with a hundred dollars and only lost by less than one percent.”

The Cobb Board of Registration and Elections will meet next Tuesday to certify primary election results.

Cobb school board Post 4 Democratic profiles: Garza | McCartney

Garza will face three-term incumbent David Chastain in November in a contest that will determine party control of a Cobb Board of Education that has been increasingly fractious in recent years.

Chastain, who was unopposed Tuesday, is the only Republican on the ballot in this year’s school board elections. Republicans hold a 4-3 majority, while Democrats control the Cobb Board of Commissioners and the county’s legislative delegation.

In the Post 6 school board race, Democratic incumbent Nichelle Davis easily won her primary over school district critic Jennifer Susko and has no Republican opposition. Post 2 Democratic incumbent Becky Sayler was unopposed in the primary and the general election.

In 2022, Chastain was re-elected following a bitter general election battle with Democrat Catherine Pozniak (he was later fined for campaign finance violations).

This year, Chastain has early support from prominent Cobb business and civic leaders, including John Loud of Loud Security Systems, a former Cobb Chamber of Commerce chairman who’s gotten involved recently in local Republican campaigns, and who is Chastain’s steering committee chairman.

Garza unsuccessfully ran twice against Republican State Rep. John Carson of Northeast Cobb in 2022 and 2024.

“The challenge for us was to impress upon voters the importance of a school board race and to hit enough voters in a short amount of time in a large post that spanned 27 precincts,” Garza said Wednesday.

He said his campaign had more than 100 volunteers who wrote 7,000 postcards and knocked on almost 3,000 doors during the primary, including high school students writing out notes on a digital learning day.

“You don’t win races like this alone, and I am humbled that so many people in the community have supported me over the years, including my school community,” said Garza, a PTA leader at Keheley Elementary School, where his daughter is a student, as well as the East Cobb County Council of PTAs.

McCartney pledged her support to Garza and said that “my commitment to our community and to public education remains as strong as ever. I ran because I care deeply about our students, our teachers, and the future of our schools, and that passion does not end tonight. This is not the last you will see of me.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go

Runoffs loom for Ga. Congress, Senate, governor’s primaries

May 20, 2026May 20, 2026 by Wendy Parker

Republican voters in the Georgia primaries will have some more voting ahead of them in key races at the federal and state levels in June.

The 11th Congressional District, which includes most of East Cobb, has a vacancy due to the retirement of U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk.

In Tuesday’s elections, physician John Cowan led a crowded field, receiving 42 percent of the vote. He will be in a June 16 runoff against Rob Adkerson, who is Loudermilk’s chief of staff.

According to final, unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Adkerson received 21 percent, while former Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore got 18 percent.

The 11th District also includes Cherokee, Bartow and parts of Gordon and Pickens counties. The Democratic nominee is Chris Harden, who easily won his primary on Tuesday.

U.S. Senate runoff

The Republican battle in the U.S. Senate also was extended when Tuesday’s results weren’t sufficient to secure the nomination.

Two-term U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley will be competing for the right to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

Collins led the five-man field with 40 percent of the vote, to 30 percent for Dooley, who coached at the University of Tennessee and is the son of the late University of Georgia football coach and athletics director Vince Dooley.

Dooley, who is supported by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, got more votes in Cobb County than the other candidates, receiving 4o percent.

Battle for Governor

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and business executive Rick Jackson will square off in the Republican runoff for Georgia governor.

Jones received 38 percent of the vote to 33 percent for Jackson, who entered the race in January and spent an estimated $100 million on his campaign.

Both candidates are vying for the votes of supporters of President Donald Trump, who officially endorsed Jones.

Jones narrowly led in votes in Cobb County.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr got 15 and 11 percent of the vote, respectively, in the gubernatorial primary.

In November, the GOP nominee will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who crushed Democratic primary opposition, getting 56 percent of the vote.

Former State Sen. Jason Esteves, who briefly represented a portion of East Cobb, finished second with 18 percent of the vote.

There also will be a Republican runoff for lieutenant governor between two Georgia state senators, Greg Dolezal and John F. Kennedy.

The Democratic runoff for the same seat also has two state senators, Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Parkes.

For more Congressional and state election results, click here.

Supreme Court decisions

Two incumbent members of the Georgia Supreme Court beat back challenges in non-partisan elections that were watched around the country.

Charlie Bethel and Sarah Hawkins Warren defeated candidates promoted by Democratic Party interests.

Bethel received 51 percent of the vote against Miracle Rankin, an Atlanta personal injury attorney. Warren soundly defeated former State Sen. Jen Jordan with 59 percent of the vote.

Rankin and Jordan, the Democratic nominee for Georgia Attorney General in 2022, were cited by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission for likely violating ethics rules prohibiting endorsements of one another and by stating positions on issues likely to come before a court, in particular abortion rights.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go

2026 primary election results: Cobb incumbents cruise

May 23, 2026May 19, 2026 by Wendy Parker

Cobb incumbents cruise; school board race too close to call — *L-R: JoAnn Birrell and Nichelle Davis won big in their primary races Tuesday, as did other Cobb incumbents*

Cobb’s two Republican commissioners claimed decisive victories in their contested primary races on Tuesday, as did a Democratic Cobb school board member.

Another Cobb school board race, to determine a general election opponent for an East Cobb incumbent, was separated by fewer than 100 votes.

And there will be a runoff to determine a Republican nominee for the Congressional seat that includes East Cobb, as well as Republican Party candidates in November for governor and the U.S. Senate.

The links below include continuously updated totals by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, including precinct breakdowns. The figures are unofficial and must be certified by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration.

District 3 Republican Commissioner JoAnn Birrell received more than 72 percent of the vote against challenger Chris Wasserman.

Birrell, seeking her fifth term, advances to the November general election against Kevin Redmon, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary. District 3 covers most of East Cobb.

Commissioner Keli Gambrill, a Republican from District 1 in West Cobb, also easily won her primary, as well as a third term on Tuesday. She trounced Cobb Development Authority member Clark Hungerford with 71 percent of the vote.

There was not a Democratic qualifier for that race in November.

Democratic Cobb Board of Education member Nichelle Davis handily defeated challenger Jennifer Susko to earn a second term in Post 6, which includes some of the Wheeler High School attendance zone.

Davis received 76 percent of the vote against Susko, a vocal critical of the Cobb County School District.

There wasn’t a Republican candidate who qualified for that seat, which is centered in the Cumberland-Smyrna-Vinings area.

In the Democratic primary for Cobb Board of Education Post 4, another school district critic, Micheal Garza, was holding a razor-thin lead over retired Cobb school teacher Susan McCartney.

That post includes the Kell, Lassiter and Sprayberry high school clusters.

Garza had 5,014 votes, or 50.38 percent of the vote, to 4,938 votes for McCartney, or 49.62 percent.

In November he will challenge Republican David Chastain, a three-term incumbent, with party control of the school board on the line. The GOP holds a 4-3 majority and Chastain is the only Republican on the ballot this year.

In the Post 2 school board seat in the Smyrna area, first-term Democrat Becky Sayler ran unopposed in the primary, and she has no Republican opposition in November.

John Cowan, a physician, got 34 percent of the vote and will be in a June 16 runoff for the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional District seat that’s being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk.

Cowan’s opponent is Rick Adkerson, Loudermilk’s chief of staff.

In November, the winner will meet Chris Harden, who won the Democratic primary Tuesday with 73 percent of the vote.

There will be runoffs in a variety of statewide races, including Republican primaries for governor and the U.S. Senate.

Burt Jones and Rick Jackson will vie June 16 in the GOP gubernatorial runoff with the winner to meet former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who easily won the Democratic primary Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley are in a Republican runoff for the right to face Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

More statewide election results can be found at this link.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go

Cobb Elections reports ‘election operations’ issues at polls

May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 by Wendy Parker

ELECTION RESULTS COVERAGE:

We’re updating all the races at this link.

UPDATED, TUESDAY, 6:20 P.M.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Kimberly Childs has issued an order keeping 11 precincts open past the 7 p.m. closing time Tuesday, due to technical issues with polling pad devices.

The order was requested by the Cobb Board of Elections and Registration. In East Cobb those precincts and new closing times are as follows:

Eastside 02 (EA02) – Sewell Mill Library, 2051 Lower Roswell Road—Open until 7:09 p.m.
Elizabeth 03 (EL03) – Piedmont Road Church of Christ, 1630 Piedmont Road—Open until 8 p.m.
Elizabeth 04 (EL04) – Gracelife Church, 1083 Allgood Road—Open until 7:30 p.m.
Lassiter 01 (LA01) – Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, 3755 Sandy Plains Road—Open until 7:30 p.m.
Powers Ferry 01 (PF01) – Sewell Mill Library, 2051 Lower Roswell Road—Open until 7:09 p.m.

UPDATED, TUESDAY, 5:30 P.M.

East Cobb News readers reported lengthy lines at their precincts on Tuesday.

Lauren Beth Reid said she waited two hours to cast her ballot at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, which this year is the venue for two precincts, and reported there hasn’t been much communication with voters on-site about the problems.

When East Cobb News visited the polling station around 3 p.m. Tuesday, the back of the line formed outside the front doors, and continued inside the lobby and through the facility’s art gallery leading to a room where the voting was taking place.

“There’s 30 people waiting out the sun. I’ve personally made phone calls to try to get things situated in a better way,” Reid wrote on the East Cobb News Facebook page after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“They have no notices on the doors. Nobody’s come out and talk to anybody.”

Reid said older people initially were being allowed to come inside to the front of the line, but some were sent back.

“It’s a little chaotic. We’re trying to keep people safe and we’re the ones waiting in line doing it,” she added. “It’s a very disappointing. I have Uber eats and I’m half tempted to order five cases of ice cold water and pass them out to people, but I’d probably get in trouble. That’s truly how bad it is.”

Teri Hovsepian said the line where she votes at Sope Creek Elementary School is “the longest it’s been in recent memory.”

She said when she arrived at 2 p.m., three check-in machines weren’t working, and when her husband went there at 4 p.m. “the line was twice as long.”

Updated, 3:15 Tuesday:

Cobb Elections said the issues involve poll pad devices:

We are actively working with the Secretary of State to deploy additional poll pads. In the meantime, polling places are successfully utilizing backup manual check-in procedures to ensure voting continues without interruption.”

UPDATED, 8:50 A.M.:

Cobb Elections just issued the following message:

Cobb County Elections & Registration is aware of issues impacting some election operations today. Backup procedures are in place and voting has NOT stopped.

Voters are encouraged to remain patient as our staff work to assist voters and support polling locations across the county.

All eligible voters in line by 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballot.

For questions or assistance, please call our office with any issues or concerns at 770-528-2581.

At 10:15 a.m., Cobb government sent out a release saying that there are “technical issues” at “some polling locations” but wasn’t more specific.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 7 A.M.

The polls are open in East Cobb and throughout Georgia Tuesday for the 2026 primary elections.

All precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and East Cobb News will be providing updates at this link during voting hours.

We will update election results after the polls close on a separate link.

The deadline for mailed-in or hand-delivered absentee ballots to the Cobb Elections office is 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters in East Cobb will be deciding party nominees in local Cobb commission and school board races, as well as legislative and Congressional races and statewide elections, including governor and U.S. Senate.

See our complete voting guide for details, including sample ballots.

If there are runoffs, those will take place on June 16.

Voters must go to their assigned precincts. In East Cobb, seven precincts will have new locations for the primaries.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).

To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

East Cobb News has published a story on our approach to covering politics and elections; we don’t endorse candidates and focus instead on providing information to help citizens cast their votes.

Cobb Elections said Monday that more than 78,000 ballots were cast in early voting, about 14 percent of all registered voters in the county.

The Tim D. Lee Senior Center and the East Cobb Government Service Center had the most early voters, with around 9,000 and 8,700 ballots cast there, respectively.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go

East Cobb election-day voting guide for the 2026 primaries

May 19, 2026May 16, 2026 by Wendy Parker

ELECTION RESULTS COVERAGE:

We’re updating all the races at this link.

UPDATED TUESDAY, 5:15 P.M.:

Cobb Elections says it is having technical issues with poll pads that are used to check in voters and that there are lengthy delays at some precincts.

“We are actively working with the Secretary of State to deploy additional poll pads. In the meantime, polling places are successfully utilizing backup manual check-in procedures to ensure voting continues without interruption.”

ORIGINAL REPORT:

According to Cobb Elections, nearly 62,000 Cobb residents have cast votes in advance of Tuesday’s primary elections, which will decide party nominees in a variety of local, state and federal races and determine some judicial seats.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. The deadline for mailed-in or hand-delivered absentee ballots to the Cobb Elections office is 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Voters who will be voting on Tuesday must go to their assigned precincts. In East Cobb, seven precincts will have new locations for the primaries.

Voters must choose to vote in one of the following primaries: Democratic, Republican or non-partisan; no switching over is allowed.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).

To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

Cobb Elections also has prepared consolidated sample ballots: Democratic | Republican | Non-Partisan

Who/What’s on the ballot?

East Cobb News Explainer: Covering politics and elections

At the local level, voters in East Cobb will be choosing candidates in a number of races, including the Republican nominee for District 3 on the Board of Commissioners. Four-term incumbent JoAnn Birrell is facing a challenge from first-time candidate Chris Wasserman. Democrat Kevin Redmon awaits in November.

In Post 4 on the Cobb Board of Education, three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain will face either Micheal Garza or Susan McCartney, the Democratic candidates who have qualified.

First-term Democratic incumbent Nichelle Davis is being opposed in Post 6 on the Cobb Board of Education by Jennifer Susko. There is no Republican who qualified, so Tuesday’s winner will win that seat.

East Cobb News conducted the following interviews with each of those candidates in contested primaries:

Cobb Commission District 3, GOP

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell seeks fifth term as ‘energizer bunny.’ Story.
Challenger Chris Wasserman calls for ‘new energy and ideas.’ Story.

Cobb Board of Education Post 4, Democrat

School activist Michael Garza says ‘it’s the right time’ to take on status quo. Story.
Retired teacher Susan McCartney wants to ‘give back to education.’ Story.

Cobb Board of Education Post 6, Democrat

First-term incumbent Nichelle Davis prefers to ‘lead with joy.’ Story.
School district critic Jennifer Susko endorsed by former board member. Story.

Other Races

The only countywide race on the ballot is Cobb Solicitor General. Democratic incumbent Maria Metzger has a primary opponent in Christopher Futch; no Republican qualified.

There are seven incumbent judges on Cobb Superior Court and Cobb State Court who are running unopposed.

At the state level, crowded primaries are in store for the governor’s race, where incumbent Brian Kemp is term-limited. Other statewide races include lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, the commissioners of agriculture, labor and insurance and state school superintendent.

There are five races for Georgia Public Service Commissioner, and all state legislative seats will be decided in 2026.

In East Cobb, there is only one contested primary for a legislative seat. Democratic incumbent Mary Frances Williams will face Graham Bowers in the District 37 race.

There are contested primaries in both the Democratic and Republican parties in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk in the 11th Congressional District that includes most of East Cobb.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks a second term, while there are five candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

There are three contested non-partisan primaries for Georgia Supreme Court Justice and another for Georgia Court of Appeals Justice, as those incumbents are facing opposition.

Coming on Tuesday

During the day, as the polls are open, East Cobb News will have a live, continuously updated post as voting goes on. Once the polls close, we will provide up-to-the minute results from key local races in particular.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Democrats speak out against non-partisan elections law

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 by Wendy Parker

A number of prominent Cobb County Democratic elected officials were critical of a bill signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp that would make a number of metro Atlanta elected offices non-partisan two years from now.

On Tuesday, Kemp signed HB 369 (you can read it here), which would make elections for county commission, school board, District Attorney, Solicitor General, Tax Commissioner and court clerks non-partisan in Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties.

County sheriffs elections and DeKalb County commissioners elections would be exempt from the law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2028 and would become effective with the 2028 election cycle.

The law was passed near the end of the 2026 session of the Georgia General Assembly and was substituted for a bill designed to regulate food trucks that met the legislature’s crossover day deadline.

The Republican-led legislature was accused by Democrats of cutting into the latter’s political dominance in heavily populated metro Atlanta counties.

That includes Cobb, which had been GOP-dominated from the 1980s to 2018 but now has Democratic majorities on the Board of Commissioners and the Cobb legislative delegation.

Republicans lead the Cobb Board of Education with a 4-3 split on a body that has become increasingly contentious along party lines.

State Sens. John Albers and Kay Kirkpatrick, Republicans with East Cobb constituencies, were among the main co-sponsors of the bill.

Albers said the bill was necessary for local jurisdictions to focus on public safety, as the five counties are considered “consolidated law enforcement counties.”

But at a press conference Tuesday before Kemp signed the bill, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Commissioner Erick Allen and Solicitor General Makia Metzer held a press conference urging him to veto it.

They contended that the bill isn’t Democratic because county elections in 154 other Georgia counties remain partisan.

“This is not transparency, and this is not how you promote democracy,” Cupid said in making prepared remarks at the Cobb County government headquarters building in downtown Marietta.

This is not how our Cobb County citizens expect us to make decisions here and it should not be how decisions are made at the state level.”

Cupid said also said the law raises state constitutional questions, which several metro district attorneys, including Sonya Allen of Cobb, have alleged.

On a social media posting Wednesday morning, State Rep. David Wilkerson, a Democrat who is the chairman of the Cobb legislative delegation, said that “the Republican brand is so tainted in the metro area that they had to remove party identification. All this will do is create need to identify every elected official by political party. Local judges, city council, etc.”

Many of the positions held by metro Atlanta Democrats are black females, including Cupid and Allen.

Not all local Republicans were on board with HB 369 or didn’t state a preference. State Rep. Don Parsons of East Cobb voted against the bill, and State Rep. Sharon Cooper of East Cobb was excused from the final vote.

In Georgia, county commission and school board races as well as statewide constitutional officers have been elected in partisan fashion. Municipal elections and judicial seats have been decided in non-partisan elections.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Elections reports 32K early voters in 2026 primaries

May 9, 2026May 9, 2026 by Wendy Parker

After two weeks of early voting in the 2026 primaries, Cobb Elections reports that more than 32,000 people have cast ballots in advance of the May 19 elections.

Nearly a third of those ballots have been cast at the two early voting locations in East Cobb.

Cobb voters are deciding on a number of offices in the primaries, including contested races for Cobb Board of Commissioners, Cobb Board of Education, 11th District Congress, Georgia Governor and other statewide offices, state judges and U.S. Senate.

As of Thursday, Cobb Elections said 97 percent of the early votes have been cast at person, at more than a dozen locations.

Leading the way is the East Cobb Government Services Center (4,005 votes), followed by the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3,680 votes). The full breakdown is here; voters can vote early at any location in the county through next Friday, May 15.

The last weekend day of early voting is Sunday, and the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) will be open from 12-5.

Voters can also drop the ballots at the drop box at the East Cobb Government Service Center during early voting hours through next Friday.

Those early voting hours next week will be 7-7 Monday-Friday; there will be no early voting next weekend.

On election day, May 19, voters will go their assigned precincts.

For more locations for early voting, click here. Cobb voters can cast early ballots at any location in the county regardless of where they live.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).

Absentee ballots must be received in person or by mail at the Cobb Elections office or delivered to a designated drop box by 7 p.m. on May 19, when the polls close for good on election day.

To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

Cobb Elections also has prepared consolidated sample ballots: Democratic | Republican | Non-Partisan

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb commission candidates endorsed by ex-county leaders

May 7, 2026May 7, 2026 by Wendy Parker

Cobb commission candidates endorsed by ex-county leaders

The two Republicans vying in the District 3 primary for Cobb Board of Commissioners have been touting some high-profile endorsements as early voting continues.

They’re both private citizens now, but former Cobb County Communications Director Ross Cavitt (left in above photo montage) has come out in favor of Chris Wasserman.

He’s a business owner and first-time candidate for public office who’s challenging four-term incumbent Commissioner JoAnn Birrell.

She’s picked up the support of former Cobb Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer.

Cavitt, who was in his post for eight years until retiring in January, said he is backing Wasserman because “Chris seems genuinely interested in serving the people of Cobb County, and District 3 residents in particular. He has a keen interest in Cobb’s future and the issues that affect our community.”

Cavitt further said on his personal Facebook account on Sunday that “District 3 is long overdue for new leadership,” but he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he said Wasserman will be a fiscally responsible voice who will fight to ensure District 3 receives its fair share of county services and investment — not advocate for costly projects in other districts” and that he has “no hidden agenda.”

Cavitt campaigned with Wasserman at an event Thursday at East Cobb Park.

VanHoozer retired as Cobb Police Chief in 2025, just as the new Precinct 6 station opened in Northeast Cobb. He said in a video announcement in late April that Birrell is “kind, genuine and deeply committed to this community.

“As a commissioner she just doesn’t talk about supporting public safety. She shows up and supports all aspects of the job.”

VanHoozer also referenced Birrell’s support of the military, and the Cobb Veterans Memorial project (whose funding Wasserman has criticized), as well as funding for a police K-9 kennel.

“She’s always supported pay and benefits for public safety,” VanHoozer said. “JoAnn Birrell loves the people of Cobb County and she represents us with heart.”

Birrell also announced on her campaign’s Facebook page Thursday that she’s been endorsed by Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin and former State Sen. Lindsey Tippins.

District 3 includes most of East Cobb. The winner of the Republican primary on May 19 (you can read profiles of Birrell and Wasserman at the links below) will face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.

Redmon said on Thursday his campaign has raised more than $65,000 for the general election.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Board of Elections and Registration hires new director

May 5, 2026May 5, 2026 by Wendy Parker

Submitted information and photo:

Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration recently appointed Leigh Phillips as the department’s new director. She has more than 20 years of experience in elections administration, with extensive leadership at both the state and county levels. Most recently, she served as director of Elections and Voter Registration in Henry County.

“I strongly believe in building public trust through accountability, accessibility, and clear communication,” Phillips said. “My goal is to make the voting process secure, efficient, and understandable for every eligible voter, while supporting the staff who carry out this important task.”

Prior to her work in Henry County, she served in multiple roles with the Georgia Secretary of State. She supported election operations statewide and worked closely with county election offices to ensure compliance with Georgia law and the effective administration of elections.

Phillips began her career in elections as a registrar with Fayette County Elections, where she developed expertise in voter registration and public service. As director, Phillips will oversee the administration of all elections and voter registration activities for Cobb County’s nearly 600,000 registered voters.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb school board candidate profile: Nichelle Davis, Post 6

May 1, 2026 by Wendy Parker

As a former Cobb County School District teacher, Nichelle Davis sought in her initial run for public office in 2022 to be an advocate for the needs of students in the classroom.

As she seeks re-election to Post 6 on the Cobb Board of Education, Davis said some good progress has been made in improving student outcomes and other academic initiatives.

But after running unopposed four years ago, Davis is facing a firebrand Democratic primary opponent who accuses the incumbent of settling for the status quo.

Davis, a native of Florida who taught at Lindley Middle School, is vying for a second term on May 19 against Jennifer Susko, a former Cobb school counselor who regularly blisters the district and school board (our Susko profile can be found here).

Davis recently voted to extend the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, and for Susko, that was more than enough to challenge her.

As one of three Democrats on the seven-member board, Davis told East Cobb News that “I am not a polarizing candidate. That’s not who I am.”

She says that “I represent a unique voice” and her mission is a simple one: “To get the job done” to help students achieve academic success.

Here’s Davis’ campaign website; she is senior manager at Achieve Atlanta, a non-profit which helps students prepare for postsecondary education.

Early voting in the primaries began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information.

The winner of the Post 6 primary will be elected to serve a four-year term on the school board, since no Republican qualified.

For a larger view, click here.

Post 6 (see map) includes the Campbell and some of the Wheeler high school attendance zones

It formerly included Walton zone but has been redrawn to boundaries that have made it a predominantly Democratic post.

Susko has received the endorsement of Davis’ predecessor, Charisse Davis (no relation), who was at the center of several school board controversies during her one term.

But Nichelle Davis said that as the only black female member of the board, she understands the importance of treating students fairly.

Susko thinks that minority students in particular are at a greater disadvantage than they should be, and supports restoring banned Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project program.

Nichelle Davis said that she was “surprised” when Susko announced her candidacy but that “advocacy for everyone looks a little different.

“I lead with joy.”

In explaining her vote to extend Ragsdale’s contract, Davis said that she went on the “facts and data presented to me” about his job performance. She wouldn’t get into details, since those were discussed in executive session, but she said that she made her decision based on “what he has done, based on how we measure success.

“I think we have a lot of good things going on [in the Cobb school district] and I recognize that there is a lot of room for improvement. . . . I made the best decision in that moment.”

She said her approach to serving also reflects the reality of being a Democrat on a Republican-majority board.

“We may not agree on everything,” Davis said, “but we have to move from a space of being confrontational to having courageous conversations. Positive things have been happening” in the district and on the board in moving forward on some of those priorities.

“I’m proud of our enrichment and career-ready programs, charter schools, SPLOST projects and Georgia’s BEST,” she said.

“We agree more than we disagree,” Nichelle Davis said of the Cobb school board.

Davis said her objectives are focused on “doing what’s best for kids,” including more curriculum and student support, and in particular improvements in literacy programs.

She also favors more mental health support and resources for students, improving communications between students and their families and the district and the district being more transparent with the public in general.

Davis was critical of the board’s policy last year to ban airing of public comments at board meetings, which she says has hurt dialogue and citizen engagement she thinks is necessary.

She also thinks high school students should be able to speak at board meetings without a parent present (Davis occasionally holds a “Youth Roundtable” with high school students to discuss a variety of issues in the schools.)

“How do we find the right balance between our resources and our needs?” as a district, Davis asked, if the larger public doesn’t know what community members are expressing.

She admits that some of the things she advocates for at times up short on board votes when there’s a distinct partisan difference.

“That is a challenge,” Davis said. “It’s hard to gauge the progress when it moves by inches. There are many things we agree on. But we agree more than we disagree.”

While to some members of the public “it looks the same, there’s ongoing work” that suggests otherwise. “When put to a vote, it still takes a board majority.”

School safety concerns have loomed larger during Davis’ term in office.

That includes a rapid and sometimes secretive expansion of safety programs within the Cobb school district. Last year the district announced it was accepting a state school security grant to hire a cyberintelligence company, Servius, to conduct risk assessments at schools and identify students who may pose threats.

The district also has approved funding for dogs trained with “vapor wake” technology to detect weapons in high schools.

The board has been briefed in executive session about some of these programs, but Davis said that “we need more updates in helping to identify threats quicker.”

But she said that an important measure for the public is to improve gun safety advocacy in the community.

Davis said that regardless of how the partisan dynamics may be on the board—and it could become non-partisan in 2028—this current board is making significant strides.

After some fractious debates prior to her arrival in 2023, Davis said, “we’re starting to find some middle ground. It’s about moving forward with solutions that work” in what would be her second term.

“I love to reframe my thoughts about what a win looks like,” she said. “People know where I’m coming from.”

Davis said the question she constantly asks herself, regardless of the issue before her, is “what is best for students?”

That’s because “I’m a solutions-oriented person . . . it’s the educator in me. That’s why I want to continue serving.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb school board candidate profile: Jennifer Susko, Post 6

May 2, 2026May 1, 2026 by Wendy Parker

Since she began speaking out against Cobb County School District leadership a few years ago, Jennifer Susko has hardly stepped out of the spotlight with her blistering criticisms of the powers-that-be.

And now the former Cobb school counselor is vying for a spot on the Cobb Board of Education that she routinely criticizes—and not just the Republican majority.

Susko is a Democratic challenger to Post 6 first-term board member Nichelle Davis in the May 19 primaries precisely because the incumbent recently supported extending the contract of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Susko, who noisily resigned as a counselor at Mableton Elementary School in 2021 so she could speak out on a range of issues—and after the school board banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project—says Davis’ vote was the final straw for her.

“I am running because I believe voters deserve representation that is willing to question leadership when necessary,” Susko told East Cobb News, “insist on answers and not offer automatic support in the face of ongoing concerns about student outcomes, equity, and district direction.”

Here’s Susko’s campaign website; she is currently a counselor with the Georgia Cyber Academy, an online charter school.

Early voting in the primaries began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information.

The winner of the Post 6 primary will be elected to serve a four-year term on the school board, since no Republican qualified.

For a larger view, click here.

Post 6 (see map) includes the Campbell and some of the Wheeler high school attendance zone.

It formerly included Walton and Wheeler areas but has been redrawn to boundaries that have made it a predominantly Democratic post.

Susko has received the endorsement of Nichelle Davis’ predecessor, Charisse Davis (no relation), who was at the center of several school board controversies during her one term.

Davis was outspoken on diversity and equity issues, but Susko began to speak out at board meetings prior to that in 2016-17, sparked by what she said was a racist message sent out via social media by a North Cobb High School student.

As a regular during public comment periods, Susko has been especially critical of how the Cobb school district treats minority students. Like Charisse Davis and former board member and now State Sen. Jaha Howard, Susko thinks the district is too harsh with disciplinary measures for minority students in particular.

“For many families, especially Black students and parents, there are long-standing, well-documented concerns about racism in Cobb schools that have not been meaningfully addressed,” Susko said.

“In some cases, efforts intended to respond to those concerns have been reduced or rolled back. A ‘yes’ vote on the superintendent’s contract communicates approval of that trajectory.

“The sky may not be falling to you, but for Black parents and students experiencing racism in schools, it is,” she said. “Ignoring that does not make it disappear. There is documented evidence in district data along with years of students and families describing what they are facing in classrooms and hallways every day.”

Susko cited a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics that “although progress has been made toward racial equality and equity, the evidence to support the continued negative impact of racism on health and well-being through implicit and explicit biases, institutional structures, and interpersonal relationships is clear.

“Failure to address racism will continue to undermine health equity for all children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.”

She said during her time in the Cobb school district, black students told her about being called racial epithets, “hearing adults laugh about the KKK, and constantly facing assumptions that they are not academically capable.”

Sukso said a teacher told her once not to worry about teaching career lessons to a second-grader “because at least he looks great in orange,” a suggestion that “a 7-year-0ld by would end up in prison. These are repeated, compounding harms.”

If those are the incidents that sparked Susko’s activism, they have expanded to include her general priorities if she were elected: accountable leadership and effective oversight, responsive governance and student-centered policies.

“The clearest difference between me and my opponent is how we understand accountability and what we are willing to support in public,” Susko said.

Susko has been a frequent critic of the Cobb school district at board meetings and in the community.

“A vote to renew Superintendent Ragsdale’s contract is one of the strongest signals of confidence in district leadership. My opponent supported that contract; I did not.”

Susko also has been critical of the Cobb school district investing in school safety measures without board action, including a contract with a private cyberintelligence company about which little has been said publicly.

The district has said that Servius is conducting threat assessments at individual schools and developing processes to help schools identify patterns in student behavior that could become safety concerns.

“There have still been incidents where weapons entered school buildings, leaving families questioning whether those systems are effective and whether leadership has been fully held accountable,” Susko said.

She also said the board fails at governance by preventing the airing of public comments, and prohibiting board members from making them.

She supports allowing students to speak during public comment without having a parent present, a change from the current district policy.

“I think a parent permission form is fine, but removing the barrier of parent presence would ensure student voices are heard and allow them to actively practice the civic engagement skills they learn in social studies classrooms,” she said.

Susko said that if she were elected, “maybe” she could support retaining Ragsdale if he “can listen, demonstrate accountability, and make changes when they are necessary for student success without becoming defensive or responding with long public remarks that feel dismissive of students and families . . However, there is very little evidence of that kind of responsiveness, which makes continued support unlikely.”

When asked if she could make the transition from political bomb-thrower to board member and work with colleagues she may disagree with, Susko told East Cobb News that “a working relationship does not mean agreement, and it does not mean I would ever stay silent in the face of issues harming students. If there are ongoing concerns, I will address them directly and consistently with any board member.

“Some people like to reduce my work to the idea that all I do is get kicked out of boardrooms by police, but that is in my role as a community organizer and through participation in direct action activism. I understand how to navigate both contexts appropriately, but I do not confuse being direct with being unprofessional.”

Susko also has received the endorsement of the political arm of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which recently was indicted by the federal government. Susko has said that she did not seek that endorsement.

While she said she understands how her views—and style—are seen as controversial, she won’t back down from confrontation if she thinks conversations about school issues are not improving education outcomes, especially for what she describes as disadvantaged students.

“But when you are talking about life-and-death issues and nothing changes, or the response is inadequate or even harmful, you realize that tone alone does not drive outcomes,” Susko said.

“At that point, you must shift from simply speaking to insisting on change. My approach is to name problems clearly and put them on the public record so they cannot be deferred through process or silence.

“I do not adjust my advocacy based on comfort in the room, because the stakes are too high for students and families to be sidelined.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb school board candidate profile: Susan McCartney, Post 4

April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by Wendy Parker

After ending a 40-year teaching career, most of it in the Cobb County School District, Susan McCartney said she still felt like there was more she wants do with local education.

A longtime teacher and later paraprofessional at Shallowford Falls Elementary School, McCartney filed to run as a Democrat in the Post 4 primary election for Cobb Board of Education.

“This is my chance to give back to education,” McCartney said in an interview with East Cobb News.

She’s facing school activist Michael Garza (here’s our profile of him) for the right to challenge three-term incumbent David Chastain in November.

Chastain is unopposed in the Republican primary—we’ll be interviewing him during the general election campaign.

Early voting in the primaries began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information.

McCartney posts campaign updates on a Facebook page.

The Post 4 race is considered a crucial one given the GOP’s 4-3 majority status, and it’s the only seat among the three up for election this year that is in Republican hands.

Post 4 includes most of the Sprayberry, Kell and Lassiter high school attendance zones (see map below), and it was redrawn in 2022 to maintain most of its previous boundaries in partisan redistricting battles that preserved that Republican majority.

The Post 4 boundaries were redrawn in 2022; for a larger view click here.

A native of Florida, McCartney taught at Shallowford Falls from 1998-2003, and after living in Texas, her family returned to Cobb and she returned to the same school, this time as a parapro.

It was in that role that her eyes widened to what she says are disparities that need attention, especially in some special education areas.

“Being a parapro gave me the chance to see schools with a different perspective,” McCartney said.

“Those are some of the hardest-working people in the profession.”

Addressing changes in special education programs are among her priorities, especially the Mild Intellectual Disabilities program, whose offerings are being reduced in some areas.

That includes at the kindergarten level, where McCartney said she saw as a parapro a student not get the attention she thought was needed.

A girl diagnosed as having a MID was placed in a general education program, and McCartney said that “my concern is that had she been [in a specialized program], her learning may have been more impactful.”

McCartney also disagrees with a board policy enacted last year that prohibits the airing of public comments during board meetings.

The comments are heard only in the meeting room and don’t get distributed to the general public, a decision Democrats have claimed is being done by a Republican-led board to discourage dissent.

“It’s essential that we understand the community that we serve,” she said. “They are part of what makes us who we are.”

School safety issues also have grown in recent years, and the Cobb school district is contracting with a private cyberintelligence company and has hired another firm to place and train specially-trained dogs to detect weapons in high school.

The Cobb school district has paid more than $2 million to Servius, the intelligence firm, much of that via state grant money, but the school board never voted on the contract.

McCartney said the board did so “with no understanding of how it would be spent.” Superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said publicly only that board members will be briefed in executive session as needed about the details.

But the program otherwise has been shrouded in secrecy. The district issued this Q and A in February, but McCartney said the public deserves more information.

“We needed it,” McCartney said of more initiatives to enhance safety, and the Servius contract. “But we should have been told more on how it was going to be spent.”

The issue of bus safety also has been a recent issue in Cobb schools, with maintenance workers publicly complaining about unsafe buses on routes.

McCartney said she’s spoken to a woman who did speak out at public comment session—and not aired publicly—and “who wants to know why we’re not getting important updates” from the district.

She said she appreciates how the district, and Ragsdale in particular, recognize the contributions of educators and of student achievers, and said Cobb schools have much to be proud of in terms of general academic achievement.

But she thinks he’s being heavy-handed in overseeing removals of books from school libraries he says are sexually explicit and not appropriate for minors.

McCartney also said she takes a dim view of his recent comments aimed at those who are critical of him sending out “thoughts and prayers” messages at school board meetings.

Those comments normally come when he’s announcing deaths in the school district. Ragsdale responded in March that ““If you’re going to say it, do it. Words matter.”

McCartney said she thinks Ragsdale at times is too opinionated about the wrong things.

“Who are y0u to say that? The way he stands out—that’s not the place for him to say that. He’s not a member of the board.”

While she considers herself a longtime Democrat, McCartney said her first time seeking public office is about helping students and families.

The board could become non-partisan by 2028, which would be just fine with her.

“What we have to focus on is what’s best for our students, staff and communities,” McCartney said, adding that her experience navigating the school district “is what I bring to the table.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb school board candidate profile: Micheal Garza, Post 4

April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by Wendy Parker

After running twice for the Georgia legislature against an entrenched incumbent, Northeast Cobb resident Micheal Garza is taking aim at another long-time elected official in a domain where he’s been very active.

Garza, who owns a web development business and has been a vocal opponent of Cobb County School District leadership, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Post 4 on the Cobb Board of Education.

He’s facing retired Cobb teacher Susan McCartney in the primary election (here’s our profile of her) for the right to challenge three-term incumbent David Chastain in November.

Chastain is unopposed in the Republican primary—we’ll be interviewing him during the general election campaign.

In an interview with East Cobb News, Garza said in reference to the Cobb school district that he’s running because “I see a lot of the great things that we do, but I see a lot of room for improvement.

“It’s the right time, it’s the right moment.”

Early voting in the primaries began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information.

Garza’s campaign website can be found by clicking here; he was defeated by Republican State Rep. John McCarson in Georgia House elections in 2022 and 2024.

The Post 4 race is considered a crucial one given the GOP’s 4-3 majority status, and it’s the only seat among the three up for election this year that is in Republican hands.

The Post 4 boundaries were redrawn in 2022; for a larger view click here.

Garza, a native of Texas, and his wife are the parents of a daughter who attends Keheley Elementary School. He’s been involved in PTA activities at the school and with the East Cobb County Council of PTAs.

He’s been better known as a leading member of a group of critics of the Cobb school district in recent years.

The Cobb Community Care Coalition focuses on advocacy for racial and social justice and inclusion, and has been outspoken on other hot-button issues facing the district, including school book removals, school safety and the tenure of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

Garza has sounded off on many of those themes during public comment periods and elsewhere, critical of the “intense partisanship” he blames Republicans for fomenting.

Those votes on many key issues have proliferated in recent years, after what had been a 6-1 GOP majority was reduced in 2018.

“All of these things speak to a board that wants to hold power,” Garza said, adding that the redistricting saga is what prompted him into this race.

(Another Cobb Community Care Coalition figure, former Cobb school counselor Jennifer Susko, is taking on Democratic incumbent Nichelle Davis in the Post 6 race that includes some of the Wheeler attendance zone. We will be publishing profiles of both candidates shortly.)

Even though Post 4 was redrawn by the GOP-led legislature to favor a Republican, Garza says a Democrat can win it, and he is touting his regular involvement as an advantage.

“I’m somebody who is in our schools all the time,” Garza said. “I’m closer to the parents and the educators themselves.”

He said he wants to be an advocate for families and students he says are being ignored by the district, or who are afraid of retaliation if they speak out.

Some of those issues concern curriculum matters, special education and board-superintendent relations.

He said he hears from parents “a lot” about special education needs.

“We have a lot of amazing educators and parapros,” Garza said, but added that he hears about a lack of communication “when [concerns are] brought past the local level.

Michael Garza has been critical of library book removals in the Cobb school district.

“These are conversations the board should be having. I’m not saying that I have all the answers, but there are conversations we can have as a board in partnership with the community and our educators.”

When the board ended public airing of public comments at board meetings last year, Garza said that’s another example of the Republican majority—at the behest of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale—heading off public criticism.

He also thinks the district is unwise to remove books from school libraries that Ragsdale has said are sexually explicit and inappropriate for minors.

Garza thinks that’s a function that “we should be putting in the hands of educators and media specialists” and not a committee close to the superintendent’s office that’s been reviewing such materials.

On school safety issues, Garza thinks it’s important for parents to educate their children on gun safety and “to lock up their firearms” at home.

He said metal detectors in schools are “problematic,” but has questions about how the district is spending money with a cyberintelligence firm as a partner and on a “vapor wake” specialty dog detection system in high schools.

The latter couldn’t detect a gun at Hillgrove High School, Garza said, adding that “I don’t think we should be spending money on unproven solutions.”

Garza said if he’s elected, he would do more than be a yes-man for Ragsdale—which is what he thinks the Republicans have been doing for too long.

“I will ask questions, especially ‘is it a good idea?’ ” Garza said. “It’s our job as board members to question” what’s brought before them by the administration, on any number of issues, which he also said includes other academic matters and school transportation.

He also favors changing board policy that now allows only the superintendent or chairman to place items on the agenda unilaterally. Other board members must get at least three other votes, which Garza says deliberately freezes out Democratic members.

Should Democrats gain the majority, Garza said he wouldn’t do anything dramatic regarding Ragsdale’s tenure, which Republicans claim would be endangered with party switch.

“I am going to meet with the superintendent to discuss the priorities of the district,” Garza said, noting that the board could become non-partisan after 2028.

“I especially want to have a good relationship with the superintendent. And I would have to govern in which I have to listen to everyone.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb commission candidate profile: JoAnn Birrell, District 3

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 by Wendy Parker

During a time of political flux and at times turmoil in recent years, JoAnn Birrell said her tenure on the Cobb Board of Commissioners reflects a record of steady leadership that continues to be needed.

A Republican first elected to represent District 3 in 2010, Birrell is seeking a fifth term in the May 19 primary against Chris Wasserman, a first-time candidate.

She said that continuing her advocacy for improving public safety salaries and benefits, working to establish a Cobb veterans memorial and seeing through various renovations and other initiatives in her District are her priorities as she seeks re-election.

“I am seeking another term to ensure the projects I have initiated come to fruition and to continue serving the people of District 3 and Cobb County,” Birrell told East Cobb News.

Birrell’s website can be found by clicking here. The winner of the GOP primary on May 19 will face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.

Early voting began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information. Our profile of Wasserman can be found by clicking here.

District 3 includes most of East Cobb (see the map). In 2022, Birrell was easily re-elected with similar boundaries. There has been some speculation since then that she would not seek another term, especially as tempers flared on the board over redistricting, a conflict she called “two years of hell.”

Wasserman has said that the five-member board needs new energy and ideas, and that Birrell bears some responsibility for occasionally fractured proceedings.

But Birrell responded by saying that she’s forged deep connections that reflect a high level of energy that she will continue to exert if re-elected.

“I have faced primary opposition in all four of my previous terms, so this was not a surprise,” Birrell said of Wasserman’s candidacy.

“Regarding the need for ‘new energy,’ a constituent recently compared my pace to the ‘Energizer Bunny.’ I have built strong community relationships and business partnerships over many years of leadership. I would be interested to know what new ideas are being proposed that have not already been explored.”

For a larger view of District 3, click here.

Wasserman has been critical of what he says is the board’s inability to separate needs from wants in budgeting, and that the focus should be on what he calls “core services.”

Birrell countered that she’s advocated fiscally responsible spending in county government, and that her top priorities have been public safety and reducing the amount of general fund money the county receives from Cobb Water revenues.

“I am committed to reducing the water transfer to zero percent,” Birrell said (the current rate is 4 percent, and it has been as high as 10 percent during her time on the board).

She also voted against imposing a stormwater fee for that reason, saying at the time that “I can’t justify any more revenue. I just can’t.”

In addition to supporting the gradual installment of a pay-and-grade salary structure for public safety personnel, Birrell also pushed for the creation of a new police precinct in Northeast Cobb that eventually will be full-service.

“Public safety has always been my top priority,” Birrell said. “I am dedicated to supporting our law enforcement, firefighters, 911, EMA, and animal services to ensure the safety of our citizens, businesses, and visitors.”

Birrell also pulled together a variety of sources to fund the rebuild of the Gritters Library, which now houses the Northeast Cobb Community Center.

But it’s more recent projects that have prompted objections from Wasserman. He’s against the proposed relocation of the East Cobb Library, and thinks the $20 million price tag could be even higher, perhaps more than double that amount.

Birrell recently proposed shifting $5 million from that project to address flooding issues along Columns Drive and for park upgrades in District 3.

Birrell (center) with East Cobb Civic Association members at an April Adopt-A-Mile cleanup.

In 2017, Birrell suggested closing the East Cobb library during a budget crunch (and when it was not in her district.) Now, she is justifying the need for a new library facility not just for financial but also for space reasons.

It’s the second-busiest branch in the Cobb library system, and the county pays $400,000 annually in rent at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center. The proposed relocation would be to county-owned property that hasn’t been revealed.

That lease ends in 2029, and she said that “it is fiscally prudent to use SPLOST dollars to build a county-owned facility rather than continuing these lease payments.”

She added that the original cost for the relocation came to $35 million, but that has been reduced by keeping the square footage comparable to the current size.

“Despite receiving very little negative feedback directly, we still reevaluated and scaled back the costs, and the final survey showed significant community support,” she said.

In March, Cobb PARKS officials “paused” plans to redevelop Shaw Park after softball families complained a field would be taken out for pickleball courts.

Wasserman accused Birrell of waffling on the issue, saying that the pause on park plans is only because “she’s seeking re-election.”

But she said in acknowledging a miscommunication on the issue that the fields that are being relocated are being spread out, not reduced.

Birrell said previously that some critics were “trying to make it sound like we don’t care about girls softball. I’m a girl. I care.”

She said she’s stressing to voters a long history of keeping their priorities and their pocket books in mind, especially when it comes to taxes.

“Keeping taxes low and maintaining fiscal discipline remains a primary focus,” Birrell said. “My conservative record reflects this; I have never voted for a millage increase in 16 years.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb commission candidate profile: Chris Wasserman, District 3

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 by Wendy Parker

As a business owner and young father raising a family in East Cobb, Chris Wasserman said he has become alarmed in recent years about the leadership of county government, and in particular how it taxes its citizens and spends their money.

The founder of Wasserman Talent Solutions, the Osborne High School graduate now lives in a Northeast Cobb neighborhood where his children attend school, and where he has become invested in community affairs.

He said that as he has watched a fractured Cobb Board of Commissioners spar over budgets, spending priorities and other issues in recent years, “I became very concerned about the decisions and directions” made by that five-member elected body.

Calling himself a “home-grown candidate,” Wasserman announced earlier this year that he would challenge the elder member of the board in his first campaign for public office.

“It’s time for fresh blood and new ideas,” said Wasserman, a Republican facing four-term incumbent commissioner JoAnn Birrell in the May 19 general election, with the winner to face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.

(Early voting began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information. Here is our candidate profile of Birrell.)

Wasserman’s campaign website can be found by clicking here. He’s also having a public campaign event next Thursday, May 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at East Cobb Park.

Wassserman and his wife are the parents of a daughter, 10, who attends Keheley Elementary School, and a son, age 4.

Wasserman said he met with Birrell several months ago when those rumors were abounding not just in East Cobb, but around the county.

For a larger view of District 3, click here.

When Birrell announced she would be running again, Wasserman said he wasn’t deterred from launching his bid “to be an advocate for our taxpayers and their champion.”

In an interview with East Cobb News, Wasserman said that the board requires some new leadership.

“Sixteen years is a long time,” Wasserman said, referring to Birrell. “It’s time that we expect more from our county government.”

Since 2021, the commission has had a 3-2 Democratic majority, led by Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who previously had served as the only Democrat on a board when Republicans dominated with a 4-1 majority.

Birrell has bridged that transition, and Wasserman said she bears some responsibility for a county government that he said taxes too much and doesn’t spend that money as wisely as it should.

“The county is basically nickel- and diming us,” he said. “Enough is enough.”

He said the commission needs greater fiscal discipline, and it hasn’t been separating “needs and wants.” If he’s elected, Wasserman said, “I will be looking out for the taxpayer.”

The current Cobb fiscal year 2026 budget of $1.325 billion has held the line in general fund property tax rates, but includes increased revenues due to rising assessments that have drawn citizen protests.

But the board hasn’t reduced the millage rate to reflect that, and in starting in June, Cobb property owners will pay a stormwater fee for services that previously had been included in their water and sewer bills.

Wasserman said his priorities would be to “focus on the core services and take a hard look” at everything else.

As an entrepreneur, he continued, “I have a superpower for looking at a budget and cutting the waste. The lack of a small business owner on the BOC is a detriment.”

Among those priorities are better pay and benefits for public safety personnel, which has been one of Birrell’s signature issues during her term on the board.

“We need to do a better job of looking after the people protecting our community,” Wasserman said.

More specifically, he pointed to projects in the East Cobb area where he thinks Birrell has come up short.

He doesn’t like the proposed relocation of the East Cobb Library, and thinks the $20 million price tag could be even higher, perhaps more than double that amount.

Wasserman campaigning at Shaw Park in late March.

The original cost for the new library that was cited in the proposed 2028 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) was $25 million, but Birrell recently proposed shifting $5 million to address flooding issues along Columns Drive and for park upgrades in District 3.

“That’s just a number on paper today,” Wasserman said, adding that this typifies what he’s seeing from a county government that is “trying to remodel the basement when you’ve got a leaky roof.”

He pointed to the $60 million cost to rebuild the Cobb Animal Services shelter. While acknowledging that “costs are rising, we need to be taking care of our core services.”

As his campaign got underway, Birrell came under fire for the proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park to include more pickleball courts. Softball parents objected, saying a softball field would be taken away, a charge that Birrell and Cobb PARKS say isn’t true.

Wasserman quickly sprung into action, meeting with Sandy Plains Softball parents and taping a campaign video at Shaw Park. The county quickly announced that it was putting an indefinite hold on the redevelopment.

He accused Birrell of waffling on the issue, saying that the pause on park plans is only because “she’s seeking re-election.”

Wasserman said he’s also running to help small businesses deal with red tape and other frustrations he says he hears a lot about, including the slow pace of permitting (“there’s no sense of urgency”) and the need for better technology in county government and a “customer service mentality.”

But the larger issues concerning Cobb government are larger and deeper than that, Wasserman said, pointing to a lot of “bad blood” on the commission that he claims is preventing collaborations and healthy conversations to take place about the future of the county.

He said Birrell “should be doing that. That’s her job. We should expect more.

“People are telling me that while they appreciate what she’s done, they are ready for change. My value proposition is resonating.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb Elections changes polling locations for 2026 elections

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration said Tuesday that a number of voting precinct locations will be changing for the 2026 elections, starting with the May 19 primaries.

These changes will not affect early voting for the primaries—see our guide to how to do that—or for the general election early voting period, but only for election-day voting.

Here are the changes for precincts in the East Cobb area:

BELLS FERRY 02 (formerly Christ Worship Church)—Kulture Event Center, 2932 Canton Road, Suite 290
EASTSIDE 02 (formerly Eastside Baptist Church)—Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, 2051 Lower Roswell Road
ELIZABETH 02 (formerly Covenant Presbyterian Church)—Crossview Baptist Church, 1100 Piedmont Road
HIGHTOWER 01 (formerly Shallowford Church)—Chestnut Ridge Christian Church, 2663 Johnson Ferry Road
ROSWELL 01 (formerly East Cobb Church of Christ)—Catholic Church of St. Ann, 4905 Roswell Road
TERRELL MILL 01 (formerly Old Eastvalley Elementary School)—Sope Creek Elementary, 3320 Paper Mill Road
WILLEO 01 (formerly Cobb Community Church)—Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, 4495 Sandy Plains Road

The other locations can be found by clicking here; and here’s what else Cobb Elections is saying about these changes:

“Signage will be posted at former polling locations directing voters to their new assigned location, and affected voters will also receive an updated precinct card by mail reflecting their new polling place. All voters are strongly encouraged to confirm their assigned polling location before heading to vote. Personalized voter information, including polling location, sample ballot, and more, is available through the Georgia My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov .

“Cobb County Elections & Registration also welcomes public input on future polling locations. Residents may submit suggestions using the Polling Location Suggestion Form available on the Cobb County website at
https://www.cobbcounty.gov/elections/election-reference/suggest-polling-location.”

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb early voting guide for the 2026 primary elections

April 25, 2026 by Wendy Parker

From April 27-May 15, Cobb voters can cast their ballots in person in advance of the May 19 primary elections.

On the ballot will be a variety of local, state and federal offices, ranging from county commissioner and school board to the Georgia legislature, governor and U.S. Congress, as well as judicial offices (more details below).

Voters must choose to vote in one of the following primaries: Democratic, Republican or non-partisan; no switching over is allowed.

Early voting locations will be set up around the county. Absentee ballots also can be mailed or dropped off at select locations during this period.

The Cobb Board of Elections and Cobb GIS are providing an estimated wait-time map that will be updated several times a day during the early voting period.

When, where, how to vote

Early voting will take place at select locations around the county, including the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road) and the Tim D. Lee Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road) as follows:

April 27-May 1, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 2, Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 3, Sunday, 12-5 p.m. (East Cobb Govt. Center)
May 4-8, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 9, Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 10, Sunday, 12-5 p.m. (East Cobb Govt. Center)
May 11-15, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There is no early voting May 16-18. On election day, May 19, voters will go their assigned precincts.

For more locations for early voting, click here. Cobb voters can cast early ballots at any location in the county regardless of where they live.

Voters must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls (click here for details).

Absentee ballots must be received in person or by mail at the Cobb Elections office or delivered to a designated drop box by 7 p.m. on May 19, when the polls close for good on election day.

There is an absentee ballot drop box at the East Cobb Government Service Center that is open during early voting hours.

To check your voter registration status, and to get a customized sample ballot, visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.

Cobb Elections also has prepared consolidated sample ballots: Democratic | Republican | Non-Partisan

Who/What’s on the ballot?

In Post 4 on the Cobb Board of Education, three-term Republican incumbent David Chastain will face either Micheal Garza or Susan McCartney, the Democratic candidates who have qualified.

First-term Democratic incumbent Nichelle Davis is being opposed in Post 6 on the Cobb Board of Education by Jennifer Susko.

East Cobb News has interviewed the candidates in these contested primaries and will be publishing individual stories this week.

The only countywide race on the ballot is Cobb Solicitor General. Democratic incumbent Maria Metzger has a primary opponent in Christopher Futch; no Republican qualified.

There are seven incumbent judges on Cobb Superior Court and Cobb State Court who are running unopposed.

There are five races for Georgia Public Service Commissioner, and all state legislative seats will be decided in 2026.

In East Cobb, there is only one contested primary for a legislative seat. Democratic incumbent Mary Frances Williams will face Graham Bowers in the District 37 race.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks a second term, while there are five candidates seeking the Republican nomination.

There are three contested non-partisan primaries for Georgia Supreme Court Justice and another for Georgia Court of Appeals Justice, as those incumbents are facing opposition.

East Cobb News will have more details about those state and federal races in the coming week as well.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb News Explainer: Covering politics and elections

April 25, 2026April 25, 2026 by Wendy Parker

As part of our continuing effort to help the public understand why we do things the way we do, East Cobb News is running a short feature on an occasional basis that will give you a better understanding of what goes behind some of our news coverage.

East Cobb News Explainer: Covering politics and elections — *We won’t tell you whom you should vote for, just how to go about doing it.*

It’s called East Cobb News Explainer, and we started off a couple weeks ago with a look at how we cover reports of crime and publishing mug shots.

With the 2026 election season underway, we thought we’d share our approach to covering politics and elections.

We’re doing it the same way we have from the beginning, giving our readers nuts-and-bolts information on how to vote, what candidates are on the ballot and what the issues are in a particular race.

(Here’s our early voting guide to the primaries that’s a handy-dandy, all-in-one resource.)

What we will never do is tell you whom to vote for—or against.

In the coming weeks, East Cobb News will be publishing candidate profiles in contested races for Cobb commissioner and Cobb school board that voters in East Cobb will be choosing from.

There’s a lot on the line, and some contentious issues that are at the heart of those election battles. We don’t flinch from presenting them to you, and that’s been a hallmark of our political coverage all along.

But at East Cobb News we don’t dwell on the he-said, she-said dynamic that passes for so much media coverage of politics. In the current environment, that’s not very conducive to helping voters understand what’s behind what’s on their ballot.

We have some readers who love the combat-style approach to political coverage—as long as it confirms their priors.

We’re accused all the time of being in one camp or another, because some people just need an enemy to excoriate, and they love to shout from the rooftops that you’ve got to pick a side.

No you don’t. In fact, most people don’t. This is political coverage for normies, not social media-obsessed partisans.

The only “side” we pick at East Cobb News is the civics side. If there’s a need for anything in terms of media coverage of politics, that’s definitely it.

There are times in which we have to shut off social media comments for some our stories because a handful of readers decide to act like children and drive others away.

But for the most part, our readers are pretty grown-up about all this, and we do appreciate that.

We don’t endorse candidates or ballot issues (we even took a pass on the East Cobb cityhood referendum in 2022, although we had some choice commentary after the decisive votes were cast).

We focus on the mechanics of voting—where and how, etc. Especially since the COVID-19 election in 2020, when confusion reigned everywhere, we’ve found that voters just want us to help them figure out how to cast their ballots.

And especially with three weeks of early voting, including weekend voting. You don’t go to your normal polling station then. And the machines have changed. And the electoral maps change.

And of course, the candidates, races and issues are in a constant state of flux. Helping citizens keep up with a dizzying Cobb political scene requires a good bit of purely informative reporting, and that’s how we cover politics and elections at East Cobb News.

So stay tuned for candidate interviews, early voting updates and finally, on May 19, primary election day, with real-time results at your finger tips.

And then for the general election, we’ll rinse and repeat.

Please reach out to us to explain how we give you East Cobb News. E-mail us at [email protected].

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

5 East Cobb voting locations could change for 2026 elections

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Wendy Parker

The Cobb Board of Elections and Registration will be asked to relocate 13 polling stations for the rest of the 2026 election cycle, include five in East Cobb. 5 East Cobb voting locations could change for 2026 elections

The board will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. in a special-called meeting to consider the requests.

There isn’t a published agenda yet, but the Cobb Elections office has posted on social media the precinct locations it wants to change, starting with the May 19 primaries.

They include the following precincts in East Cobb:

Bells Ferry 02: From Christ Worship Church to Kulture Event Center (2932 Canton Road, Suite 290);
Eastside 02: Fron Eastside Baptist Church to the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center (2051 Lower Roswell Road);
Elizabeth 02: From Covenant Presbyterian Church to Crossview Baptist Church (11oo Piedmont Road);
Hightower o1: From Shallowford Church to Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (2663 Johnson Ferry Road);
Willeo 01: From Cobb Community Church to Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church (4495 Sandy Plains Road).

Cobb Elections said that any individuals objecting to the changes can state them verbally or in writing at the meeting, which takes place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Office Building (100 Cherokee St., Marietta).

“If no objection is made, the Board will adopt this change at that time,” according to the public notices.

The adopted, the changes would go into affect on Tuesday, April 28. They would not affect early voting for the primaries that begin on Monday, April 27 at select locations in Cobb.

The new locations would be used for the primaries and any runoffs, as well as the November general election and runoffs, but only on an election-day basis.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Ga. bill making most Cobb elections non-partisan passes

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026 by Wendy Parker

The Georgia legislature this week gave final passage to a bill that would make most Cobb County elected offices non-partisan.

The state House passed HB 369 on Friday by a 93-64 vote, and the bill goes to Gov. Brian Kemp to be signed into law.

The bill introduced by metro Atlanta Republican lawmakers would make elections for county commissioners, school board members, district attorneys, court clerks, solicitors general and tax commissioners in Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties non-partisan.

County sheriffs elections and DeKalb County commissioners elections would be exempt from the law, which would go into effect Jan. 1, 2028 and would become effective with the 2028 election cycle.

The final vote in the House came down largely along party lines, after the Senate passed the bill 32-21 on Wednesday. You can read the bill here and check the roll call votes at the bottom of the page.

Republican State Rep. Don Parsons of East Cobb broke ranks and voted against the bill. State Rep. Sharon Cooper, another East Cobb Republican, was excused from voting.

All Cobb Democrats voted against the bill, and the rest of the county’s Republicans, in both the House and Senate, voted in favor of the bill.

The legislation applies to counties which have their own judicial circuits and appointed medical examiners.

State Sens. John Albers and Kay Kirkpatrick, Republicans with East Cobb constituencies, were among the main co-sponsors of the bill.

Albers said the bill is necessary for local jurisdictions to focus on public safety, as the five counties are considered “consolidated law enforcement counties.”

But the bill has been criticized by district attorneys in those jurisdictions, including Sonya Allen of Cobb. They claim the legislation is unconstitutional and is politically motivated, aimed in particular at Fulton DA Fani Willis.

*Cobb DA Sonya Allen is one of five black female Democrats elected to be chief prosecutor in a metro Atlanta county.*

She’s come under fire for her prosecution of Donald Trump relating to the 2020 Georgia presidential election results.

In Georgia, local municipal offices, such as city council and city school boards, are non-partisan, and county offices have traditionally been partisan (judicial seats in Georgia are all non-partisan).

But GOP lawmakers have been responding to Democratic gains in recent years in what had been Republican strongholds in suburban Atlanta (Republicans are in the majority in both chambers of the legislature and hold all statewide state government offices).

The Cobb Board of Commissioners has a 3-2 Democratic majority, and recent partisan battles included two years of disputes over the redistricting of commission electoral maps before former commissioner Jerica Richardson was removed from office.

Republicans hold a 4-3 majority on the Cobb school board, and partisan fighting there has flared up over COVID-related spending, racial issues, Cobb County School District accreditation and the leadership of Superintendent Chris Ragsdale.

The bill was originally introduced as SB 573, and got a favorable vote in the Senate.

But it didn’t get a vote in the House before crossover day. HB 369 did make the crossover deadline, and was introduced as a measure to address food truck safety.

That bill was substituted in the Senate to include the non-partisan elections in the five metro Atlanta counties.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Related:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

U.S. Senate runoff

Battle for Governor

Supreme Court decisions

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Who/What’s on the ballot?

Cobb Commission District 3, GOP

Cobb Board of Education Post 4, Democrat

Cobb Board of Education Post 6, Democrat

Other Races

Coming on Tuesday

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this:

When, where, how to vote

Who/What’s on the ballot?

Related:

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Share this post:

Like this: