Jaha Howard, who served on the Cobb Board of Education from 2019-2022, has filed a declaration of intent form to run for the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
A Democrat from Smyrna, Howard is considering a campaign for the District 2 seat being vacated by first-term Democrat Jerica Richardson, who is running for Congress.
She was a top campaign aide for Howard when he won election to the school board in 2018, helping reduce a 6-1 Republican majority to 4-3.
A declaration of intent is not a formal campaign launch; candidates interested in seeking public office in Cobb have until March to qualify for the May primaries.
Howard was a controversial figure during partisan disputes on the school board, notably over racial and equity issues as well as the Cobb County School District’s COVID-19 response.
He and the school board’s two other Democrats at the time filed approached Cognia, the district’s accrediting agency, complaining that they were being silenced by the four Republican members who make up the majority.
That prompted a special review by Cognia that was reversed in early 2022.
In 2022, Howard opted to run for Georgia School Superintendent, but lost in the Democratic primary. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Georgia State Senate in 2016.
Last year, Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid appointed Howard to the county’s transit advisory board.
A graduate of Atlanta Public Schools and Howard University, he is a pediatric dentist who is married with three children.
East Cobb News has left a message with Howard seeking comment.
The District 2 commission boundaries that were approved by the Georgia legislature during reapportionment in 2021 drew Richardson out of her East Cobb home.
She and her Democratic colleagues on the commission tried to invoke home rule to keep her in her seat. Last week a Cobb judge ruled that maneuver violated the Georgia Constitution and the county filed an intent to appeal.
Richardson then reiterated her intent to run for the 6th District Congressional seat, which includes South Cobb.
The redrawn 2nd Commission district includes the Smyrna area as well as much of the city of Marietta and the I-75 corridor. It took out most of East Cobb, which is represented by Republican JoAnn Birrell.
Democrats hold a 3-2 majority on the commission and the 2nd District is likely to be held a Democrat.
Cupid and District 4 commissioner Monique Sheffield are the other Democrats, and their terms also end this year.
Before the Cobb court ruling on redistricting, East Cobb resident Kevin Redmon had declared an intent to run for the District 2 seat as a Democrat.
A former member of Richardson’s community cabinet, he reported raising more than $30,000, but he lives in District 3 according to the boundaries approved by the legislature.
Related:
- Richardson to run in redrawn 6th Congressional District
- Judge rules Cobb home rule claim unconstitutional
- Cobb Commission candidate reports $30K+ in fundraising
- New Ga. legislative, Congressional maps approved
- Federal judge orders new Cobb school board electoral maps
- Cobb commissioners approve 2024 transit sales tax referendum
- Former Cupid assistant to run for Cobb Superior Court Clerk
- New Ga. Congressional lines likely to prompt legal challenge
- Legislature passes maps altering East Cobb State Senate lines
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