With four of the six Mableton City Council races undecided after the March 21 special election, a virtual forum this week offered candidates in the remaining races an opportunity to give their final pitches for why voters should elect them on April 18.
The forum hosted by the Mableton Improvement Coalition and Austell Community Task Force came ahead of the runoffs for City Council districts 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in these races, the top two vote-getters in each advanced to the runoff.
The new city of more than 77,500 people saw low turnout in the March 21 special election, with less than 13% of the roughly 47,200 eligible voters casting ballots.
District 2
In District 2, Monica DeLancy, a tenants’ rights activist and nonprofit executive, and Dami Oladapo, who works in information technology, advanced to the runoff after the March 21 vote whittled the race down from three to two.
DeLancy received 38% of the vote to Oladapo’s 33%.
One of the main issues discussed during their portion of the town hall centered on affordable housing.
Oladapo proposed balancing the interests of renters and homeowners in the district by offering different resources to make both affordable, such as downpayment assistance and rental subsidies.
DeLancy said that, while both homeowners and renters deserved the same respect, it is more difficult for people in minimum wage roles to become homeowners, meaning affordable rental options would need to remain a priority.
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