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POLITICS
Jewish Candidates Compete for City Offices Jewish candidates are on the ballot in municipal elections around metro Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Among those the AJT is aware of who are in contested races (in America, fortunately, no one must disclose religious affiliations to run for political office, so there could be others we don’t know about): • John Eaves (www.eavesforatlanta.com), the former Fulton County Board of Commissioners chairman and a Temple member, is trying to become the second Jewish mayor in Atlanta history, joining Sam Massell. All he has to overcome is a deep field of experienced, well-known candidates who have held prominent city positions or other elected offices — Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ceasar Mitchell, Kwanza Hall, Mary Norwood, Vincent Fort, Cathy Woolard, Peter Aman, Rohit Ammanamanchi and Glenn Wrightson. (Aman is not Jewish, but his wife and children are.) A runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held Dec. 5 if no one wins a majority. • Mike Bodker (www.mikebodker. com), a Chabad of North Fulton member and the only mayor Johns Creek has known since its incorporation in 2006, is running for re-election against businessman Alex Marchetti (alexmarchetti.com), who attends the same church, St. Brigid Catholic, as City Council member Lenny Zaprowski. • Matthew Tyser (www.TyserFor-
Matthew Tyser is seeking an open seat on the Roswell City Council.
Mike Bodker is seeking reelection as Johns Creek mayor.
Roswell.com), a certified public accountant and member of Congregation Gesher L’Torah with his wife, Susan, is running for the open Post 5 seat on the Roswell City Council against small-business man and Navy veteran Keith Goeke (keith4roswell.com). “The increase in property taxes this past summer helped me realize that my financial experience is truly needed in government,” Tyser said. “I regularly deal with purchasing and procurement in my career, and I will use those same skills to negotiate win after win for our taxpayers.” He said traffic is a priority issue. • Jody Reichel (www.vote4jody. com), a real estate investor who has been a leader as a volunteer at the Davis Academy, North Springs Charter High School and Jewish Family & Career Services, is running for the District 4 City Council seat in Sandy Springs against
John Eaves hopes to be Atlanta’s second Jewish mayor.
Le’Dor Milteer (www.ledorfordistrict4. com) in the only contested election in the city. (Temple Sinai member Andy Bauman, for example, is uncontested for re-election to the City Council from District 6.) Milteer gained notoriety after early voting began Oct. 16 when she had to admit including a fake quote in a press release about her endorsement by the Georgia Stonewall Democrats. • In Dunwoody, Joe Hirsch (www. dunwoodyjoe.com) in District 1 and Bobby Zuckman (www.facebook. com/bobbyzuckman) in District 2 are challenging City Council incumbents. Hirsch, a former TV journalist and teacher known for city activism and comments at council meetings, is running against Pam Tallmadge (pam4dunwoodyga.us). Zuckman, a technology consultant and political newcomer, is taking on Jim Riticher (riticher.com). In addition, a notable Jewish new-
Jody Reichel has one opponent for a Sandy Springs City Council seat.
comer who is unopposed on a municipal ballot is Joseph Goldstein in Marietta’s Ward 7. Goldstein, a 2014 University of Georgia graduate who got his law degree from UGA this year, is succeeding his father on the Marietta City Council, where Philip Goldstein has served since 1980. The Goldstein family has lived and worked in Marietta for more than a century and has some of the most valuable holdings of commercial property in the city. Looking ahead to the state elections in 2018, declared Jewish candidates already include AJT 40 Under 40 member Lindy Miller for public service commissioner, Cindy Zeldin for insurance commissioner, and Michael Wilensky for state House District 79, where Dunwoody Republican Tom Taylor has announced he will not seek re-election. ■
Abel Challenges Handel in 6th Congressional District
NOVEMBER 3 ▪ 2017
Temple Sinai member Kevin Abel announced his Democratic campaign for Congress in Georgia’s 6th District early Thursday, Oct. 26. In announcing his 2018 run, Abel said he wants to work across political lines to find solutions for health care, immigration, Social Security, climate change, campaign finance and the national debt. “I am committed to engaging earnestly with members of both parties to find the common ground for which we Americans so deeply yearn,” said Abel, the co-founder with his wife, Cindy, of Alpharetta-based IT consulting firm Abel Solutions. He has been active in support for refugees, rising to vice chair on the board of New American Pathways and leading efforts at Temple Sinai to aid an Atlanta-area refugee family. He also has served on the boards of the Carter 14 Center, the Arthritis Foundation’s
Georgia Chapter, the Davis Academy, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia. Cindy Abel served as Hands Kevin Abel On Atlanta’s interim CEO in 2016, and the Abels received the organization’s Changemakers of the Year award this year. Abel joins former CBS 46 news anchor Bobby Kaple in launching Democratic challenges to Republican Rep. Karen Handel, who was elected June 20 to fill the congressional seat Tom Price vacated when he became President Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary. Jon Ossoff, the Jewish Democrat who finished first in the open primary for the seat in April and received about
48 percent of the vote in the runoff against Handel, recently moved into the 6th District in Brookhaven. Living outside the district was an issue for him in the special election. Ossoff has not said whether he will run again in 2018. Abel said he moved into the district, which Republicans have won in every congressional election since 1978, when he and Cindy bought their first house in Alpharetta after marrying in March 1992. They have raised three children. Abel, a native of South Africa, immigrated with his family to Texas when he was 14. He graduated from the University of Texas. He moved to the Atlanta area in 1990. “I came to America as an immigrant. I received an incredible public education. I started my own business. I have a beautiful wife and three lovely
children. I have truly lived the American dream,” Abel said in his announcement. “But while my family and I have enjoyed the American dream, this beacon of hope and opportunity has been eroded. Our national political arena has devolved into a perpetual shouting match; anger and acrimony dominate our national dialogue.” He added: “My candidacy represents an effort to rekindle the spirit of public faith in government. We the people — the voters, Americans — deserve better in our elected officials. But it begins and ends with us. We need to vote for the candidate we want in government, not for the least distasteful person our party puts on the ballot. I want this election to be about putting America back on course, about ensuring that our children and grandchildren and future new Americans can aspire, as I have, to realize the American dream.” ■