UPDATED: The runoff and better transit for Atlanta

Here’s what we know about tomorrow’s runoff for the Post 3 At-Large seat on Atlanta City Council.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Eshé Collins, who came back from behind in the Nov. 5 General Election to win the runoff with 59 percent of the vote.

On Nov. 5, the one candidate who explicitly backed the Beltline streetcar came in fourth. Beltline Rail Now endorsed Davin Barrington Ward, but he only captured 13.4 percent of the vote

The candidates who did make it into the runoff were the two who didn’t give in to pressure to endorse the expensive streetcar. They took a more savvy stand –  in favor of expanding transit and mobility while reconsidering Beltline rail.  

BRN argued that “Light Rail [is] on the ballot this November.” If so, the voters have spoken. 

Atlanta’s elected officials and future candidates would do well to digest these results. They should consider the interests of all Atlantans rather than take positions on transit based on the demands of a narrow group of activists.

Since the General Election, there’s been some confusion about the runoff candidates’ positions.

Nicole “Nikki” Evans Jones, who received 40 percent of the vote, has held firm during the runoff campaign in her general support for responsible transit planning. In a statement to BRN, she called for a 2.5 percent budget set-aside for pedestrian and cycling paths. She also endorsed “transit on the BeltLine” without specifying the mode, which is an important caveat.

“Great cities and towns embrace multi-modalism,” Evans writes. “They offer not just a vast transportation network to residents, but a diverse network that provides practical ways to get where you’re going for folks at all income levels.”

Evans also argued that the city needs “to work with our transit agency to invest that money in the capital projects voters approved when the More MARTA referendum passed.”

We couldn’t reach Evans, but her statement doesn’t read to us as an endorsement of the streetcar. It’s important to remember that the More MARTA sales tax will only fund about one in seven projects on the original list. So the challenge continues to be which More MARTA projects don’t get funded.

Eshé Collins, who finished with 24.4 percent, appeared in a statement to BRN to gravitate toward support for the streetcar. In communications with Better Atlanta Transit, however, she made it clear that the streetcar isn’t high on her list.

“I firmly stand by my position to prioritize critical transit projects over Beltline rail,” she wrote in an email.

“For many, the conversation about Beltline Rail is overshadowed by more immediate concerns—regular, reliable bus and rail service, and equitable access to the Beltline itself,” she wrote in a separate statement. “Meanwhile, city leadership has raised valid concerns about the project’s costs and feasibility, highlighting that funds are limited, and trade-offs are inevitable.”

“Beltline Rail can play a vital role in Atlanta’s future—but only as part of a thoughtful, comprehensive transit strategy that is neither cost-prohibitive nor exclusionary,” Collins continuef. “It must connect to a truly multimodal system that ensures equitable access to jobs, schools, and essential services across all neighborhoods.”

We put this information forward at this late date to help you make an informed decision – not to indicate support for either candidate. That’s just not in our wheelhouse.

Your last chance to vote is tomorrow (Dec. 3) from 7 am to 7 pm at your regular voting location. The ballot will be very short and, given the factdthat it’s a runoff, there won’t be lines.

Meanwhile, we’ve already learned something from the General Election: Beltline rail isn’t the winning political issue that some people seem to think it is.