Seventh Candidate Joins Atlanta Mayoral Race; C.T. Martin Eyes City Council Presidency

Our friends at Creative Loafing bring us word that Michael Sterling is now running for Mayor. Sterling will be the seventh and nowhere near last candidate for the job.

The alt-weekly reports:

The 34-year-old Beaumont, Texas native wants to go from a career mostly spent practicing law and investigating cases, advising Reed and leading City Hall initiatives, and reforming an embattled and dysfunctional agency, to taking the lead on improving education, public safety, transportation, and Atlanta’s inequality.

“I want to tackle the toughest issues we have and step from a behind-the-scenes problem solver to one who steps up front,” he says.

Sterling, who lives in Summerhill, graduated from Morehouse College and earned his law degree from Texas Southern University. He worked at a private law firm and then was named an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago. He joined the Reed administration and, according to his bio, advised the mayor on criminal justice and labor policy, handled judicial and commission appointments, and managed governmental relations. Reed tasked him with turning around AWDA after its previous executive director retired in the midst of a corruption probe.

But wait–there’s more!

On Thursday, C.T. Martin said he wants to be City Council President and will gauge support for a run– meaning we could have an almost entirely-new City Council in 2017. 

“I’ve always wanted politics to be an educational setting for the community and myself,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot being on Council, working with people, dealing with the complexity of government, and my interest in history. You’re making history in many different ways. You get a chance to do that…

“[T]here is a need to have some good direction with the council, with the thought that there will probably be six or seven new people,” the Peyton Forest resident says. “I have served for a good while and am ready to move on, basically. I’ve got some ideas. We’ll help stabilize it if we get six or seven new people. Need some maturity.”