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Owens, Kennedy clean up after Alpharetta election
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| | | Kennedy (click for larger version) | |
November 04, 2009
Alpharetta’s next councilmen plan to learn job first
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Alpharetta Municipal Election
These unofficial results reported by Fulton County's Department of Registration and Elections include all 18 precincts and 100 percent of the voting reported. Alpharetta requires a plurality of the votes, not a majority, so no runoff election is necessary.
CITY COUNCIL
Post 1 2,680 total votes
Douglas J DeRito (I) 2,608 97.31%
Write-in 72 2.69%
Post 2 3,035 total votes
Mike Kennedy 2,201 72.52%
Aubrey Osteen 822 27.08%
Write-in 12 0.40%
Post 3 3,305 total votes
John R. Keim 812 24.57%
Tom Miller 1,124 34.01%
Chris Owens 1,364 41.27%
Write-in 5 0.15%
MUNICIPAL JUDGE 2,841 total votes
Jim Matoney (I) 2,816 99.12%
Write-in 25 0.88%> |
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ALPHARETTA – Alpharetta candidates are cooperating today, pulling down each other’s campaign signs as they clean up following Tuesday’s election.
“Right now I’m doing the glamorous work of picking up yard signs,” said City Council Post 2 winner Mike Kennedy the morning after his victory.
Chris Owens, who was the victor in the City Council Post 3 race, said he was out picking up his own signs with a sea of other city candidate’s signs around him. That’s when he pulled out his phone and started calling the other candidates to cooperate.
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| | | | Owens (click for larger version) | | |
“We all agreed to pick up each other’s signs,” Owens said.
Owens spent lunchtime with his daughter at her school before resuming his sign pick up work. He defeated Tom Miller and John Keim in a tight race in which no candidate received the majority of the votes – but Owens still won, as Alpharetta has always required a plurality of the votes, not a majority.
Kennedy handily defeated Aubrey Osteen for the Post 2 council seat.
Doug DeRito was unopposed in Post 1, as was Jim Matoney for municipal judge. Both men retain their elected positions for another four-year term.
Kennedy attributed shoe leather to his victory.
“I went door to door from the far west side of the city to the far east side of the city over a period of a couple of months,” he said. “In a city the size of Alpharetta, the personal contact is still important.”
He also cited support from influential people in the community, including state Rep. Chuck Martin and Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce President Brandon Beach, acting in a private role.
Owens had an easy answer to why he won.
“It’s plain and simple. The citizens and my campaign committee is what I attribute that to, because it’s completely up to the people who vote. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Kennedy said he doesn’t know what to expect next, not having run for office before. He’s already received a call from Alpharetta City Administrator Bob Regus, and the two men plan to meet.
“I imagine between now and the holidays, I’ll have a chance to meet with him, the department heads,” he said.
Owens said he’s got a lot of homework to do and new things to learn. He plans to meet with city staff and start getting up to speed.
“There is a lot to catch up on. I won’t be able to do it between now and January, but I’m going to do my best,” Owens said.
Kennedy said he wants to learn what’s going on with the city so he can “hit the ground running come Jan. 1.” But what he won’t do is rush a bunch of proposals before council.
“I told [Mayor] Arthur Letchas last night, ‘I’m coming in with an open mind,’” Kennedy said. “Probably the worst thing a new councilman can do is [to] come in [and] start proposing things right off the bat.”
He wants to learn from elected officials and staff first, he said.
“That day will come when I propose things, but that’s further down the line,” Kennedy said.
Owens is of like mind.
“I’ve got so much to learn. I think that’s going to be my first focus. To learn as much as I can, and get that done first before I try to pretend to bring actions,” he said.
Both candidates were glad the campaigning was over.
“It’s been a long couple of months,” Kennedy said. “I think the voters who voted made a good decision. I hope I do them proud.”
Owens tipped his hat to his opponents, Tom Miller and John Keim.
“Certainly my hat’s off to Tom and John, and also to Mike and Aubrey, because running a campaign is not easy,” he said. “I also recognize not only my campaign committee but all campaign volunteers that helped those guys. It does take time, energy and effort from those people, and I think those people should be recognized as well.”
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Tags: Alpharetta, Alpharetta City Council
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