Amos Wins APS BOE Run-off, Raffensperger in Johns Creek
(APN) ATLANTA — Byron Amos, the parent and community activist whose work promoting rap artists for UGK Records caused controversy in the community, has been elected to serve as the District 2 representative for the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education.
Amos will serve through the end of the 2013 term, filling an unexpired seat for former Board Chairman Khaatim El, who resigned.
Amos defeated Angela Brown, 54.09 percent to 45.91 percent, in today’s Run-off Election.
The defeat is significant because it also signals the defeat of the same machine that got former Chairman El and others elected.
That machine includes State. Sen Vincent Fort, State Rep. Rashad Taylor, and El.
Recently that machine helped get Mayor Kasim Reed elected in 2009, and Sen. Fort and Rep. Taylor reelected in 2010, among others.
El, Fort, and Taylor had each donated to Brown’s campaign; Taylor played a key role in the campaign; El had openly endorsed Brown; and Fort had accompanied Brown to at least one endorsement interview.
It shows that there are limits to how much this group–and the Atlanta labor unions who, as could be predicted, supported them–can accomplish.
The significance of this is also that El does not get a hand-picked replacement on the APS Board, meaning that the old five-four split is unlikely to be reestablished. El had served as the controversial leader of the “Gang of Five” that orchestrated a takeover of the Board last year.
Meanwhile, Brad Raffensperger defeated Steve Broadbent to serve as the Post 2 Councilman for Johns Creek.
Broadbent’s statements in 2010 that he supported keeping Fulton County together, made while he ran for Fulton County Chairman that year, became an issue in this year’s campaign. Raffensperger ran on a platform of saying he was the only one who had consistently supported creating Milton County.
Broadbent appeared to try to distance himself from his 2010 position on Fulton and Milton, by saying he always thought the conversation about creating Milton would continue even if he had been elected Chairman of Fulton County. However, this was not consistent with the statements he made in 2010 that if he were elected Chairman of Fulton, the need to form Milton would be eliminated.
(END/2011)