Fresh Loaf

Residents of Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown and West DeKalb neighborhoods who’ve been wondering when they’ll once again have a voice in the state House of Representatives can rest easy. (It’s OK, we’ve been nervous, too.)

Gov. Sonny Perdue today said that the special election to fill the District 58 House seat vacated earlier this year by Robbin Shipp will coincide with Atlanta’s municipal elections on Nov. 3. Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel is expected to announce the qualifying and early voting periods tomorrow.

Candidates who’ve announced their bids for Shipp’s former seat include attorney Asha Jackson, businessman Kevin Johnson and political consultant Michael McPherson.

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An Atlanta attorney has announced her candidacy to represent East Atlanta, Cabbagetown and West DeKalb neighborhoods in the state House.

Asha Jackson, an East Atlanta resident and partner at Atlanta firm Carlock, Copeland and Stair, is the second person to join the House District 58 race. Robbin Shipp, the district’s former representative, resigned last month.

“I’m extremely excited about this opportunity for our district,” Jackson said in a press release. “It’s an honor to be asked to run and follow up on the good work done by Rep. Shipp. There are a lot of challenges facing our neighborhoods – the need for better schools, more good jobs with good benefits, and more affordable healthcare – I know together we can make Fulton and DeKalb counties an even better place to live, work and raise our families.”

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The vacant state House seat serving the Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown and West DeKalb neighborhoods has at least one name gunning for it — Cabbagetown resident Michael McPherson.

The 34-year-old candidate — Democrat, of course — serves on the Cabbagetown Initiative Community Development Corporation and Stacks/Fulton Cotton Mill HOA Advisory boards. He was a member of a recovery effort after the March 2008 tornado that slammed the neighborhood.

If elected, McPherson says he’d push for legislation to help community groups similar to those that assisted in the tornado recovery effort — especially those which aided senior citizens. He also says he’d analyze proposed tax breaks to ensure they don’t sap cities and counties’ abilities to fund public services.

He says in a press release: “I will weigh all the so-called tax relief initiatives against the effects they will produce, such as property tax breaks that produce nominal results for the individual, yet impact local governments so severely that services like Fire and Police are cut across the board.”

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