Meet the Atlanta City Council candidates: James White for District 2

This November, the entire Atlanta City Council is up for election, including the District 2 position, which council member Amir Farokhi recently announced he would vacate to lead the Galloway School. One candidate is former Fulton County assistant solicitor James White III, whose answers to Atlanta Community Press Collective questions about his background, District 2 and objectives if elected are below.

Answers are condensed for space.

What distinguishes District 2 from the rest of Atlanta?

District 2 stands out as the city’s vibrant urban core, blending historic neighborhoods with rapid development, making it a focal point for equitable growth, innovation and inclusive policymaking.

What are the unique challenges of District 2 that you would engage as council member? How?

Public safety, alongside building stronger, trust-based relationships between law enforcement and communities.

Addressing policy issues in District 2 requires more than just legislation. It requires lived experience, active listening and intentional engagement.

I would focus on smart, community-centered policy initiatives that prioritize prevention, intervention and accountability. That means investing in youth programs, mental health services and housing stability—the root issues that often lead to crime. At the same time, we must ensure legal and policing systems operate with fairness, transparency and equity.

Equally important is addressing our city’s infrastructure and the growing project delivery backlog. Despite voters approving the $660 million Moving Atlanta Forward bond in 2022, by August 2024, only about $47 million—roughly 7%—had been spent. This delay reflects a troubling lack of urgency around essential services. As a proven fighter, I am committed to ensuring these critical projects are completed on time. From resolving infrastructure delays and sidewalk backlogs to boosting recycling participation and reforming homeless encampment policies, I pledge to take decisive action and deliver real results.

What are the biggest issues for the entire city you’d address? How?

Economic concerns and housing affordability, gentrification and displacement, “Cop City” controversy and protest rights, transit and transportation equity, data center boom and urban planning, pay-to-play politics, social equity with schools and healthcare, reproductive rights & IVF, prison conditions and mental health. 

As District 2 council member, I would support zoning reforms to increase housing affordability and limit investor ownership of single-family homes. I would advocate for scaling back on the Public Safety Training Center and reinvesting a portion of those funds into community-based safety and mental health services. Finally, I will push for equitable MARTA expansion and banning new data centers in dense neighborhoods.

Your unique experience with incarceration and prosecution has come amid a contentious period around crime and safety for Atlanta. What are your stances on this topic?

When I walk into a courtroom, I bring something my law degree alone couldn’t give me: lived experience. I know what it’s like to stand there with your future on the line, the weight of the system pressing down on you. And that changes how I see people. It changes how I approach justice. 

According to campaign finance sheets, your campaign’s support to date consists mostly of major donations from the legal community and a number of entities in real estate. How does this align with your grassroots campaign of everyday people, not backed by developers or big donors?

As a first-time candidate and an African American, this journey means a great deal—not just to me, but to many in my community. A number of my supporters are contributing to a political campaign for the first time, which is humbling and powerful.

Much of my hands-on community work has been in my hometown of Newnan, Georgia—I believe in starting where you’re planted. I’ve also carried that commitment into Atlanta, particularly as a prosecutor in Fulton County.

Many contributions have come from friends—not just attorneys and Realtors, but people who genuinely believe in this mission. I am both an attorney and work at a real estate law firm, so that connection is natural.

Tell us about your broader political journey and identity. How do these fit the revolution you want to start from District 2?

First, I see it as an evolution, not a revolution. My political journey is a testament to what’s possible when we center justice, opportunity and redemption. As the first convicted felon to become a prosecutor, I bring lived experience to a system that too often lacks it. Grounded in my Newnan roots, shaped by my education at Benedict College and The Ohio State University, and refined through public service, my identity is defined by a deep belief in second chances and a commitment to building a governing system that serves, restores and represents all of us.

For more information on White and his platform, visit votejameswhite2025.com.