Vote tally alters APS board outcome, runoff

Crayton, not Wright, will face Wood Jackson Dec. 5.

In the days after the Nov. 7 election, Atlanta school board candidate John Wright wanted to launch his runoff campaign.

But on Wednesday afternoon, Wright said he learned he wouldn’t be headed to the Dec. 5 runoff for the at-large District 7 post after all.

Official election results from DeKalb and Fulton counties show Patricia Crayton edged past Wright by 27 votes to snag the second spot in the runoff election.

Unofficial tallies had Wright up nine votes with all precincts reporting in the early morning hours after the election.

The twist ending sets up a race between Crayton, who ran a campaign so low-key that Atlanta city clerk records show she filed no fundraising reports, and top vote-getter Kandis Wood Jackson, an attorney.

Wood Jackson has raised nearly $58,000. Wright, a program manager for the architectural engineering firm AECOM, raised about $56,000. That sumincludes a $20,000 loan he made to himself.

Wright said he waited to hear the certified results from Fulton and DeKalb counties, but the official results weren’t promptly posted online.

The city of Atlanta’s web- site stated that Atlanta election results would be certified at 4:30p.m. Monday, but Wright said he didn’t receive confirmation from the city until 3 p.m. Wednesday.

“It’s weird. It’s inconsistent with election policy. These results were supposed to be certified by Monday and posted. They weren’t posted until late (Wednesday),” he said.

The city clerk’s office could not be reached for comment.

Wright said he thinks Crayton, whose nickname “Granny P” was included on the ballot, benefited from being the first listed on the ballot.

When reached by phone Thursday, Crayton told a reporter she was too busy to talk at that moment. A man who identified himself as her campaign assistant, but would not provide his name, called a reporter later to say Crayton declined to be interviewed.

Wright said he did not seek a recount because by the time one would have concluded he wouldn’t have many days left to reinvigorate his campaign.