Keisha Waites wants to make one thing clear.

“I am not a politician,” she told The Reckoning. “I am a problem solver and a public servant.”

A native of Atlanta and a former state legislator, Waites is vying to replace Andre Dickens, one of nearly a dozen candidates in Atlanta’s mayoral race, on the Atlanta City Council. She is one of five candidates running for the council’s post-3 at-large seat. It is a crowded, and in some respects, an impressive field of candidates that include familiar names like Jacki Labat, as well as Ralph Long, Sherry B. Williams, and Jodi Merriday. But of all the candidates in her race, Waites believes she is the one with the best chance of helping to move the city forward. 

“I am looking to fill a void present in the current makeup of the city council. There is a void of quality people who have relationships necessary to move conversations forward,” she said.

“Atlanta does not operate in its own silo and the Atlanta City Council is not its own entity.” From where she stands, Waites believes that for Atlanta to live up to its reputation of being a modern and international city, the council needs members who understand how critical it is to work with the state legislature, as well as the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.

“When you look at the current climate, paired with the city’s public safety issues and the realities of COVID-19, we are at a crossroads,” she said. “I am not one of those who has the mindset that I have all of the answers. I am not. But what I do have is extensive experience in building coalitions, extensive relationships in the statehouse, and experience in problem-solving.”

In 2012, Waites was elected to the Georgia General Assembly, becoming only the second Black woman in the LGBTQ+ community to be elected to the legislature. She represented District 60 (which includes southeast Atlanta, Hapeville, Forest Park, East Point, and College Park) for three terms. During that time, she served on three committees: public safety, transportation, and juvenile justice. Before leaving the state legislature in 2017. Waites’ sponsored hate crimes, employment discrimination, anti-LGBTQ bullying, and HIV and conversion therapy legislation. She stepped down to run for Fulton County Commission chair in 2017, eventually losing that race to Robb Pitts in a runoff. Now that she is running for city council, a few of her supporters have asked her, “why be a city councilperson”—especially having served in the state legislature.

“If your agenda is to get things done and accomplish meaningful legislation, why the City Council,” she said she has been asked. 

“My answer is simple—I grew up in this city. I have seen it prosper. I have also seen what happens when we elect folks who are more interested in taking care of their friends and advancing their political careers than taking care of the business of the people.”

Compassion Meets Legislation 

Compassion, she said, is important to service, especially because legislation does not have the power to change the hearts and minds of people.

“But you can elect people who can change the legislation,” she said. “And it’s important to elect people who have the heart to change legislation; legislation that meets the needs of people.”

And that is what she believes she brings to the table. 

Waites’ platform is centered on four issues: public safety, restoring public trust, regional transportation, and affordable housing. She believes what we have learned from the last political cycle is that voters are frustrated and looking for leaders concerned about the challenges they face every day — leaders who are concerned about getting to the root of the issues plaguing us all.

For example, the service industry and its struggle to attract workers back following the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Leaders are not facing the reality that people aren’t returning to work because they are concerned about their health and well-being,” she said. “Yet, we are failing to have those conversations and find real solutions for how to provide tangible and sustainable support.” 

The issues, she said, are bigger than just one community and need people who do not mind bucking the status quo.

“Whether you are Black or gay or straight, the issues are big. Very soon, very few people will be able to afford to live in the city,” she said. “And if you do live in the city, for some, if someone car jacks or assaults you, the situation can bankrupt you.”

Waites believes a more expansive use of technology will help to curb public safety issues, like the use of security cameras or other technologies like the ShotSpotter system. She seeks to update and revise the city’s Employee Code of Ethics and instate strict penalties for violating the code.

From her time in the state legislature, Waites says she intends to use her relationships there to develop solutions to the city’s transportation challenges. And she plans to assist predominantly minority-owned communities by increasing property values and closing the racial wealth gap. 

“We have work to do. We have an obligation to get it done. These issues are not going to change overnight nor be resolved immediately,” Waites said. “But by having quality, competent, compassionate people at the table who are interested in doing what’s best for average people instead of serving their own interests, we can move the conversation forward.”