Grant Park Resident Jason Winston Wins Run-off for City Council District 1

By Robert M. Sarwark

On Tuesday, November 30, Jason Winston defeated Nathan Clubb to represent Atlanta City Council’s District 1. Winston is a Grant Park resident, former Grant Park Conservancy chair, marketing consultant, and Georgia State University adjunct professor.

A performance auditor for the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, Nathan Clubb is also a resident of Ormewood Park and a previous president of SAND (South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development).

Both Winston and Clubb remained in the running after neither received a majority in the November 2 general municipal election, which included a total of six candidates. The margin of the November 30 run-off result was slim: Winston received 3,087 votes (52%) to Clubb’s 2,803 (48%). 

In a written statement, Winston remarked, “I want to say ‘Thank You’ to the people of District 1 for choosing me to be your next city council representative. I am truly honored and grateful. I can promise you that I’ll be listening to all the communities of our district — from Grant Park to Ormewood Park to South Atlanta to Browns Mill, and everything in between — as we work for a better future for all our city’s residents.”

Convening with his supporters at Red’s Beer Garden in Benteen Park on the evening of November 30, Clubb announced at about 9:30 that, though he looked likely to lose to Winston based on early returns, he was proud of the campaign and what they had achieved together. He thanked all those who had supported him and vowed to continue to pursue his progressive agenda. In an email sent the following day, he reiterated, “I am committed to continuing to serve our communities, to standing up for progressive policies, to building a more inclusive and sustainable Atlanta. In fact, I am heading to a meeting on South Moreland Avenue today, to continue the effort [to] make that a safer corridor.”

Public figures who endorsed Clubb’s candidacy included State Senator Nan Orrock (District 36), former State Representative Paul Bolster, and the Sierra Club.

Winston, 39, ran with the endorsements of State Representative David Dreyer (District 59), former State Representative Margaret Kaiser, and all four of the former candidates for the District 1 seat: Clarence Blalock, Russell Hopson, Kelly-Jeanne Lee, and Victor Tate.

Winston held his election-night party at Grant Park’s Dakota Blue, where he received Clubb’s phone call to concede at approximately ten o’clock. Winston confirmed shortly thereafter that he planned to meet with Clubb soon to discuss how the two might collaborate in the future. “Thank you for running,” he said, addressing all five of the other District 1 candidates, “and for the thoughtful conversations we have had about how best to move our community and city forward. We all share the same values, and I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.”

Winston is married to Shalya Forte, a senior director at Pandora. The couple are parents of one child, a daughter named Banks Harlow.

Atlanta’s City Council District 1 includes the neighborhoods of Capitol Gateway, Summerhill, Grant Park, Ormewood Park, Peoplestown, Chosewood Park, Boulevard Heights, Lakewood, and Rebel Valley Forest (see map). Jason Winston will replace long-time councilmember Carla Smith, who has served five terms (since 2002) and declined to seek reelection this cycle.