Opinion: Fulton County officials can barely lead. How could they steal an election?

I was surprised to see The Federalist publish a piece recently about Georgia’s favorite topic, the so-called “stolen election” of 2020.

Indications are that 315,000 voters did not have their election tapes signed by local election officials.

While concerning, it is also not surprising. Fulton County gets a lot of justifiable eye rolls. While Georgia prospers, some places carry the water with the help of local government.

In Fulton County, the success lives despite the incompetence of its elected decision makers.

Long before the passage of House Bill 581 in 2024, Fulton County had such a problem assessing its residents’ property taxes that the legislature capped the assessments at a maximum increase of 3% per year.

Property taxes are a hot topic in Georgia politics today. In Fulton County, this issue is 10 years old, and it was solved. I have a homesteaded property that was purchased 15 years ago. North Fulton has experienced soaring property values.

ExploreOpinion: Stop using Georgia seniors as a piggy bank. Give them property tax relief.

Tax commissioner pay, DA and jail fracas show examples of poor leadership

Credit: hand

Credit: hand

Fulton County’s incompetence over tax assessments led to pioneering legislation by Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell that preceded HB 581.

If the county had any competence at all, this legislation would have been a terrible idea. It takes power away from local governments. But Fulton County is an abyss of dysfunction.

Sen. Albers saved us from a problem that was entirely avoidable. If a county consistently assesses property values accurately, a millage rate can be adjusted accordingly. But Fulton County could never get out of its own way.

The irony is that a 2019 investigation showed that the highest paid publicly elected official in Georgia was the Fulton County tax commissioner.

Fulton County hosts the self-proclaimed best district attorney in America, Fani Willis. Willis went after members of the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang who were accused of homicides and shootings in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case. Not one of the 28 people charged in the sweeping racketeering cases was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Prior to Willis’s “leadership,” former DA Paul Howard’s office took on the Atlanta Police Department during the Rayshard Brooks case. The Brooks case was on the minds of voters when Fani Willis defeated Paul Howard. Notice I have not even mentioned the highest profile case of them all featuring President Trump. We all know how that turned out. Does this sound like the best district attorney in America?

The Fulton County jail is another hapless disaster that has existed for more than a decade. Even the Biden administration’s Department of Justice told Fulton County to improve the Rice Street jail. The jail situation does not resonate with me. However, the Democrats on the Fulton County Commission pretend to care about the failing jail issue. Do they lead like they care? Be the judge.

ExploreOpinion: Campaign slogans promising ‘all-or nothing’ property tax relief are reckless

GOP voters must move beyond past disputes and look at who runs government best

Georgia may be a 50/50 state split between Republicans and Democrats. Do Democrats trust the county and the party who lost the Atlanta Braves to Cobb County? Fulton County had no idea that the franchise was even looking to leave. I said all that to ask an important question.

Is it even possible for Fulton County to pull off the largest election heist in American history? Did you expect me to believe that Fulton County became organized enough to cheat the voters out of an election? Given what I have told you, does this sound like a capable group?

The road map for Republicans in 2026 is not found in regurgitating the sour grapes over the 2020 election. Everyone always moves on. The winning strategy is to ask Americans the right questions about trust and competence in government. Besides lighting money on fire, what does Fulton County do well?

Have they found a solution for the jail? No. Did they win a meaningful conviction in a high-profile case? No. Is the highest paid public servant in Georgia paid to not assess taxes? Where are the Braves located today? I may have better odds of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a canoe than Fulton County has in committing the greatest election heist in American history. Nobody has ever made this case.

The case the Trump administration sows is selfish. Average Americans do not like how that feels. But do not be distracted. If Republicans want to win. It will pit Democrat incompetence versus capability. If Republicans cannot do that, we deserve to lose. They have yet to receive the message.

Left-leaning suburban moms may disagree with Republicans on some cultural issues. Republicans may overcome those. However, suburban moms agree with Republicans on taxation, opportunity or capability. That is the message Republicans need against the deep blue feckless Democrat politics. Republicans in local government have given a road map during COVID, and in the space of public education.

Compare that with the last two decades in Fulton County. Competence and trust in government belong to Republicans. That is the winning message in 2026.

Ben Burnett is a business owner and former member of the Alpharetta City Council. He is a Republican. He is a contributor to the AJC.

About the Author

Ben Burnett

Campaign slogans promising ‘all-or-nothing’ property tax relief are reckless

While a Georgia statewide candidate proposes eliminating property taxes for many older residents, a better way that won't gut public services is to enact targeted policies.

OPINION

Georgians should resolve to share real facts and safeguard elections in 2026

Georgia's 2020 election came under scrutiny again over debunked claims of fraud. It's now up to citizens to help their communities practice better civic engagement.