SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — As it stands in late July, the District 3 race in Sandy Springs is between incumbent City Councilwoman Melissa Mular and challenger Tara Overzat.
Every four years, Sandy Springs holds nonpartisan municipal elections for all seats on the City Council and the mayor’s position. Unlike many surrounding jurisdictions, there are no staggered terms.
District 3 includes neighborhoods and commercial areas north of I-285 in Sandy Springs, excluding a part of District 5 south of Hammond Drive and some of District 6 west of Riverside Drive.
The City Springs downtown district and Sandy Springs City Hall are in the heart of District 3.
To the east, the district borders the city of Dunwoody and the Central Perimeter business district.
Its northern boundary zig zags across the center of the city, along Abernathy Road, Mount Vernon Highway and Dalrymple Road, to the Chattahoochee River just north of Johnson Ferry Road.
District 4’s irregular shape excludes neighborhoods to the east in District 4 like Mount Vernon Woods, which are in between Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive but south of Abernathy Road.
It also includes neighborhoods to the west as far north as Dalrymple Road, which border district 2 and 4.
Residents can search their address and determine which district they live in by clicking here, or visiting the city’s website.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page will show you your sample ballot and polling location. Go to mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/.
The incumbent, City Councilwoman Melissa Mular, is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a 25-year Sandy Springs resident. She retired as a technology executive and project manager with IBM after two decades of international leadership experience.
During the fall 2021 election, Mular defeated two challengers with just over 50 percent of the vote. Before joining the Sandy Springs City Council in 2022, she served for a decade on the board of the Autumn Chase Homeowners Association.
Her campaign website list focus areas, including public safety, neighborhood preservation, improving quality of life through recreation and revitalizing outdated commercial properties.
“Public safety and neighborhoods are what makes Sandy Springs what we are,” Mular said. “When I knocked on doors in 2021, I ran into so many families who had moved from Buckhead to come to Sandy Springs because it was safe.”
Mular said her attention is on some of the city’s aging infrastructure, particularly fire stations, and maintaining lines of communications with residents in her district, especially on upcoming construction work. She also said the city will begin an 18-month process to rewrite its Next Ten Comprehensive Plan sometime this fall.
“Neighborhood preservation was the number one goal out of 10,” Mular said. “Housing is important and that’s not even in the top 10 from 2017, so I think you may see some shifting, but neighborhood preservation will still be there.”
One of her endorsements comes from Karen Meinzen McEnerny, former District 6 council member. Mular said McEnerny keeps her in the loop on tree canopy issues, one of the former council member’s passions.
To learn more about her reelection campaign, visit mularforcitycouncil.com.
As of June 30, the end of the last reporting period for campaign fundraising, the District 3 race has picked up more than $40,000 in contributions. Mular raised more than $28,000, nearly double her opponents $10,804.
Tara Overzat, who moved to the city with her husband in 2019, holds a doctorate degree and is a licensed mental health professional. She is a small business owner, educator and therapist, focusing her campaign for the District 3 seat on helping neighbors and families thrive in Sandy Springs.
“Sandy Springs is more than where I live — it’s where I’ve built my life, my business and my family,” Overzat said. “I’ve taught and trained hundreds of graduate students and therapists so that they too can serve our communities. And now, I’m ready to take that service to City Hall.”
Her campaign website lists her priorities as sustainability, expanded access to youth recreational programs and a variety of affordable housing options to help keep seniors and young people in the city.
The campaign is run by FTR Political Strategies, a local “left-of-center” campaign consulting firm. She said her slogan, “Protecting What We Love, Building What We Need,” requires a creative balance with redevelopment.
Overzat told Appen Media that she decided to run for the District 3 seat a few months ago after the encouragement of neighbors who noticed her mental health and environmental advocacy work in the community.
“I decided yes, I would like to run to help Sandy Springs be a more sustainable place … where families of all backgrounds and people of all generations … can all live, work and play,” Overzat said. “I’m focusing on things like the walkability of the city, the tree canopy and making sure things are more accessible for residents.”
To learn more about her campaign, visit overzatforsandysprings.com.
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