Downtown Business Owner Mitchell Plans Run for Alpharetta City Council

Donald Mitchell waited until City Council member Doug DeRito announced he'd be running for mayor to make his own announcement to run for DeRito's unexpired term, but he didn't wait very long. The downtown Alpharetta business owner made his own announcement just minutes after DeRito.

Mitchell, the owner of Donald Mitchell Design, a 22-year-old business, is an active member of the Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association and of Alpharetta's Design Review Board.

"I'm already volunteering like 20 hours a week with downtown, and so it's just a natural extension when they asked me to consider it," Mitchell said of his supporters' push for him to run.

It took a little while for him to make his decision to run.

" I think I can make more changes and create more of a positive effect if I'm on the council than just by volunteering and working with the boards, things like that.

I have a passion for Alpharetta and I just want to see downtown take off and I want to help in the vehicle for that," Mitchell said.

He promises to work for the rest of the city as well.

"I want to see the rest of Alpharetta to be a premiere city. I really want to see the best of the best throughout Alpharetta. I want to see the best shops, the most upscale vibrant shopping at North Point, at Prospect Park, all around the city," he said. "I think it's very important that when people think of what's the best in the state of Georgia, they won't think of Buckhead, but they'll think of Alpharetta."

His "fresh vision" calls for solving the issues of downtown, making the city open for business and creating curb appeal.

"In addition to recruiting mall business such as ice cream parlors, eateries and specialty shops, one way in which I feel we could improve is to create a strong social fabric with activities and gatherings for folks of all ages," Mitchell said.

His campaign Web site offers more information about him and the issues he plans to address.