Mitchell Promises Town Unity Once He's Seated on Council

Newly elected City Council member Donald Mitchell told us his first order of business once he's sworn in will be town unity.

“My top priority is to connect the City Center Project with our historic, downtown district,” Mitchell said. “We want to create a safe and vibrant environment for our community.”

Mitchell also expressed his gratitude to the voters of Alpharetta for passing the City Center bond referendum, which will fund a new , parking and other infrastructure.

“This is the first step in the future development of our downtown. Now we have to deal with the Highway 9 issue and the connectivity between the two,” he said.

Ron Carter, who ran against Mitchell, voiced the same excitement over the majority voter approval of the referendum.

“As a matter of fact, the opportunity for a city to develop 24 acres of land into their own City Center is a very unusual situation, and Alpharetta should be very happy about that,”  Carter said.

Both Carter and Post 5 candidate Hans Appen plan to continue their involvement with the local government. Carter said he isn't ready to again run for office just yet.

“Not right now, of course. Right now we’re just taking a nice deep breath, relaxing and enjoying not having to go around and take down all those yard signs,” he said.

Carter told Patch he would like to work on the Planning Commission, again. “I will make myself available to our new mayor and council and if they need me, I’ll be right there.”

Appen likewise, said, “I am ready and willing to serve the city in whatever capacity I am needed. I hope to meet with the council and discuss what might be.”

Appen received mroe than 2,000 votes in Tuesday's election. For a 22-year-old with little political experience, to get that much attention from voters is impressive by anyone’s standards.

“It was a tremendous honor,” Appen said. “It tells me that my message resonated with a lot of people. But if my age was a deterrent for some, let me reassure them that I can only get older from here!”

And as far as running again next term, Carter and Appen feel it’s too early to tell.

“It is hard to think about another campaign in the wake of this one,” Appen said. “But I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out.”