Around Town: Birrell Raises More In Latest Filing, But Redmon Maintains Overall Fundraising Lead

Democratic challenger Kevin Redmon outraised Republican Commissioner JoAnn Birrell overall in the race for the Cobb County District 3 seat, following the last campaign finance reporting period before the election. According to campaign finance records, Redmon has raised $133,000 overall to Birrell's $67,000.

During the most recent filing period, which runs from Aug. 1 through Oct. 20, Birrell outraised Redmon, gaining approximately $35,400 to Redmon's $32,500.

Birrell also received around $2,760 of in-kind donations this reporting period, compared to Redmon's $1,740.

Redmon's campaign has spent around $118,970, to date, leaving him with approximately $14,000 of cash on-hand.

Birrell's campaign has spent about $36,480 to date, leaving her with around $30,900 in cash on-hand.

Neither candidates received loans during the most recent filing period.

Redmon's largest contributor this period was $2,500 from Daniel Matalon, CEO of A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, which has an office in Cobb County.

Notable contributions also include $230 from former state Sen. Jason Esteves, D-Atlanta, $530 from former state Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna, $500 from Smyrna Councilman Tim Gould, $500 from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta COO Ronald Frieson, and $130 from Mableton Mayor Michael Owens.

Redmon told Around Town in a text he is proud of how he raised his money.

"In the most recent reporting period, we had nearly twice as many individual contributions as my opponent, and more of them were small donations of $100 or less. More than 80% of our contributions came from inside Cobb County, and across the full campaign, more than half came from District 3 itself," he said.

He noted 37% of Birrell's funds came from political action committees and businesses.

"That matters because the next commissioner will vote on zoning, contracts and the Cobb 2050 plan. When a campaign runs on checks from special interest groups, voters should ask what those donors expect in return. The community powers our campaign. That's the difference between a county government that answers to the people who live here and one that answers to whoever wrote the biggest check," Redmon wrote.

Birrell's top contributor this reporting period is $3,000 from Moore Ingram Johnson and Steele law firm, which frequently represents new developments and rezoning requests in the county.

Notable donors include $250 each from state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-east Cobb, and state Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-east Cobb, $300 from Bentley, Bentley and Bentley law firm, $100 from Donna Rowe, president and CEO of the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation, $200 from former Marietta Councilman Phillip Goldstein and $250 from former Cobb Commission District 1 candidate Clark Hungerford.

Birrell told Around Town she has received many donations from individuals in addition to any donations from businesses because she is a big supporter of business throughout the county.

"As far as contractors or developers, a lot of commissioners, my colleagues, and Kevin Redmon have accepted money from attorneys, zoning attorneys, developers, and, you know, it's on our disclosures. I mean, we're not hiding it," she said.

She said on any zoning application, campaign donations are a required disclosure.

"The developers and zoning attorneys have known from the very beginning I don't do favors or paybacks. I do what is right. And they can contribute to my campaign, but that doesn't mean they're going to get everything they want," she said.

Birrell said she is eager for Election Day to come.

"I'm ready to get back in and keep serving the citizens of Cobb and just continuing with my conservative track record and keep fighting for Cobb County," she said.

ABSENTEE BALLOT FLAP: The Cobb Elections Board's decision to overnight mail-in ballots needs to be expanded, according to state Rep. David Wilkerson, D-Powder Springs, chair of the Cobb Legislative Delegation.

On Wednesday, the Cobb County Board of Elections announced it would overnight absentee ballots for anyone affected by a delay in receiving ballots issued by the county between Oct. 7 and 15.

The elections office said the delay appears to have been caused by the county's absentee ballot vendor, Fort Orange Press.

Wilkerson said he, as well as some members of the legislative delegation, including state Rep. Lisa Campbell, D-Kennesaw, want the overnight mail opportunity extended to everyone who has not yet received a ballot in order to give everyone an equal opportunity to vote.

His concern is there will be more problems found on ballots issued more recently, after Oct. 15.

"Because it's so early in the process, you can't really tell if people aren't returning them because they just got them, or you can't tell if they're not returning them because they never got them in the first place," he said.

As of Friday, he said the elections board has not decided to extend the overnight mail opportunity to other ballot issue dates.

"You know, the delegation disagrees, the members disagree, I disagree, and we just want to make sure that we err on the side of caution, because right now we know that the vendor messed up on these days. That's when they were caught… We just haven't caught them yet on the other days," he said.

Daniel White, attorney for the elections board, told Around Town the board decided to only overnight impacted ballots between Oct. 7 and 15 because, from Oct. 16 onward, "those ballots have gone out on what we would consider a normal schedule."

He said while the elections office is wary of data coming from the ballot vendor, the office is able to track mail scan data to see when the ballots are sent out.

"So we can see that ballots have been mailed out and they're going out," White said.

The cost, too, could be extensive if the elections office opens the overnight option to everyone who has not turned in their ballots, regardless of the date issued.

"We had to base it off data because it's not inexpensive. It's $66 per person to overnight these and with postage. And if you're asking us to do that for thousands of people, that can run up into the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, really depending on how many people call them," White said.

In a press conference Friday, White said he does not have a specific number of voters impacted by delayed ballots, however, of the 14,626 ballots issued, 7,876 have been accepted as of Thursday night, roughly 54% of Cobb's absentee ballots.

He noted Cobb has the second-most ballots issued and accepted in the state.

To receive an overnight mail-in ballot, affected voters must contact Cobb Elections to report their ballots as undelivered by calling 770-528-2581 or emailing abm@cobbcounty.gov and must sign an affidavit.

The final day to request a mail-in ballot for Georgia's election was Oct. 23. All ballots must be received in the Cobb County Elections Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, in order to be counted.

There will be no extension of the receipt of ballots.

RECOGNITION: The Cobb County Board of Commissioners presented a proclamation during their Tuesday meeting officially designating November as Native American Heritage Month.

Board of Commissioners Chair Lisa Cupid was joined by representatives from the Yamasee-Guale Nation of Georgia — a group that traces its lineage to the historical Yamasee and Guale communities of south Georgia, north Florida and South Carolina — and other tribes with ties to the southeastern U.S.

"Through its leadership, educational outreach, community engagement and cultural preservation efforts, the Yamasee-Guale Nation of Georgia promotes greater understanding of indigenous heritage and contributes to recognizing the enduring presence and contributions of indigenous people throughout Georgia," Cupid said.

Chief Moon Hawk of the Yamasee-Guale Nation thanked Cupid and the county for the proclamation and said he was honored to be part of honoring Native American heritage in Cobb.

"It's an honor and pleasure to not only have a proclamation, but to show the diversity that took place, and to continue the legacy and history," he said.

Joseph Jordan, an Atlanta resident who's part of the Meherrin Nation, which traces its roots to western North Carolina, also performed a traditional song.

HARM REDUCTION: This week, state Rep. Sharon Cooper, R — east Cobb, received the 2026 Zack Elliott Harm Reduction Award from the Georgia Council for Recovery and Georgia Overdose Prevention, recognizing her leadership in preventing overdose deaths and saving lives across Georgia.

Cooper helped pass Georgia's 911 Medical Amnesty law in 2014, which provides legal protections for individuals seeking emergency medical assistance during an overdose.

She also championed legislation expanding access to naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Georgia Overdose Prevention reports distributing more than 240,000 naloxone kits, with over 16,000 documented lives saved through their use.

"Rep. Cooper is a visionary, a change maker and a hero," the award presenter said, recognizing her willingness to listen to families affected by overdose and turn their stories into lifesaving legislation.

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