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Keisha Waites

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Keisha Waites
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 60th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 13, 2012
Preceded byGloria Tinubu
Personal details
BornAtlanta, Georgia
October 30, 1972
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceAtlanta, Georgia
OccupationEmergency management consultant
Website[none]

Keisha Sean Waites (born 1972) is an American politician from the state of Georgia. A Democrat, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives on February 7, 2012 in a special election to fill the 60th district seat left vacant by Gloria Tinubu's resignation. District 60 includes southeast Atlanta, Hapeville, and parts of Clayton and DeKalb counties. She was sworn in on February 13, 2012.[1]

Early life and career

Born in 1972 at Grady Hospital, Rep. Waites attended Lakeside High School in Atlanta and graduated in 1991. She then attended Atlanta Metropolitan College and graduated with an Associates Degree in Political Science. Waites has continued to further her education by obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Georgia Southern University.

Waites was formerly Chief of Staff to State Rep. Sheila Jones. She has served on the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, the boards of the Atlanta Commission on Women, the National Women's Political Caucus-Atlanta Chapter, Georgia Stonewall Democrats, Fulton County Democratic Party Executive Board, and NAACP-Atlanta chapter.[2]

Outside of politics, Waites has worked on a contract basis as an intergovernmental affairs officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[3] She also worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration as a commercial loan specialist.

Political career

Before winning election to the state legislature in 2012, Waites mounted eight unsuccessful motions for elected office:

  1. 2001: Atlanta City Council, at-large post 1 (as Sean Waites)
  2. 2002: State Senate, District 36: placed fourth in the Democratic primary
  3. 2004: Atlanta City Council, District 12: Not selected for appointment
  4. 2005: Atlanta City Council
  5. 2006: Fulton County Commission
  6. 2008: State House, District 61: lost primary runoff
  7. 2009: Atlanta City Council
  8. 2011: Fulton County Commission: lost runoff

In 2004 Waites applied for an appointment to the Atlanta City Council, one of the four candidates who filed a motion to temporarily fill a vacant seat. The council did not select Waites for the vacancy, choosing Esther Stewart-Moseley instead.[4]

Her 2011 run for the Fulton County Commission pitted her against Joan Garner. In the primary election, Waites finished first but failed to win an absolute majority, forcing her into a runoff with Garner.[5] Garner won the runoff[6] and was elected unopposed in the general election.[7]

Waites's qualified for the District 60 House seat on January 9, 2012.[8][9] In the special election, she took 54.2 percent of the vote (321 votes) compared to 18.6 percent (110 votes) for Theresa Middlebrooks and 27.2 percent (161 votes) for Latrenka Riley, thus avoiding a runoff.[10]

Waites ran unopposed in the 2014 general election, maintaining her seat for another two years until the 2016 elections, when all 180 seats will be up for contest.

References

  1. ^ "Keisha Waites sworn in as fourth openly gay Ga. representative". Georgia Voice. February 13, 2012.
  2. ^ Matthew Cardinale (2012-1-23). "APN Chat with HD60 Candidates, Middlebrooks and Waites". Atlanta Progressive News. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Matthew Cardinale (6-2-2010). "APN Chat with Keisha Waites, Candidate for Fulton Commission District 6 (Update 1)". Atlanta Progressive News. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Atlanta City Council: Submission Applications, May 13, 2004, accessed February 8, 2012
  5. ^ Laura Douglas Brown & Dyana Bagby (July 23, 2010). "Election: Lesbian candidates headed for runoff in Fulton". The GA Voice.
  6. ^ Dyana Bagby (August 20, 2010). "Garner becomes first out Fulton commissioner". The GA Voice.
  7. ^ Dyana Bagby (January 5, 2011). "Joan Garner takes oath of office as first openly gay Fulton Co. Commissioner". The GA Voice.
  8. ^ Dyana Bagby (January 11, 2012). "Atlanta lesbian Keisha Waites running for public office — for ninth time". The GA Voice.
  9. ^ "List of Candidates on the February 07, 2012 Special Election Ballot". Georgia Secretary of State.
  10. ^ February 07, 2012 20:57. "Election results: Keisha Waites to become fourth openly gay Ga. state legislator". The GA Voice.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

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