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Alex Wan

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Alex Wan
Member of the Atlanta City Council
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2022
Preceded byJennifer N. Ide
In office
January 4, 2010 – January 4, 2018
Preceded byAnne Fauver
Succeeded byJennifer N. Ide
Personal details
Born (1967-08-13) August 13, 1967 (age 57)[1]
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.[1]
Domestic partnerJoe Bechely[2][3]
Residence(s)Morningside, Atlanta, Georgia
Alma materWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.)
Georgia Tech (B.E.)
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.atlantadistrict6.com www.alexwanforatlanta.com

Alex Su-chi Wan (Chinese: 萬斯祺[4]; pinyin: Wàn Sīqí) is an American politician. He was the first Asian American member of the Atlanta City Council, elected to the position for District 6 in the November 2009 municipal election.[5] He speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese.[6] Since March 3, 2021, Wan serves as Chairman of the Fulton County Board of Elections.[7]

Early life and education

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Wan graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Industrial Engineering in 1988 from The Georgia Institute of Technology, and subsequently went on to Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to obtain a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance, graduating in 1993.[8] In 2011, Wan completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.

Atlanta City Council

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In 2009, Wan ran for the open city council seat in District 6 against several candidates including Bahareh Azizi, Steve Brodie, Tad Christian, Liz Coyle, and Miguel Gallegos. Wan and second-place finisher Liz Coyle entered a run off. Wan was endorsed by fourth-place finisher Steve Brodie, a gay man who campaigned for the seat in 2005 against then-incumbent and also openly gay Anne Fauver, as well as the Victory Fund, Georgia Equality, Buckhead Coalition and gay educator Charles Stadtlander. Of the six initial contestants in the race for the council seat, Wan was the only recipient of an "Excellent" grade by Committee for a Better Atlanta.[9]

In 2013, the councilman championed legislation supported by neighborhood associations and NPU F[10] to remove existing adult businesses from Cheshire Bridge Road by 2018, but the Atlanta City Council voted it down. It was also opposed by a mix of gays, strippers and Atlanta's real estate interests – including Scott Selig.[11] Some in the gay community wondered if Cheshire Bridge were "sanitized", "where would people go for sexual expression"?[12] Matthew Cardinale, the editor and publisher of Atlanta Progressive News, and resident of the Road, decried "the ongoing project of gentrification, homogenization, sterilization and capitalization of a historic neighborhood," Atlanta's "red-light district".[13]

In January 2017, Wan announced his candidacy for Atlanta City Council President. Wan lost in a runoff election in December 2017 to Felicia Moore.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Forty Under 40 - 1997 Rising Stars" (PDF). Georgia Trends: 46. October 1997.
  2. ^ "Hot Gay Joe delivers for gay networking group". Project Q Atlanta. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Alex Wan". Facebook. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Chinese American Elected City Officials Of Non-California States". Chinatown Center. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  5. ^ Matt Hennie (December 2, 2009). "Bell, Wan wink at history in scoring LGBT wins". Project Q Atlanta.
  6. ^ Plan, B. Andrew. "Alex at a glance" (PDF). Alex Wan For Atlanta. p. 5. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  7. ^ Brasch, Ben. "Fulton County elections board gets new chair, proposals for improvement". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  8. ^ "Alex Wan". LinkedIn. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Ousted candidate backs Alex Wan in District 6". Project Q Atlanta. November 12, 2009.
  10. ^ "Residents OK Cheshire Bridge plan to gently give adult businesses the boot", Max Blau, Creative Loafing, April 16, 2013
  11. ^ ""Cheshire Bridge Road to remain an "adult" district, if Atlanta City Council upholds ruling by its zoning board", May 9th, 2013, Saporta Report". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  12. ^ "TAYLOR TRIMBLE, "Opinion: Cheshire Bridge is Falling Down", David Atlanta, March 2013". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
  13. ^ "What to do with Cheshire Bridge Road?", Jordan Friedman, Feb 15, 2013, Creative Loafing
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