Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson will face former state representative Mary Robichaux in a December runoff after failing to secure a majority in Tuesday’s election, while voters delivered a clean sweep against incumbent city council members.
Why It Matters: Roswell voters sent a clear message about the city’s direction, with a majority of residents voting against the incumbent mayor and replacing every sitting council member on the ballot with challengers who campaigned on transparency and citizen engagement.
What’s Happening: Wilson led the three-way mayoral race with 36.52% of the vote—8,202 votes—but fell short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff, according to election results. Robichaux finished second with 35.70% (8,017 votes), while former councilman Steve Dorvee came in third with 27.78% (6,240 votes).
In the city council races, both incumbents lost their seats. Jennifer Phillippi defeated Post 4 incumbent David Johnson with 55.83% of the vote. Eren Brumley unseated Post 5 incumbent William Morthland with 51.74%. Christopher Zack beat Nicholas Porche with 53.93% in Post 6.
Between the Lines: The margin between Wilson and Robichaux is razor-thin—just 185 votes separate them. Dorvee’s 6,240 supporters now become the swing voters who will likely decide the December 2 runoff.
The Big Picture: The results arrive after a contentious campaign season dominated by questions about transparency in city government. During an October debate, Wilson spent much of the evening defending his administration against criticism from both challengers over issues including public access to information and a controversial proposed stadium project on the city’s east side.
Twenty-one former city officials signed a letter raising concerns about the current administration—a move Wilson dismissed as “grandstanding” and “political theater.” Both Robichaux and Dorvee made transparency and citizen engagement central themes of their campaigns.
The council results suggest voters agreed with the challengers’ critique. All three winning candidates ran as outsiders promising to restore trust and openness at city hall.
The runoff election will take place December 2, 2025.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
