Strong financial backing for Wan’s House District 57 campaign

Alex Wan, a 25-year resident of Morningside, active civic leader, businessman and former Atlanta City Councilmember, raised nearly $53,000 in the campaign finance disclosure period (ending January 31) in the race for Georgia State House District 57.

“I am proud that the people who best know me and my Atlanta City Council legislative record donated generously,” Wan says. “Their input – monetary and otherwise – demonstrates they are committed to continuing our work together on shared issues, this time at the state legislative level.”

In addition to noting a particularly strong showing from former constituents, he says contributions came from 143 donors, with some 30 percent of that being contributions of $101 or less. Wan reports expenses of just over $4,000, leaving more than $48,000 on hand, with key fundraising events and house parties continuing to take place.

“I am heartened to have support at many different levels from every corner of this great and diverse District,” he says. “Such broad financial support enables me to continue to connect with as many District voters as possible. What I am hearing is that they appreciate my knowledge of, commitment to and collaborative relationships that support the issues we face as Atlantans. They want a seasoned Atlanta leader speaking for them under the Gold Dome.”

Wan announced his bid to represent District 57 following the announcement by State Rep. Pat Gardner that she will retire. For 8 years he served as an Atlanta City Council member for Council District 6, which overlays much of House District 57. Wan continues his community service as the Fulton/Atlanta citizen representative on the Atlanta Regional Commission Board and as a member of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board.

His professional experience includes the private, public, non-profit and higher-education sectors. He is Executive Director of Horizons Atlanta, a nonprofit that provides tuition-free summer enrichment programs for children from traditionally underserved communities. Wan was the first Asian American and first openly gay man elected to the Atlanta City Council.

“The progressive, inclusive values we share as Atlantans are under attack at the state and federal levels,” Wan says. “I will take our collective fight for access, opportunity, inclusion, equality and equity to the Gold Dome.”

He enumerates some of the issues in peril: The right to a fair and secure voting process; the right for women to control their own reproductive health; the critical need for affordable housing and our ability to age in place; and the right for all of us to live our lives safe from discrimination based on who we are.

“At the same time we must continue championing environmental and sustainability initiatives, a robust slate of accessible and affordable transportation alternatives and, of course, the right to a fully funded, equitably resourced, quality public education, no matter what zip code our young scholars call home across this diverse district,” Wan says.

Georgia House District 57 includes Adair Park, Atlanta University Center, Audubon Forest, Beecher-Donnelly, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, Lindridge-Martin Manor, Mechanicsville, Midtown, Morningside Lenox Park, Oakland City, Pittsburgh, Venetian Hills, Virginia-Highland, West End and Westview.

Members of the Georgia House are elected for two-year terms, with the election to be held in November 2020, taking office in January 2021. Wan notes that redistricting that results from the 2020 Census will take place in the Fall of 2021, and that we need legislators in place who will approach that process fairly.

For more information about Wan and his campaign: www.AlexWanForAtlanta.com.