Michael Owens is an American politician serving as mayor of Mableton, Georgia, the largest city in Cobb County since defeating Aaron Carman in the runoff of the 2023 Mableton mayoral election. He previously served as Chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee from 2016 to 2019.
Michael Owens | |
|---|---|
 Owens in 2019 | |
| Mayor of Mableton | |
| Assumed office April 21, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee | |
| In office 2016–2019 | |
| State chair | DuBose Porter |
| Preceded by | Melissa Pike |
| Succeeded by | Jacquelyn Bettadapur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1974 or 1975 (age 49–50)[1] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | Mayoral Campaign Website |
Early life and career
editOwens was raised in Robbins, North Carolina.[2] His grandparents lived in Cobb County, while his grandfather and father were both born in Columbus, Ohio.[2][3] Owens said that his relatives resided "up and down Veterans Memorial", at the time known as Bankhead Highway.[3] Owens served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years mainly in communications.[2][4] He also did some combat engineering and training in counterterrorism before going to a boot camp in Parris Island and an officer school in Quantico.[2] He received his doctorate of business administration in global business and leadership from the California Intercontinental University and worked as a business information security officer with consumer credit reporting agency Equifax.[2][3]
In the 2014 United States House of Representatives elections, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent David Scott in the Democratic primary for Georgia's 13th congressional district.[1] From 2016 to 2019, he served as Chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee.[5] In the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, he unsuccessfully challenged Scott again in the Democratic primary for Georgia's 13th congressional district.[2] He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election in which he was endorsed by former Georgia governor Roy Barnes and senator Michael Rhett.[5][6]
Mayor of Mableton
editIn March 2023, he announced he was running for mayor of Mableton in the 2023 Mableton mayoral election in which he was again endorsed by Roy Barnes who grew up in Mableton.[7] He was elected with 55.68% of the vote and became the city's first mayor in over 100 years.[8][9]
In July 2023, Owens and the city council attended a three-day training and orientation session at the headquarters of the Georgia Municipal Association.[10] He also succeeded Mayor of Marietta Steve Tumlin as a member of the Cobb & Douglas County Board of Health.[11]
Personal life
editOwens has five children and lives in Mableton, Georgia.[1][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Stuart, Ria Gonzalez (March 10, 2014). "Michael Owens Announces Candidacy for 13th Congressional District Seat". South Cobb, GA Patch. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Larry Felton (December 16, 2019). "Michael Owens: Candidate for Georgia's 13th Congressional District". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Q&A with Mableton mayoral candidates". Yahoo News. February 28, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ Dillon, Denise (April 19, 2023). "Meet the new mayor of Mableton, Georgia's newest city". FOX 5 Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Cobb County Democrat Dr. Michael Owens enters race for Georgia Secretary of State". spotlightsouthcobbnews.com. September 26, 2021. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (January 20, 2022). "Michael Owens Lines Up Endorsements For Secretary Of State Race". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (March 3, 2023). "Roy Barnes Endorses Michael Owens In Mableton Mayoral Race". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ "City of Mableton elects first mayor, city council". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. April 19, 2023. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Mableton first-ever mayor talks his top priorities for Cobb County's largest city". WABE. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "GMA Welcomes Its Newest Member City: Mableton". www.gacities.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (July 10, 2023). "Mableton Mayor Owens appointed to Cobb & Douglas Board of Health". Cobb County Courier. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ "Q&A with Mableton mayoral candidates". Yahoo News. February 28, 2023. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.