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 by Gloria Tinubu
Personal details
Born Atlanta, Georgia
1972
Political party Democratic
Residence Atlanta, Georgia
Occupation Emergency management consultant
Website www.keishawaites.com

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, Waites attended Southside Comprehensive High School (now known as Maynard H. Jackson High School) in Atlanta and graduated in 1991. She attended Georgia Southern University, concentrating in political science.[2]

Waites is a former 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.[3]

Outside of politics, Waites has worked on a contract basis as an intergovernmental affairs officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[4] She also worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration as a commercial loan specialist.[2]

Political career

Before winning election to the state legislature in 2012, Waites mounted seven unsuccessful campaigns 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. 2005: Atlanta City Council
  4. 2006: Fulton County Commission
  5. 2008: State House, District 61: lost primary runoff
  6. 2009: Atlanta City Council
  7. 2011: Fulton County Commission: lost runoff

In addition, Waites applied for an appointment to the Atlanta City Council in 2004, one of four candidates who put themselves forward to temporarily fill a vacant seat. The council did not select Waites for the vacancy, choosing Esther Stewart-Moseley instead.[5]

Her 2011 run for the Fulton County Commission pitted her against Joan Garner, also an openly-lesbian African-American. In the primary election, Waites finished first but failed to win an absolute majority, forcing her into a runoff with Garner.[6] Garner won the runoff[7] and was elected unopposed in the general election.[8]

Waites's qualified for the District 60 House seat on January 9, 2012.[9][10] 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.[11]

Waites will defend her seat in the 2012 legislative election, in which all 180 seats are up for contest.

Personal

Waites is a lesbian. She is one of three openly gay members of the Georgia General Assembly, alongside Representatives Karla Drenner (D–Avondale Estates), and Simone Bell (D–Atlanta).[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Keisha Waites sworn in as fourth openly gay Ga. representative". Georgia Voice. February 13, 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "BizNik: Keisha Waites". 
  3. ↑ Matthew Cardinale (2012-1-23). "APN Chat with HD60 Candidates, Middlebrooks and Waites". Atlanta Progressive News. 
  4. ↑ Matthew Cardinale (6-2-2010). "APN Chat with Keisha Waites, Candidate for Fulton Commission District 6 (Update 1)". Atlanta Progressive News. 
  5. ↑ Atlanta City Council: Submission Applications, May 13, 2004, accessed February 8, 2012
  6. ↑ Laura Douglas Brown & Dyana Bagby (July 23, 2010). "Election: Lesbian candidates headed for runoff in Fulton". The GA Voice. 
  7. ↑ Dyana Bagby (August 20, 2010). "Garner becomes first out Fulton commissioner". The GA Voice. 
  8. ↑ Dyana Bagby (January 5, 2011). "Joan Garner takes oath of office as first openly gay Fulton Co. Commissioner". The GA Voice. 
  9. ↑ Dyana Bagby (January 11, 2012). "Atlanta lesbian Keisha Waites running for public office — for ninth time". The GA Voice. 
  10. ↑ "List of Candidates on the February 07, 2012 Special Election Ballot". Georgia Secretary of State. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 February 07, 2012 20:57. "Election results: Keisha Waites to become fourth openly gay Ga. state legislator". The GA Voice. 
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