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Joe Carn, Ward II
Joe Carn is widely recognized as one of the region’s most experienced and trusted servant leaders, with a career spanning more than two decades in public service. From grassroots activist to city councilmember, vice mayor of College Park, and Fulton County commissioner, Carn has left a lasting impact on the communities he has served.
Carn was first elected in 2005 as the youngest city official in College Park’s history. Early in his tenure, he challenged the status quo by successfully advocating for changes to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 150 policy, expanding sound insulation benefits to multi-family apartments. His efforts resulted in more than $40 million in local improvements.
In 2006, Carn persuaded the City Council to acquire more than 30 acres surrounding the Georgia International Convention Center — an investment that led to the development of Georgia’s most successful hospitality campus.
A staunch advocate for public safety and youth, Carn pushed to lower the city’s curfew for children under 13 from midnight to 8 p.m. and helped designate College Park as a “Drug-Free Zone” under state law. As vice mayor, he lobbied the Georgia General Assembly and governor to establish a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), creating a hotel-motel tax that brings in more than $3 million in annual revenue for the city.
In 2013, Carn became the first councilmember to provide more than $100,000 in utility assistance to seniors and hosted College Park’s first-ever gun buyback event, which removed nearly 200 firearms from the community.
Carn led the 2017 initiative to construct the Gateway Center Arena, securing lasting partnerships with the NBA G League’s College Park Skyhawks, the Volleyball Nations League and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
To support youth development, he partnered with local nonprofits to secure funding for four new community playgrounds, including a $100,000 project with Delta Air Lines. In 2024, he sponsored legislation that made all recreation programs free for low-income families in College Park.
Carn was elected to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in 2019, serving until January 2021. As a commissioner, he helped oversee a $1.2 billion county budget and directed more than $200 million in CARES Act funding to support the 1.2 million residents he represented. He also secured funds for a senior center in South Fulton, distributed more than 60,000 face masks during the pandemic, and worked to obtain $30 million in additional COVID-19 relief for 15 cities in the county, including College Park.
Throughout his career, Carn has managed or helped elect at least 28 public officials across Georgia. He has led complex intergovernmental initiatives involving the City of Atlanta, MEAG Power, the Federal Aviation Administration, MARTA and others.
He serves on the board of directors for the Concerned Black Clergy of Metropolitan Atlanta and was the only African American board member of N.O.I.S.E. He also served as Georgia state director of the Young Elected Officials Network and has participated in White House policy meetings, including three invitations under President Barack Obama.
Carn received the 2016 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama and was recognized by the Georgia Secretary of State as an Outstanding Georgia Citizen. He has also served as deputy of intergovernmental affairs and community liaison for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office and is a small business owner.
A graduate of Benjamin Mays High School in Atlanta and DeVry Institute of Technology, Carn also completed leadership studies at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He is a devoted husband to his wife, Pamela, and father of three. In his free time, Carn enjoys woodworking, playing piano and is currently completing his third book.
Email Councilman Carn
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