East Point isn’t just a stop on the way to the airport. It's a city with a specific, high-energy vibe, and the person steering that ship is Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham. If you've spent any time in south Metro Atlanta lately, you know things are changing fast. Development is booming. Small businesses are popping up in spots that sat empty for years. But who is actually making the calls?
Deana Holiday Ingraham isn't a newcomer to this world. She’s been the Mayor of East Point since 2017, and honestly, her path to the office says a lot about how she governs. She’s an attorney by trade. She’s also a former track star. That mix of legal precision and competitive drive is pretty much her calling card. When she talks about the city, it’s not just political fluff. She’s focused on "equitable development," which is a fancy way of saying she wants the city to get richer without kicking the original residents out.
Why the Mayor of East Point Matters Right Now
The geography of East Point is its biggest blessing and its biggest headache. You’re minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. You’ve got MARTA access. You’re close to the Porsche headquarters. Because of that, developers are constantly circling.
The Mayor of East Point has to be a gatekeeper. If the mayor says "yes" to everything, the city loses its soul. If they say "no" to everything, the tax base rots. Ingraham has spent her tenure trying to walk that tightrope. She’s pushed for the "East Point City Agriculture Plan," which sounds niche but is actually a massive deal. It was the first of its kind in the country, aimed at solving food deserts by integrating local farming into urban planning. It’s a weird, cool flex for a city that’s technically an inner-ring suburb.
The Budget and the Power Dynamics
People often forget how city government actually works. In East Point, we have a Council-Manager form of government. This means the Mayor doesn't just bark orders and things happen. She presides over the City Council and votes in the case of a tie. The City Manager handles the day-to-day grind.
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But don't get it twisted.
The Mayor is the face. She sets the tone. When Amazon or some massive logistics firm looks at East Point, they’re looking at her. Her background at the Georgia Department of Education gives her a different perspective on "workforce development" than a typical career politician might have. She sees the link between what happens in the classroom and whether or not a resident can afford a $400,000 bungalow near Main Street.
Keeping It Real: The Challenges of the Office
It hasn't all been ribbon-cutting and applause. East Point has faced real friction. Public safety is always a talking point. Residents in neighborhoods like Jefferson Park or Frog Hollow want to feel safe walking their dogs at night, and that requires a fully staffed police force. Ingraham has had to navigate the "Defund" era while also ensuring officers are paid enough to actually stay in East Point instead of jumping ship to a higher-paying suburb like Sandy Springs.
Then there’s the utility bill situation.
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If you live in East Point, you’ve complained about the power bill. It’s basically a local rite of passage. The city operates its own electric utility. While that gives the city autonomy, it also means the Mayor and Council take all the heat when rates fluctuate. Ingraham has had to defend the city’s infrastructure investments while acknowledging that, yeah, it’s expensive to keep the lights on in an older city.
Breaking Down the Resume
Wait, let's look at the actual credentials for a second. Ingraham didn't just stumble into the Mayor's office.
- Education: She’s a Florida A&M grad (HBCU pride is huge in East Point) and got her law degree from Howard University.
- Experience: She served on the City Council before becoming Mayor. That’s where she learned where the "bodies were buried," so to speak, in terms of the budget.
- Philosophy: She’s big on the "Healthy Point" initiative. She’s often seen out in the community, not just in a suit, but in workout gear, literally walking the walk.
What's Next for the City?
The "Model Mile" of the PATH Foundation’s greenway trail is a huge win for her administration. It connects people. It makes the city walkable. But the real test for the Mayor of East Point in the coming years is the Downtown Development project. We’re talking about massive mixed-use spaces that are supposed to turn the downtown area into a destination, not just a place you drive through to get to the 166.
There's also the "Equity" factor. Ingraham talks about this a lot. She doesn't just want growth; she wants growth that benefits the people who stayed in East Point when things were tough in the 90s and early 2000s. That’s a hard promise to keep when property taxes are rising.
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Understanding the Local Impact
When you look at the Mayor of East Point, you're looking at a micro-version of the national political struggle. How do you embrace the future without erasing the past? Ingraham has stayed popular by being accessible. You’ll see her at the Wednesday Wind Down concerts. She’s active on social media. She’s humanized the office in a way that makes the bureaucratic slog of city hall feel a bit more personal.
Honestly, being a mayor is a thankless job. You get blamed for the potholes and the trash pickup and the crime rates, even if you don't have a magic wand to fix them. But Ingraham seems to thrive in the chaos. She’s positioned East Point as a leader in urban agriculture and sustainable development, which has put the city on the map in ways it wasn't twenty years ago.
Actionable Steps for East Point Residents
If you're looking to get involved or need to navigate city services under the current administration, don't just sit on Facebook and complain.
First, check the City Council calendar. The meetings are where the actual votes happen on things like zoning and tax breaks. If you care about that new apartment complex going up down the street, that’s where you show up. Second, look into the "East Point 101" program. It’s basically a crash course the city offers to show citizens how the gears turn. It’s the best way to understand why your power bill is what it is or how the police department allocates patrols.
Finally, use the "SeeClickFix" app. The Mayor’s office actually tracks these metrics. If there’s a pothole or a broken streetlight, reporting it digitally creates a paper trail that's much harder for the city to ignore than a random phone call. Engagement is the only way a city like East Point stays on the right track while growing at this speed.