When Helen Z. Willis stepped into the runoff race for Fulton County's District 5 commissioner seat, she arrived with something her opponent couldn't claim: a track record of actually showing up and getting things done. In a political landscape saturated with promises and photo opportunities, Willis represents a different breed of candidate—one whose resume isn't built on rhetoric but on real work in real communities.
The Georgia primary elections have come and gone, leaving behind a runoff matchup that will determine who represents District 5 on the county commission. Willis, who previously served on South Fulton's City Council, finds herself in a head-to-head battle with Sojourner Marable Grimmett. Early voting has already begun, and as is typical in runoff elections, every single ballot will matter enormously. The stakes couldn't be higher for this South Fulton region, which has long struggled with affordable housing shortages, inadequate criminal justice resources, and a troubling absence of services for seniors.
When Willis sat down to discuss her candidacy, her confidence wasn't the hollow bravado of a political novice. She carried the quiet assurance of someone who has actually solved problems. "I've already been doing the work," she explained, highlighting her track record of addressing the very issues that keep South Fulton residents awake at night. The distinction matters. While other candidates talk about what they might do, Willis can point to what she has done.
Her commitment runs deeper than a typical election cycle. Born and raised in Brooklyn before building her political foundation in Atlanta, Willis has invested nearly fifteen years of her life serving the South Fulton community. More than eight of those years came through her work on the city council. When she speaks about service, it's not an abstraction—it's a lived experience.
The endorsements have certainly helped Willis's campaign momentum. Current and outgoing District 5 Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who came in third during the primary race for county commissioner chair, threw his support behind Willis. That's the kind of institutional backing that carries weight in local politics. She's also received the endorsement of Dejia Felicity Swindell, who finished third in the Democratic District 5 race with 12.67 percent of the vote. J. Jazz Thomas-Jones, who came in fourth, has endorsed Grimmett, creating an interesting dynamic where different segments of the initial candidate field are aligning themselves with the two finalists.
Yet Willis isn't the type to rely entirely on political insiders. When asked about the endorsements that matter most, she shifted the conversation in a revealing way. "The most important endorsement to me is the endorsement of the people," she said. "That support comes from relationships that I have built." It's a statement that reflects a deeper philosophy—that genuine community connection trumps backroom political maneuvering. In the primary election, voters seemed to agree, giving Willis 43 percent of the vote compared to Grimmett's 35 percent.
One of Willis's signature achievements illustrates her approach to problem-solving. Recognizing that significant portions of South Fulton function as food deserts—neighborhoods where accessing fresh, affordable groceries means traveling miles or paying premium prices—Willis created the "Feeding the City" program. Through strategic partnerships with the Atlanta Food Bank and private sector collaborators, the initiative brought food resources directly to communities that desperately needed them. The program has proven so successful and sustainable that it continues today under the stewardship of South Fulton District 6 Commissioner Natasha Williams-Brown.
But Willis sees food insecurity as just one piece of a larger puzzle. She believes in teaching people not just to receive help, but to become self-sufficient. Community gardens, she argues, represent far more than a pleasant aesthetic addition to neighborhoods. They're essential infrastructure for human health and dignity. Teaching residents how to grow their own food, how to address the root causes of food insecurity rather than merely treating symptoms—this is the kind of transformative work she wants to bring to the county level.
Her vision for District 5 extends beyond food security into other critical gaps. Youth and teen job training programs could equip young people with real skills and opportunities, reducing idleness and building pathways toward meaningful employment. Affordable housing remains one of the region's most pressing challenges, a crisis that touches virtually every other social problem. These aren't new ideas in American politics, but Willis's approach carries credibility because she's already demonstrated an ability to implement them.
"You have so many people who are not being advocated for," Willis observed, reflecting on her city council experience. She characterized her service as going "beyond the call of duty," a phrase that might sound like standard political speak until you consider her actual accomplishments. She's not promising to work hard; she's documenting where she already has.
One challenge Willis must navigate is the well-documented reality of runoff elections. Across Georgia and throughout the nation, these contests consistently suffer from significantly lower voter turnout compared to primary and general elections. Voters who showed up in the primary often sit out the runoff, creating an electorate that's smaller, older, and sometimes more conservative than the broader voting population. Willis acknowledges this headwind directly. She's preparing for "a significant dropoff," but rather than accepting it as inevitable, she's actively working to overcome it.
"I'm doing what it takes to get my people back to the polls," Willis said, with the determination of someone who understands that winning a runoff means motivating supporters who've already voted once. It's a different kind of campaign challenge, requiring both strategic outreach and genuine connection to community.
The Republican candidate, Tiffany A. Henyard, enters the general election as an outsider without deep local political roots. For Willis and the Democratic Party's interests, the real opportunity to secure this seat likely lies in the June 16 runoff election itself. Winning a countywide office in a heavily Democratic area requires primarily winning the Democratic runoff—the general election becomes almost a formality.
As early voting continues and the runoff date approaches, Willis returns to the foundational claim that has carried her this far: she shows up, and she delivers. For a region dealing with food insecurity, inadequate services for seniors, unaffordable housing, and a justice system that often feels indifferent to their struggles, that claim represents something genuinely valuable. Whether voters agree remains to be seen, but Willis has given them a clear basis upon which to judge her—not promises about tomorrow, but a record from yesterday.
