| BILLY MITCHELL, was overwhelmingly elected to his first term on the City Council of the
historic City of Stone Mountain in 1995, and was then unanimously selected by his colleagues to
serve as Mayor Pro Tem (Vice Mayor). He also served as Chairman of the Finance Committee.
He held the distinction of having sponsored more legislation than any other then present Council
Member.
Because of his penchant for service, Billy offered himself as a candidate for the Georgia General
Assembly in 2002. As the Democratic nominee for the House of Representatives, he was elected
that November with over 70% of the vote to represent what is now the 88th Legislative District.
Upon his swearing-in, among the committees the Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed
Billy to include, being designated to serve as secretary of the Congressional & Legislative
Reapportionment Committee, which is unusual for a first-term legislator to serve in a leadership
capacity on a standing committee.
He was elected by his peers to serve as secretary of the powerful Georgia
Legislative Black Caucus, becoming the first freshman legislator to serve as an officer of the
largest legislative Black caucus in the nation. He also became the first freshman member of the
General Assembly to serve on a legislative oversight committee when he was appointed to
Georgia's Recreational Overview Committee.
For his distinguished service, which includes sponsoring more legislation signed into law during his first
term than any other freshman legislator, his colleagues selected him to receive the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus prestigious "Freshman Legislator of the Year" award.
Billy presently serves on the powerful Health & Human Services committee, the MARTOC
committee, the Regulated Industries committee, and the Rules committee. He has also been
appointed to serve as assistant whip of the Minority Caucus. His meteoric rise in the State
Legislature was recognized when "in just his second term" his colleagues selected him to receive their
highest honor, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus' "Legislator of the Year" award, joining the ranks of
previous award winners that include, Congressman Sanford Bishop,
Attorney General Thurbert Baker and Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.
Billy also serves as host of the topical radio talk show, "Community Forum with Billy Mitchell."
Billy's record of service is longstanding, having previously
served as chairperson of the DeKalb County Cable Television Advisory Board (responsible for
the negotiation of the County's multi-million dollar franchise agreement), and member of the
DeKalb County Zoning Board of Appeals, both appointed by the Board of Commissioners. He
has also served as president of the Countryside Manor Homeowners Association, Policy Board
Member of the Regional Business Coalition and president of the DeKalb Municipal Association,
whose membership includes all the municipally elected officials of DeKalb County. Selected as a
delegate to the last three National Democratic Conventions, he is also a past-president of the
Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as past-president of the South Fulton Rotary Club,
where he led them to "Distinguished Club" status. He also presently serves as a member of the
Democratic Party of Georgia's State Committee; and chair of the Government Affairs
Committee of the 100 Black Men of America a" DeKalb County Chapter, among many other
affiliations.
Billy has received numerous awards including the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity Award for
academic achievement, the Shoney's Restaurant Community Hero award, the Georgia Municipal
Association's "Champion for Georgia Cities" legislative service award, the Association of
County Commissioners of Georgia "Outstanding Legislative Service Award" and the DeKalb
NAACP Pat Jones community service award. He is also a United States Jay-Cees selection as an
"Outstanding Young Man in America" the recipient of the East Point VFW "Mr. South Fulton"
award for community service, the South Fulton Rotary Club "Rotarian of the Year" award, as
well as Rotary International's "Distinguished Club President" award.
A frequent public speaker and writer, Billy has authored several articles that have appeared in
various newspapers and magazines. He has served as a lecturer at the Kennesaw State
University, Burris Institute for Elected Officials, as well as lectured on Political Science at the
Clark Atlanta University. He is also a contributor to the best selling book, "Keeping the
Faith"Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope" by popular author, radio and television
personality, Tavis Smiley. The book was recognized as the "Best Literary Work for NonFiction" at the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards.
Billy is married to the former Shawn Evans, a previous "Miss Norfolk State University" and
present college professor. They have two children, a daughter, Maya, and son, Sean, and are very
active members of the Saint Philip AME Church, a nearly 8,000-member congregation in Decatur, where he also serves as an officer. |