Simone Bell

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Simone Bell
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 58th district
Assumed office
December 22, 2009
Preceded by Robbin Shipp
Personal details
Born Detroit, Michigan
Political party Democratic
Domestic partner Valerie Acree
Residence Atlanta, Georgia

Simone Bell is a community organizer and politician from Atlanta, Georgia. A Democrat, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in December 2009 from the state's 58th district in DeKalb and Fulton counties.

The district lies in eastern Atlanta and includes the following neighborhoods: East Atlanta, Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, Edgewood, Gresham Park, Grant Park, Kirkwood, Ormewood Park and Boulevard Heights.

The seat had been held by Rep. Robbin Shipp (D–Atlanta) from 2007 to 2009 but Shipp resigned in 2009 due to conflicts with her job as a Fulton County prosecutor, triggering a special election.[1] In the election held on November 3, 2009, Bell won 24% of the vote in a five-candidate field, placing second behind attorney and fellow Democrat Asha Jackson.[2] In the runoff, Bell defeated Jackson by 56% to 44%.[3] She was sworn into office by Chief Justice Carol Hunstein of the Georgia Supreme Court on December 22, 2009.[4] She ran unopposed for re-election in 2010.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Bell came to Georgia to attend Agnes Scott College in Decatur. She works in the Southern regional office of Lambda Legal, a national non-profit legal group that focuses on LGBT and HIV issues.[5]

Openly gay, Bell is the first African-American lesbian to serve in a U.S. state legislature;[6] her partner is Valerie Acree. She is one of four openly LGBT members of the Georgia General Assembly, alongside Reps. Karla Drenner (D–Avondale Estates), Rashad Taylor (D–Atlanta) and Keisha Waites (D–Atlanta).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State: general election results, 2009
  3. ↑ Georgia Secretary of State: runoff election results, 2009
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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