Bill 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, where he led
the City to “outstanding financial status,” as reported by independent auditors. He held the
distinction of having sponsored more legislation than any other then present council member,
including the legislation permitting the City’s erection of the “Freedom Bell” commemorating
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s exhortation to “let freedom ring, even from Stone Mountain of
Georgia!” in his immortal “I Have a Dream” speech.
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 Georgia House of Representatives, he
was elected that November with over 70 percent of the vote to represent what is now the House
District 88. His constituents reside in most of Stone Mountain, parts of Tucker and Lithonia in
DeKalb County and parts of Gwinnett County. Upon his swearing-in, among the committees the
Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed Billy to include, he was 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.
Further making history, 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, which is responsible for the legislative and policy
oversight of the state’s parks and recreation facilities, which includes Georgia’s most visited
facility, Stone Mountain Park. For his distinguished service, which includes sponsoring more
legislation signed into law during his first term then any other freshman legislator, including the
landmark legislation that allows “advanced voting” in Georgia, 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, as well as the
Banks & Banking and Regulated Industries committees. 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, U.S. 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,”
which is heard on 91.9FM, WCLK by a growing audience of over 120,000 listeners in the
metropolitan area. Some of his guests have included President Bush cabinet member Christine
Todd Whitman, U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Reverend
Jesse Jackson among many others. 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 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 U.S. 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 Non-Fiction,” 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.