Meet Dontaye carter

 I am a husband, father, business owner, and proud Sandy Springs resident.

My Beginning

I was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall — the most visible symbol of the Cold War. My parents were two of the nearly 300,000 U.S. soldiers stationed there, holding the line for democracy as part of NATO’s forward defense. Every day, they lived with the reality that Germany could be the first battlefield of World War III. For them, service meant sacrifice. For me, it meant being born into a moment in history that taught me the value of courage, responsibility, and the power of standing on the right side of freedom.

My Mother’s charge

I come from a long line of men and women who fought bravely for the freedoms many of us enjoy today. When I thought it was my turn to serve, my mother reminded me: “I fought overseas to protect your rights here. I need you fighting for the next generation at home.” That call has guided my life ever since.

I was raised in a single-parent household. When my mother returned home from service, she worked diligently to rebuild her life while raising four children. She went to school full-time, earning her college degree, and her determination became my blueprint for perseverance.

At Florida A&M University, I studied Broadcast Journalism. At the end of my sophomore year, I showed up at a local news station looking for an internship — and walked away with a job offer. I woke up at 3 a.m. every day to be at work by 4, left at 9, and went straight into classes until 5. Six months later, I earned a promotion. A year after that, I was running the morning show while finishing my degree. The hours were long and grueling, but the thought of my mother working tirelessly to raise four children fueled me to keep going.

From those early mornings in the newsroom, to leading the Public Affairs Office in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, to building my own company, Carter Media Group, my career has always been about telling stories that matter, fighting for justice, and ensuring every voice is heard.

FINDING LOVE

I moved to Sandy Springs eight years ago with one goal—to marry the woman who stole my heart at a Valentine’s Day party years earlier. At that time, I was working as a reporter in Valdosta, Georgia, and Karen had just finished her residency and was about to interview with Women’s Health Associates. I had driven up from Valdosta to attend a Valentine’s Day conference at our sister church, North River Church of Christ in Marietta. When I asked her to dance, she said, “You don’t understand, I have two left feet.” So I told her, “I have two right feet, let’s see if we can find a rhythm.” And from that night on, we’ve been dancing to our own beat. She got the job, we got married, and together we’ve worked hard to build a life and a home for our daughter in Sandy Springs.

DRIVING CHANGE 

Service has always been at the heart of my life, not just because of my own upbringing, but also because of the examples around me. My father-in-law, George, also grew up in a single-parent, working-class home. Like my mother, he knew a thing or two about perseverance. He marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement and went on to become the first Black veterinarian in North Carolina. George’s life revolved around making this country a better place for marginalized communities. His example reminded me that true change happens when we commit ourselves fully to others.

Inspired by that lesson, I left television news in 2014 to join former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard as the youngest person ever to lead the DA’s Public Affairs Department. But after just one year — and one especially tough case involving four teens falsely accused of murder — I couldn’t shake the weight of what it would mean for them to spend their lives in prison for a crime they didn’t commit. That experience changed the trajectory of my career.

I founded Carter Media Group to help bring truth, context, and humanity into the public conversation. Our work has amplified voices across Georgia and the nation, shining light on some of the most pressing issues of our time — from the cases of Ahmaud Arbery, Jimmy Atchison, and the survivors of R. Kelly, to exposing voter suppression through SB 202 and helping Rep. Park Cannon share her story with the public.

But my work doesn’t stop at the national level. It starts right here in our community. I’ve served as a PTO leader at Dunwoody Springs Elementary, Vice Chair of the School Governance Council, First Vice President of the Atlanta NAACP, Chair of the North Fulton Democrats, and as a board member for CURE Childhood Cancer and the Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation.

Each role has shown me the same truth: when people come together — parents, educators, advocates, neighbors — we are powerful beyond measure. That’s how we build safer schools, stronger families, and a more inclusive community. Driving change isn’t just about headlines; it’s about humanity. It’s about the impact we can make together.

LOOKING FORWARD

Now I’m running for Mayor of Sandy Springs because our leadership should reflect the people it serves — a growing, diverse, and dynamic community. It’s time for transparency in city government. It’s time to finally resolve our water woes. And it’s time to adopt strong anti-displacement policies that protect families and keep neighbors in their homes as our metro grows.

But this is about more than policies. It’s about people. It’s about building a city where every child has opportunity, every family has stability, and every voice is heard.

I believe Sandy Springs can be a place where growth doesn’t push people out, but lifts everyone up. A place where fairness, accountability, and humanity guide every decision.

This is our moment. Together, we can create a city that doesn’t just grow — it thrives. A city that belongs to all of us.

I’m Dontaye Carter, and I’m asking for your vote on November 4th. Because when we rise together, we rise stronger, we rise fairer, and we rise as one.

It’s time to move Sandy Springs forward in a way that brings us all along.