Editor’s note: Bahareh Azizi, Steve Brodie, Tad Christian, Liz Coyle, Miguel Gallegos and Alex Wan are battling for the Atlanta City Council District 6 seat in the Nov. 3 nonpartistan election. Incumbent Anne Fauver is not running for re-election and said she is not endorsing a candidate in the general election but could endorse one if there is a runoff. The district includes southeast Buckhead, Midtown, Morningside, Virginia-Highland and some other neighborhoods such as Ansley Park.

Alex Wan decided to run for the Atlanta City Council’s District 6 seat because of growing frustrations, concerns and disappointments in the city’s delivery of services.

The 15-year Morningside resident said his candidacy is a natural extension of his history of community service and business acumen.

“There comes a time when one’s passions grow beyond what a private citizen can affect,” he said. “And that vision can only be accomplished in a public role.”

Wan said his experience ranges in scope and built a track record of identifying issues, building consensus and getting things done, he said. His community involvement includes the Morningside-Lenox Park Association, the Atlanta Development Authority board of directors, the Asian American Heritage Foundation and the Human Rights Campaign. Most recently, Wan, who is openly gay, was appointed director of development for Jerusalem House, a DeKalb County-based provider of permanent supportive housing for homeless and low-income men, women and children with HIV/AIDS.

His education background includes a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Pennsylvania. Wan’s top three issues in his campaign are public safety, transportation and the city’s finances.

He said the perception of crime by residents and outsiders left unaddressed will impact Atlanta’s growth. For transportation, he said he believes the city has invested too much in roads and not enough in local and regional transit systems.

“Ultimately, we can only pave so much,” he said.

Also, he said the funding models for public transportation are not working. At some point, he said he believes this capacity will limit the number of people the city can comfortably support, which will also inhibit growth.

Solutions to both public safety and transportation, he said, are undermined by whether or not the city has the financial resources to implement them. Identifying ways to reduce waste and increase efficiencies to free up resources he said would be his tactic to helping fix the city’s financial issues. He also said his background in public service gives him an understanding of the tools to attract businesses to the city, create more jobs and stabilize and restore neighborhoods.

The 42-year-old has raised $75,000 for his campaign and received an “excellent” rating from the Committee for a Better Atlanta, the highest rating of any candidate in the district.