Most people know their city council member’s name before they can answer a bigger question: what does a Fulton County commissioner do? The answer touches more of daily life than you might expect. County commissioners oversee the services cities do not, including health and human services, libraries, animal services, elections, 911 dispatch for many cities, and the justice system, from the courts to the county jail.
Helen Zenobia Willis walked hosts Tug Cowart and Daniel Matalon through the job on a recent episode of Justice Unfiltered, presented by A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds. Willis is a founding member of the City of South Fulton City Council and the Democratic nominee for Fulton County Commission District 5 in the November 2026 general election.
Who is Helen Willis?
Helen Willis is an accountant who specializes in payroll taxes, and she spent the last 15 years in South Fulton civic life. As she explained on the show, the first five of those years went to the fight to create the City of South Fulton. Voters elected its first mayor and council in 2017, and she served on that council for more than eight years before resigning in March to run for the county commission.
Why did South Fulton become a city? Local control, she said. It was the last unincorporated part of Fulton County, and at one point no county commissioner lived in the community they were making decisions for. The final push came when another city moved to annex part of the area, a change she said would have hurt local students.
Her commitment to service started early, and not by choice. At 12, she was what she calls a rebellious child, and her grandmother signed her up as a hospital candy striper as a punishment. She loved it. She stayed until the hospital hired her at 16.
That grandmother was Helen Fletcher, a Savannah schoolteacher who spent a month of every summer break volunteering at the local recreation center. Willis is named after her.
What does a Fulton County commissioner do that a city council member does not?
A Fulton County commissioner governs county services, while a city council member governs municipal ones. Willis drew the line this way. City councils handle police, fire, parks and recreation, and code enforcement. The county is responsible for:
- Health and human services, including access to health care
- The justice system, including the courts and the county jail
- Libraries
- Animal services, which most cities contract the county to provide
- 911 dispatch for many of the cities in the county
- Elections and voting
She said the justice system is the largest part of the county budget, and that the county’s responsibility includes making sure jail conditions are humane.
That matters to the families we work with every day at our Fulton County bail bonds office. How the jail is funded and how quickly the courts move are county decisions, and they shape what a family goes through after an arrest.
Why an accounting background matters in county government
Willis said she is moving from a city budget of about $400 million to a county budget of about $1.5 billion. Government accounting is its own world, she told the hosts, and she uses every part of her training.
“You have to understand the numbers,” she said. That includes knowing when someone is handing you a smoke screen. Money can get tucked away for a rainy day, and officials who do not understand the finances tend to go along with whatever they are told.
How Helen Willis met Daniel Matalon
The two go back years, to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Citizens Academy under former Sheriff Ted Jackson. The multi-week program, which she said continues today under Sheriff Pat Labat, walks residents through every part of the sheriff’s office.
Willis signed up at the suggestion of her husband, Vincent Willis, who has spent 38 years with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and prefers not to talk about work at home. Matalon and his brother Ryan were in the same class. By both accounts, the three of them asked so many questions that they nearly got themselves removed.
“We were very inquisitive,” Matalon said.
She came away with a better understanding of what deputies face each day, and a friendship that stuck. When the community needs food donations, toys, school backpacks, or bicycles at Christmas, she said Matalon and his family are among the people she can call.
What is the Human Sex Trafficking Ambassador Program?
The Human Sex Trafficking Ambassador Program is a training Willis founded in South Fulton that teaches residents how to recognize trafficking and how to get a victim help. It grew out of Hang the Sign, a policy she sponsored on the city council that requires local businesses, including gas stations and restaurants, to post the human trafficking hotline.
She partnered with youthSpark, a Fulton County nonprofit, to lead the sessions. Each one takes about an hour. More than 100 residents have been trained so far, many through churches and civic groups. Volunteers also collect hygiene items and suitcases for survivors.
What stayed with her most is that victims should not be punished or jailed. They need resources and wraparound services, and she pointed to the work Wellspring Living does in her district. She also stressed that words matter. Never shame a victim, and never use labels that blame them. And trafficking does not match the stereotypes. It happens to boys as well as girls.
If you suspect trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Willis also pointed to QuikTrip stores and local fire stations as safe places where a person can ask for help. We covered this issue in an earlier episode as well: Human Trafficking Is Not Welcome in Georgia.
She said she hopes to bring the ambassador program to the county level and to work alongside Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, who hosts an annual human trafficking awareness town hall.
Seniors, young people, and a lesson from her mother
Willis does not call older residents seniors. She calls them legacy residents, because they paved the way. During COVID she organized weekly food distributions, PPE, and testing. She also started a Legacy Brunch to celebrate them.
Her focus on health care access is personal. She cared for her mother in Savannah through long hospital stays during the pandemic, fought insurance appeals on her behalf, and saw how many patients had no one speaking up for them.
Her advice to every family: get your plan in place now. A will. A power of attorney. Access to accounts. If you get sick, the people who love you can step in and make the right decisions.
Hear the full conversation on Justice Unfiltered, on Xtra 106.3 FM, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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So what does a Fulton County commissioner do? More than most of us realize, and a good share of it touches the justice system that families meet on their hardest days. If someone you love is in the Fulton County Jail, our team is here around the clock. Call (770) 627-3235 or start the process online.
About A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds
A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds has been reuniting families for nearly 20 years. With multiple offices across Georgia and Alabama, our licensed bail bond agents are available around the clock to provide fast, respectful service to every family we work with. Whether the charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, we are here to help.
This article reflects a conversation with a guest, and any opinions expressed are the guest’s own. It is not an endorsement of any candidate for public office. The information in this article is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws, procedures, and requirements in Georgia can change, and individual circumstances vary. If you have specific legal questions about your situation, please consult a licensed attorney in Georgia. A 2nd Chance Bail Bonds is a licensed bail bond agency, not a law firm.
