Pete Correll dipping toe – and making calls – for mayor race
August 26, 2008 at 4:58 pm by Scott Henry in NewsRetired Georgia-Pacific Corp. Chairman and CEO and private equity honcho A.D. “Pete” Correll is the latest local bigwig said to be eyeing the Atlanta mayor’s race.
Correll, you will recall, took on the role earlier this year as savior of Grady Hospital, helping to manage the mostly bloodless power transfer from a community-based board to one headed by top business leaders. Under Correll’s guidance, the money-losing public hospital has been awarded a $200 million Woodruff grant and hired a new CEO.
We’d heard Correll mentioned before as a potential candidate for mayor, but frankly hadn’t given it much thought because of his advanced age – 68 – and the perception that he’s committed himself to resuscitating Grady, a project that could take the rest of his natural life.
But now we’re told Correll is making the rounds to gauge support for a possible run at the mayor’s office.
Our guess is that we’ll be seeing more of these test balloons from well-known Atlanta names (calling Marvin Arrington) before the field for mayor finally gels. Most of these folks – especially the ones without an established political base – may not end up running, but they can’t test the waters without making some calls.
We suspect Correll’s luster as a business tycoon may translate poorly to city politics. He’s already viewed in some quarters as having snatched the reins of Grady away from African Americans, a perception that won’t help him win votes.
Anyway, let’s just say for now that Correll appears interested in being Atlanta’s next mayor. Next week, who knows?
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