Mayor’s race begins in earnest at witching hour Friday
March 31, 2009 at 1:14 pm by Scott Henry in NewsIf you happen to see a crowd on the steps of the state Capitol at midnight this Friday, relax – you haven’t missed the release of the newest GameBoy console.
Instead, it’s what I consider to be the starting whistle of the Atlanta mayor’s race. Just after the stroke 
of midnight will have brought the 2009 General Assembly to a merciful close, state Sen. Kasim Reed, D-Atlanta, is scheduled to convene a campaign rally on the steps on the Capitol.
At that moment, all three (or four, depending who’s counting) of the leading candidates will be firmly in the race:
- City Council President Lisa Borders will have just announced her return to the race a day or two earlier (we’ll let you know when it happens…)
- Councilwoman Mary Norwood undoubtedly will have conducted her 5,712th community meet-and-greet that afternoon
- Reed will be done with the legislative session and able to raise funds again, assuming he doesn’t get mugged this Friday on the Capitol steps (hey, that can be a rough neighborhood after dark)
- and attorney Jesse Spikes will, presumably, still be trying to tell Atlanta who he is
Frankly, with Borders about to re-enter the race, I don’t see any more room for Johnny-come-lately candidates. That includes such folks as Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts, who would have to share whatever constituency he still has with Borders (the business community); Norwood (Buckhead residents); and Reed (people who want to vote for a black man).
No, my guess is that the field that hits the campaign trail this weekend is what we’ll see on the November ballot, minus whoever drops out along the way.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
March 31st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
assuming he doesn’t get mugged this Friday on the Capitol steps (hey, that can be a rough neighborhood after dark)
…what the hell is that supposed to mean?!
March 31st, 2009 at 3:37 pm
@kw… I’d like to know what it means too.
I’d also like to know what’s up with the phrase “people who want to vote for a black man” remark. I love CR and their coverage is generally solid, but to write off a major candidate and marginalize his base that way strikes me a wrong headed. Maybe it was an attempt at satire. Heck, the whole article is full of bad one-liners.
From the sound of things, Henry doesn’t like covering the mayor’s race very much. Maybe he should find something else to do with his time, eh?
March 31st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
scott-
some people insist on ignoring the obvious. or are blissfully unaware of what the rest of us take for granted.
the article needs no clarification.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Well, perhaps I should add some clarification anyway. The mugging remark is a joking reference to the city’s crime problem. Midnight is an odd time to hold a downtown rally.
The reference to Reed’s and Pitt’s status as black men is perhaps an overly blunt acknowledgment that every successful candidate must have a base or cultivate a niche. Gay candidates can count on a certain segment of the gay vote. Female candidates expect women’s votes. Business-friendly candidates get support from the Chamber of Commerce. White candidates … well, you get the idea. But in Pitt’s case, all of his main attributes are covered by the other candidates, leaving him no discernible niche of his own. That was my point.
March 31st, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Why in the world would a candidate hold a rally at Midnight? What on earth is he going to say to the 20 or so people gathered? It sounds like the political rhetoric in this race has already started. Atlanta is facing tough challenges in the short term and we need a mayor who is up to the task. Holding rallies at midnight doesn’t impress me at all.
March 31st, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I wonder if any of the Georgia reps/ senators have ever been mugged after sine die… and I suppose we COULD use “Buckhead residents” as a euphamisism for “people who want to vote for a white woman.” I’m just sayin…
March 31st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
@Dekalbvoter… I guess the guy should be glad that you live in DeKalb County. I know I am. This thing has been the talk of political circles all day today. I’ve got a hunch that a lot more than “20 or 30″ people are going to show up. I think his campaign team alone is that big…
March 31st, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Maxie, I don’t know what “political circles” you frequent, but this is a joke in my “political circles”. Also, I guess your circles don’t recognize that a portion of Atlanta lies in Dekalb. Get your facts straight before you start shooting darts my way, political novice.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:08 pm
On Wednesday the Ga. Senate will vote on a bill to allow the Atlanta School Board to NOT have to vote on joining the BeltLine TAD. The Atlanta Schools voted to join in 2005, but that action was deemed unconstitutional. In any event, 2005 was a whole different time and the Atlanta School Board thought they had a lot of “extra” money. Giving school money away to developers seems to be a favorite project of Kasim, who sponsored the constitutional amendment that allowed schools tax dollars to be used for non-school purposes. When the vote comes Wednesday, let’s see if Kasim puts the interests of children in Atlanta above the interests of his real estate developer friends.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Yes S. DeKalb Voter, part of DeKalb does lie in Atlana– UNINCORPORATED ATLANTA. And they don’t vote in city elections. BTW, careful who you call political novice. You have no idea who is on the other side of this alias.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Yaaaaaawn! Midnight is waaaaay past my bedtime. And oh DekalbVoter, sounds like MaxieGrrrl got your panties in a wad. Pipe down. I’m hearing a lot about this rally today too. Dayum thing is all over Facebook and a press release landed in my inbox from a bunch of friends. I didn’t hear anybody laughing, just a lot of people deciding whether or not to go. I might just stay up and go down there just to see what’s going on. I doubt any of the candidates are out to impress you, specifically.
March 31st, 2009 at 8:49 pm
That is not true about dekalb residents not being able to vote in a city election is it? As an edgewood resident I pay $3000 a year to the city of Atlanta in property taxe and have an atlanta address. I am going to be pretty pissed if i can not vote for mayor. Maxie Grrrl, are you just trying to win an argument or is this actually true? I was in Fulton during the last election.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Not true. Just looked it up. I am a registered Atlanta voter as a resident of Edgewood. If i had kids they would go to a City of Atlanta school and i can vote for mayor even though i am in Dekalb county.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:25 pm
My panties are in a wad. I admit it. I guess I just can’t tolerate ignorance. Who has ever heard of UNINCORPORATED ATLANTA? What in the world are you talking about? Go look up the word unincorporated and get back at me. Atlanta is a city, silly, not a county. You can’t have an unincorporated part of a city. Go back to civics class.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Silly season. Don’t get bent S. Dekalb. Some people don’t know things.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:41 pm
We can guarantee the NO part of S. DeKalb can vote in an Atlanta election. That we know for sure. I was talking about unincorporated DeKalb.
Now on with the civic lesson: No, unincorporated DeKalb does not vote in Atlanta elections even though they have an Atlanta address. They vote for DeKalb CEO. Same with Fulton. The Edgewood corridor is Atlanta. The rule of thumb is if your kid can go to Atlanta Public Schools, generally speaking you are in the city and can vote in city elections.
And poor S. DeKalb. Don’t get your knickers in a bunch. It’s not a good look. And there are unincorporated sections of Atlanta. They lie in Fulton and DeKalb counties. They are not a part of the city, but they do have Atlanta addresses. An example is the Buford Highway corridor. Another example is where Kasim Reed lives. His house was in an unincorporated section of Fulton Co., but had an Atlanta address. At that time, he could not vote in city elections or run for city office. The City Council passed a resolution that annexed his neighborhood into the city limits and presto, he’s eligible to vote and running for mayor. LOL!
As for your slings and arrows, I’ve managed and won MANY elections here in Georgia and across the South. So that means I can be one of only so many people. I guarantee you that I am no neophyte.
You, on the other hand, take yourself far too seriously… G’night!
March 31st, 2009 at 10:42 pm
The Atlanta Committee for Progress and Chamber of Commerce have thrown Kasim Reed under the bus by drafting Borders out of her Grady gig to act as Cousins Sister, Part Deux (Shirleygirl is Part One).
Reed could get out ahead of this by slamming the BeltLine mafia and supporting an amendment on the Senate floor Wednesday to House Bill 63 that would force Atlanta Public Schools to re-authorize its paticipation in the BeltLine TAD.
It would be a shrewd politcial move, garnering votes in Buckhead that Norwood probably thinks she has in the bag.
If Reed took this populist position and hammered the BeltLine mafia, he could become an instant hereo to both the conservative Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation, as well as the folks on the southside who realize the BeltLine is nothing more than a Tom Cousins/Hal Barry con job.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I agree with Dave. Except “blow” or “hand” would be more appropriate than “con.”
April 1st, 2009 at 8:25 am
Dave, there is very little Kasim can do to garner votes in Buckhead. In the long run, your proposition will only piss off his base not get support from the Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation. Simply put, the voters in Buckhead are unlikely to vote for a young, arrogant, black man. If I was him, I would concentrate on the Midtown vote. They are the ones who will swing this election.
April 1st, 2009 at 8:32 am
fyi –
parts of dekalb ARE in the city of atlanta.
i’m thinking specifically of the area around east atlanta village.
check the map.
http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/planning/npu_system.aspx
April 1st, 2009 at 9:22 am
I vote for none of the above. What a depressing field of candidates…
April 1st, 2009 at 9:38 am
@Maxxxxxiegrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl “As for your slings and arrows, I’ve managed and won MANY elections here in Georgia and across the South. So that means I can be one of only so many people. I guarantee you that I am no neophyte.”
and you seem to have as much sense as the people you help elect
“unincorporated Atlanta”…. LMAO
News Flash – your mailing address has no official relationship to your city limits, it has to do with which Post Office services you. For instance, my office is about 3 miles from Conyers, yet has a Loganville address and does not lie within the city limits of either city.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
DaleC, I had to learn my lesson the hard way with this one…don’t argue with fools, because from a distance you can’t tell who is who :-)
April 1st, 2009 at 10:31 am
or mud wrestle a pig, you both get dirty but the pig enjoys it
April 7th, 2009 at 2:57 am
so who actually went to the rally?
June 16th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Wake UP Call! Lisa, Mary, and Kasim let the voters decide who will be the next Mayor of Atlanta and stop these amateurism antics and advise your staff that they are playing a dangerous game. I find it hilarious that you would each have the same slime-ball on payroll. You may also want to review you staffing plans EACH of you have a mole operating in your campaigns. Politics 101
Furthermore, Lisa and Kasim you both will NEVER be Mayor of Atlanta, because you are disingenuous and have delusions of grandeur. Mary will also get 20% of the African-American vote. Not because she is a great candidate, but largely due to the fact that Blacks are sick of elitist, pompous, arrogant, self-serving black leadership, which has further disenfranchised our communities! No jobs, exorbant foreclosures, and HIGH CRIME.
Shirley Franklin did not make any of us proud. She made us weep.
Glen, I applaud your efforts and campaign to take these monsters! Remember the reason they fear you and Jessie Spikes is because they realize the two of you will stripe away too many black votes, thus eliminating the potential for a Run-off which they will also lose by large margins. Mary will get 70% of the white vote and 20% of the black vote. Thus, keep up the good work. Mayor Norwood for Mayor! Kudo’s we get a 2-for-1 with Clair Muller for President.
The Dream Team