Mayoral forum offers limited insight into candidates’ strengths
September 14, 2009 at 4:49 pm by Scott Henry in News
Last night was the couch-sitting public’s first window onto the Atlanta mayor’s race, courtesy of a semi-televised forum by WSB-TV. I say “semi-” because the station inexplicably showed only the first half-hour of a 90-minute event. Apparently, it was deemed more important that viewers be able to see “America’s Funniest Home Videos” than their next mayor.
Anyway, even those who didn’t bother to switch over to radio or the Interwebs to catch the final hour didn’t miss a great deal. No clear winners or losers emerged, but the candidates’ relative strengths and weaknesses do tend to become more visible the longer you see them in action.
Fortunately, last night’s forum was sponsored by the Atlanta Police Foundation, a law-and-order support organization, so the candidates didn’t waste time pandering to special-interest groups, as has been the custom at several previous forums. Instead, they got right down to the first order of business: bashing Chief Richard Pennington.
It usually goes without saying that every new mayor brings in his or her hand-picked police chief, but it didn’t go unsaid last night. Everybody, most conspicuously Council President Lisa Borders, was sticking the boot in Pennington’s ribs, claiming how they would hire a top cop who’s responsive, visible, accountable and doesn’t fancy himself too good to mingle with common beat cops — unlike you-know-who.
Councilwoman Mary Norwood again promised to hire a chief from within the APD. That position may ingratiate her with the rank and file (although not enough to win her the police union’s endorsement; Borders has that), but I’m not sure it’s a strong selling point to voters.
Apart from Pennington, the other person wearing a big target last night was Borders. This makes perfect sense: Borders is nipping at Norwood’s heels, so the councilwoman has to attack her, and state Sen. Kasim Reed is battling Borders for a runoff slot, so he goes after her every chance he gets. Lawyer Jesse Spikes, who stands little chance of making the runoff, apparently just felt like piling on.
Those who’ve attended other forums have seen some of the same points of assault that were in evidence last night. Here they are, candidate by candidate:
- Borders claimed last night that she “led the charge” for the recent tax increase that ended furloughs for police and other city employees. But her biggest weak spot is that she sat on her hands when a smaller tax hike for the same reason was proposed unsuccessfully by Mayor Franklin last year. The reality — that several people had to be shot by thugs before the tax hike became politically feasible — is not an argument that would serve Borders well on the campaign trail, so expect Reed to keep hammering away.
- Norwood’s uncertain delivery has improved as she attends more forums, but she continues to falter when it comes to policy details. She opposed both proposed tax-hikes, yet suggested no alternatives. She criticizes the city’s “Enron-type accounting,” but concedes she would only know how to fix the finances after exhaustive audits. Last night, she seemed to blame Franklin for denying her access to information about how the city operates. Personally, I don’t think the know-nothing card is the smartest play.
- I have yet to see anyone land what I’d describe as a solid punch on Reed, which could be explained partly by his never having held city office. Borders has pointed out that he only recently moved within the city limits, but Reed is Atlanta born and raised. Last night, Spikes implied that Reed hasn’t been an effective legislator, but even casual observers know that’s not true. No, Reed’s main shortcomings are lack of name recognition and his sober-sided demeanor; he’s not a warm and fuzzy guy, which can make him appear distant and, to some, even arrogant.
- Spikes, who has yet to break out of also-ran status, has armed himself with a single message: We need to get rid of waste and mismanagement in City Hall. Unfortunately, he has yet to offer any reason to believe he’s the guy to do it.
(Photo courtesy WSB)
September 14th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
My favorite part of the debate was when Lisa Borders was going downhill on her sled and sideswiped Kasim Reed before toppling Mary Norwood’s picnic table. The look on moderator Tom Bergeron’s face was PRICELESS!
September 14th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Great write-up. I agree that the debate left a lot to be desired.
You’re right, Norwood has definitely improved in debates over time. I think it’s great that she doesn’t come across rehearsed (Borders) or like a policy wonk. Her approachable demeanor make her seem more genuine than your average political resume-chaser (Reed).
September 14th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Lisa said “I think he (President Barack Obama) would remember my name.”
What a serious ego problem!!!!!
September 14th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Kasim Reed is not “Atlanta born and raised”. He was not born in the State, let alone the city. He was raised in Fulton County. That being said, he put in a solid performance and he’s clearly smarter than the other candidates.
September 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Eric Sturgis reports in the AJC that Mayor Shirley Franklin released a statement Monday urging Mary Norwood, a councilwoman, to alert law enforcement if she’s aware of any fraud or criminal activity inside City Hall. Otherwise, Franklin said, “to publicly assert criminal activity in the absence of proof violates basic principles of fairness and decency.” It’s very easy to get under Shirley Franklin’s skin, and Mary Norwood is doing a fine job of it. It would be even more fun if Mary Norwood wasn’t so darn silly and unprepared to be Mayor.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
I watched the debate online last night. Now I’m not from Atlanta and don’t live in Atlanta, but I heard about the debate on Facebook and figured I would chime in since I have friends that live in Atlanta and bug me about this mayoral race every time I call them. Ugh.
The White lady in red came off kinda dumb. She didn’t really finish sentences, didn’t really answer questions, and went over her time a few times. She’s a bad debater, so I don’t know how she’d do as a mayor.
The handsome Black guy was handsome, but looked really angry. I didn’t see him smile once. Didn’t seem very approachable. Don’t know about his policies, but he seems like he might be a beast behind closed doors.
The older Black lady was aight. Nothing special; sounded rehearsed and like a politician. Kinda forgettable next to everyone else.
The old Black guy was pretty spry. It seemed like the others were ganging up on him mostly, which you really shouldn’t do with a old guy.
Again, I’m not from here and don’t live here, and that’s my opinion. Is this the best your city has for mayor?
September 14th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
And before I get any lip from anyone, I’m from BROOKLYN. NEW YORK STAND UP!!!
September 15th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
At the end of the day, Reed is clearly smarter than Borders and Norwood.
I even think Norwood comes off less intelligent than she actually is. A crazy problem to have….
Borders is rehearsed and MUST live up to the fact that she has been City Council President for the past 4+ years.