The Masquerade held a Halloween costume party throughout all three of its venues on Oct. 30. A few hundred people showed up for the Halloween-style rave as some danced with light, some hung from silk and all were treated to the techno sounds of the live band.
(Photo by Dustin Chambers)
On Oct. 28, Gov. Sonny Perdue named King & Spalding partner Allen Barnes the new state Environmental Protection Division director. Environmental advocates cried foul over Perdue’s decision, as Barnes’ former employer represents two proposed coal plants, as well as the state of Georgia in the ongoing “water wars” debacle with Alabama and Florida.
“Generally, if you get a partner coming over from a big firm when there is activity going on between the firm’s clients and that agency, there is a lot of potential for conflict.”
— Environmental lawyer Gil Rogers, in an Oct. 27 Fulton Daily Report article
“[Proposed coal plants Longleaf and Washington] are both being handled by a team at King & Spalding, and now a member of that team is going to be making the decisions [as to whether those plants will be built]. How is the public going to have any faith that the decisions made about the two biggest new pollution sources ever to come into Georgia have been made impartially?”
— Environmental lawyer Justine Thompson, in the same Fulton Daily Report story
“A single law firm that represents a large number of polluters is suddenly moving personnel into state government positions that directly affect its clients. It’s hard to put it in a happy light if you care about natural resources and the public interest in them.”
— Sierra Club lobbyist Neill Herring, in an Oct. 27 interview with the Savannah Morning News
“I need to sit down with the counsel and make a very thoughtful and deliberative decision as to what’s proper and what is required in that area. We’ll certainly make that decision.”
— Barnes on if he’d recuse himself from decisions involving King & Spalding, in an Oct. 28 interview with Capitol Impact’s Tom Crawford
Estimated number of metro Atlanta office jobs lost in the last three years: 50,000
Number of square feet of vacant commercial office space in metro Atlanta: 24 million
Number of years real-estate experts estimate it might take to fill the region’s empty office space: 12
Estimated cost of two full-page Wall Street Journal ads purchased by the Buckhead Coalition to market vacant condos and commercial spaces: $554,000
Number of years since Atlanta’s annual population growth was as small as it was over the past year: 19
Number of single-family building permits issued in 2009 in Atlanta, as of September: 114
Number of single-family building permits issued in Atlanta in October 2006 alone: 178
Number of years real-estate experts estimate it could take to fill vacant condos in such intown areas as Midtown and Atlantic Station: 4
Number of floors proposed for a new Midtown office tower that law firm Alston & Bird may build: 30
Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SPOOKY VISITOR: A 33-year-old man said he heard the doorbell ring at his home on Euclid Avenue. He saw a woman around age 30 standing outside his door, peering in his windows. He said she had blond dreadlocks and she wore black pants and a high-visibility green traffic vest. According to the man, the woman walked around to the back of his house, then she returned to the front and broke open the front door. The man said he confronted the woman and she tried to give him a piece of paper saying her name was Denise and she was looking for her stolen television. The man said he was going to call police and the woman walked away, threatening that the man’s stuff would get stolen later. The man wrote down the woman’s tag number before she drove away. Police ran a computer check on the tag — it came back on a 2009 Jeep Wrangler stolen in Atlanta. The woman reportedly caused about $500 worth of damage to the man’s front door.
JACK-O-LANTERN DENIED: Around 3 a.m., a man in a brown coat tried to buy a pumpkin and some flowers at a grocery store on Piedmont Avenue. The cashier said he couldn’t buy them because the grocery store was closed. The man reportedly got very agitated, walked outside and flung the pumpkin at the store, damaging the pumpkin. Then the man reportedly kicked the flowers. The man left on a red bicycle. Police arrived and searched the area but couldn’t find him.
(Illustration by Tray Butler)
1) Atlanta Pride Festival officially kicks off in Piedmont Park.
2) Bands of America perform at Georgia Dome.
3) Big City Burlesque stages The Seven Deadly Showgirls at 7 Stages.
4) Hand of Doom performs at 529.
5) Halloween is in full effect with Fuggin Monster Jam, Silver Scream Spook Show and Halloweenus Wangdoodle, to name a few.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
Here’s the second of two Democratic Party of Georgia mailers that allege mayoral candidate Mary Norwood is actually a Republican. Jim Galloway’s got photos of the other. SpaceyG also provided a link to one.
Click to enlarge. More photos, including Norwood’s TV commercial response, are after the jump.
Remember yesterday when I was praising a TV ad by Kasim Reed for its positive, upbeat, love-everybody tone?
Well, that was then. Today Reed has a new ad that smears Norwood as a Republican:
So much for civility. Now that polls indicate that Reed has pulled comfortably ahead of Borders, he’s changed tack and is trying to pull support away from Norwood in order to prevent her from winning on Nov. 3 without a runoff.
Will it work? Damned if we know, but we’ll be watching carefully to find out…
A new Insider Advantage poll shows Mary Norwood’s still the frontrunner in the Atlanta mayor’s race with 45 percent support. Kasim Reed trails with 25 percent. Lisa Borders, who until two weeks ago was second in the race, is third with 16 percent. Jesse Spikes is in the low single digits. Eleven percent of the poll respondents were undecided. (Here’s a link to a PDF of the poll’s crosstabs.)
So sayeth pollster Matt Towery, CEO of IA:
“Based on this survey, if the election were held today, Norwood would likely be within one or two percent of winning the race without a runoff. Her barrage of ads and the apparent decline in Borders’ support suggests that white voters are moving to Norwood. That said, Reed now appears to be the African-American candidate with substantial support from the black community.
What’s interesting about the mayor’s race right now: It’s about image rather than platforms.
Borders, Reed and even the Georgia Democratic Party have accused Norwood of being a Republican. Norwood, who invited the criticism after she said earlier this week that she couldn’t remember if she ever voted for George W. Bush, responded with a TV ad. In it, she rattles off the names of Democrats and even Ross Perot, which, in my opinion, might’ve done her more harm than good.
The Reed campaign today issued a statement calling the Norwood spot a “slick and calculated denial of her well-documented Republican past” and a “scheme to trick Atlanta’s Democratic majority into making a false choice on the eve of this election.”
Political wonks take note: Campaign disclosure reports, which’ll tell us how much cash each candidate has to spend in the final days before Nov. 3, are due today at 5 p.m.
From Macon City Councilman, Peach Pundit main guy, and ‘69th Most Influential U.S. Conservative‘ Erick Erickson:
Just sent fake dog poop to Earl Pomeroy: http://bit.ly/3saIti You should too to protest him betraying his constituents. #TEAPARTY #TCOT #RSabout 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
The Party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan is now the party of Beck, Palin and plastic poo. Congrats, Erick.
OK, this is the fourth significant print media article I’ve seen on the subject of the impact of race in determining the city’s next mayor. It was written by Errin Haines, a young African American reporter with the Atlanta bureau of the Associated Press.
Of course, the story mentions the controversial August memo by two Clark-Atlanta professors that advocated the election of a black mayor:
The incident soured Rev. Joseph Lowery, a revered civil rights leader whose support is coveted, on endorsing either Reed or Borders. He has instead focused on increasing voter turnout.
”I don’t think there’s anything wrong with discussing black candidates for mayor,” Lowery said. ”We’d be silly not to discuss the issue. It’s a reality. I think the most qualified candidates in this race are black.”
It’s a little interesting that the AP story quotes Lowery without mentioning that he’s a member of the Black Leadership Council, the mysterious group that commissioned the memo.
Anyway, for your edification, the earlier articles on race were done by the AJC, the NYT and, of course, lil’ old CL.
MAKE IT RAIN, Y'ALL
Get pumped, crunk and amped all up in this muthafucka, recycling fans!
City Hall yesterday officially launched ReCART, Atlanta’s new “incentive-based” recycling program. If your household is one of the lucky 10,000 randomly selected to receive the 96-gallon recycling bin pictured to the right, you can start earning restaurant discounts and pharmacy deals just for tossing out your beer cans! It’s brilliant, ya drunks!
The program, a partnership between the city’s department of public works, Coca-Cola and Rehrig Pacific, is aimed at improving Atlantans’ recycling habits, helping residents save money, and making the city more sustainable. RecycleBank, the private company that manages the reward program, says similar efforts in 21 states have increased recycling program participation rates.
Depending on how much they recycle, selected households earn points which can be redeemed at local and national businesses. A department spokeswoman says local participating businesses include Radial, Zoo Atlanta, Rita’s Water Ice, Edgewood Avenue Pizza, and Six Feet Under locations.
Sounds great! One quick question: how much will it cost taxpayers?
For months now, Councilwoman Mary Norwood has insisted, promised, all but swore on the baby Jesus that if she’s elected mayor, Atlanta’s next police chief would be hired from within the ranks.
Despite her denials, many observers figured she must already have someone in mind. Otherwise, it wouldn’t seem to make much sense to narrow your options like that. Sure, Pennington didn’t work out so well, but it’s considered a best practice for cities of our size to conduct a national search for such important positions.
Still, Norwood repeatedly defended her decision at one forum after another, explaining that she wanted a chief who was already familiar with the local geography. As she told the AJC: “It takes them a long time for them to figure out where Adamsville is, where Moores Mills is and Browns Mill is.” (Psst — that’s why Al Gore invented GPS.)
Well, WABE radio reports that, just yesterday, Norwood flip-flopped and signed a pledge sponsored by a local human-rights organization stating that she’d undertake a national search for the next top cop.
CL’s Chante LaGon and Amber Robinson discuss the many Halloween and Pride events happening around Atlanta this weekend, including haunted houses, burlesque and the Pride parade.
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1) Gogol Bordello performs at Variety Playhouse.
2) The Masquerade starts Halloween early with an All Purpose Party.
3) Underground Atlanta hosts the Darkside Tours.
4) Critical Mass gathers for a special Halloween/Pride bike ride through downtown.
5) The Secretaries opens at PushPush Theater.
(Photo courtesy Lauren Dukoff)
Is an endorsement really an endorsement if you give the nod to two candidates from the same party who are running for the same seat?
From GOP gubernatorial candidates Eric Johnson and John Oxendine’s Twitter doohickeys:
Whatever, Johnson posted it first! Eat that, Ox©!
Buck Man, we don't need your vote
In the final days before next Tuesday’s mayoral election, it seems both Lisa Borders and Kasim Reed have ceded Buckhead to Mary Norwood and are focusing their remaining efforts on Southside Atlanta.
What makes us say this? Consider the evidence:
Last night, both were no-shows at a candidate forum hosted by the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association, a group that includes residents who live south of Lenox Square between Lenox and Roxboro roads.
Also, both have gotten into a war of words over who makes the better choice for Democratic voters, an argument that is unlikely to resonate with a good percentage of Northsiders.
Borders is now taking every opportunity to say she’s a Democrat, from her latest TV ad to ongoing phone solicitations in which callers ask the called to “Vote for Lisa Borders, Democrat.” And those calls are going out to Buckhead.
Share your Pride with the world … or at least all of Atlanta.
We’re looking for your photos from this week’s Pride festivities. Send them to pridephotos@creativeloafing.com, and we will feature them in our Pride photo gallery at clatl.com/photos. We’ll be at the festival Saturday and Sunday, too, so stop by the Creative Loafing booth and we’ll see you this weekend.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
Paul Donsky of the AJC reports that Wachovia Bank has filed a lawsuit against Wayne Mason, the Gwinnett County developer who in 2008 made a windfall off Beltline property in Northeast Atlanta. The lawsuit stems from a $7.5 million loan that Mason took out in 2004 to buy three units in Buckhead medical office building.
According to the lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Mason failed to pay $7.07 million remaining on the loan that came due in February. The lawsuit names both Mason and a company he controls, Lone Pine, as defendants.
In a statement issued through a spokeswoman, Mason said he received a copy of the complaint Wednesday afternoon.
“Our lawyers will be reviewing its allegations and we’ll respond accordingly,” he said.
Documents included in the lawsuit say Mason and Lone Pine borrowed the money to buy three units at the Palisades at West Paces, a medical office building near I-75 and Northside Parkway. The lawsuit did not say what Mason did with the property.
These are a couple days old, but I’m just catching up with them. Before I saw the Lisa Borders ad, I heard it described as a dramatization featuring a “group of women talking together in a kitchen whom you’d never see talking together in a kitchen”:
After seeing the ad, I’d have to agree it’s fairly contrived, in the same way that most political ads using actors tend to be. Of more interest is what they’re saying. After the women express their concerns about crime, they offer these choice bullet points:
OK, first the obvious: This ad is clearly aimed at female voters and, judging from the cast, specifically African American women. I assume it’s mainly intended to siphon women away from Kasim Reed. Take note of the line, “My girlfriend, she was out walking her dog, and someone came up behind her.”
Tiffany Brown faces an uphill battle if she wants to live up to her Twitter handle and become Atlanta’s next mayor.
As a write-in candidate, the Spelman College grad — whose 2005 mayoral campaign was, you guessed it, unsuccessful — won’t have the benefit of having her name on the ballot. That poses a problem for voters who’d like to vote for Brown, but might not remember how to spell her name. “Is it Tiffany with an ‘i?’” “Brown with a ‘q?’” These are very real questions millions of Americans ask themselves each day.
So like other candidates, Brown’s produced a commercial to raise her profile among voters. The spot will be shown on such cable channels as Bravo, the Food Network and ESPN2 until Nov. 3.
The ad contains LIVE SHOCKING FOOTAGE of crimes in progress, including a German DJ from the 1990s snatching someone’s purse as they get into their car. I, for one, am shocked that a cameraman would sit in garages and at local ATMs and wait for crimes to occur. Ms. Brown, you must report these acts to the appropriate authorities at once!
1) Cavalia continues at Atlantic Station.
2) The Atlanta Thrashers play the Washington Capitals at Philips Arena.
3) Radcliffe Bailey’s Looking for Light, Traveling at Night opens at Solomon Projects with an artist talk.
4) Padgett Powell discusses The Interrogative Mood at Decatur Library.
5) Russian Circles perform at the Earl.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
Who do you call for sex and dating advice? Creative Loafing’s newest columnist, Michael Alvear, aka the Sexorcist. We’re opening up the floor (and the bed, and the kitchen table) for all your inquiries — from the virginal to vampy, down-and-dirty to delicate, freak-nasty to fun-loving.
Submit anonymously at clatl.com/sex. The column starts Nov. 18. And you can meet the man himself at CL’s Very Sexy Holiday Party Nov. 20 at Halo.
