Get your Atlanta mayoral and City Council runoff results right here!
December 1, 2009 at 8:37 pm by Mara Shalhoup in NewsUPDATE, 1:27 a.m.: Oh, hi there! Thomas here, still wide awake and trying to sift through the unreliable election results! Kasim Reed has claimed victory. Mary Norwood, as we said earlier, thinks the race is still too close and not conceded defeat. Approximately 750 votes separate the two candidates, which means a recount is likely. We’ll have much more tomorrow in about seven hours. Until then, sleep well!
UPDATE, 11:52 p.m.: If Mary Norwood’s going to bed, then so am I. No more news tonight, folks. In fact, it looks like we’re in RECOUNT territory. It might be days before we have a new mayor. Hello 2000!
UPDATE, 11:43 p.m.: Um, maybe “SOON” was an overstatement. Apparently, we’ll have a new mayor at some point — more likely later than sooner. AJC reports, “Counting stops for now, recount likely.”
UPDATE, 11:38 p.m.: As of now, only 758 votes separate Reed and Norwood with 100 percent of precincts reporting (but absentee ballots are still being counted). 11alive reported a few minutes back that there are as many as 6,000 absentee ballots being tallied. Updates — and, hopefully, final results — will be available SOON.
UPDATE, 11:34 p.m.: From Scott Henry, at the Kasim Reed party at the Hyatt:
Okay, I just got word. We’ve been waiting around for a half an hour. Everyone at Kasim’s headquarters seems to think he won. But apparently they’re concerned about nine different precincts where the returns are fuzzy. In other words, they are not satisfied with the results. Pretty weird. Pretty wacky.
UPDATE, 11:16 p.m.: 11alive reports that county officials are still tallying absentee ballots and should have a final count in 10 minutes. Stay tuned!!!
UPDATE, 11:11 p.m.: Updated results from the Fulton elections site, with Reed still on top:
UPDATE, 11:07 p.m.: Thomas Wheatley captures Norwood on video moments ago, saying the race is “too close to call” and “we are not going to know for hours.” Check it out:
UPDATE, 10:57 p.m.: According to the Fulton County elections website, REED IS THE WINNER with 50.53 percent of the vote, 100 percent of precincts reporting. But are the results final??? What’s up with the 105.59 percent of precincts reporting in the Post 2 At-Large race? Jeez.
UPDATE, 10:52 p.m.: Here’s the latest …
MAYOR — Reed’s holding tight to a slender lead: 51 percent to Norwood’s 49, with 90 percent of precincts reporting.
CITY COUNCIL PREZ — Looks like Caesar Mitchell is maintaining a super-healthy lead over Clair Muller: 56 percent to her 44 percent
CITY COUNCIL POST 2 AT-LARGE — Aaron Watson is leading Amir Farokhi by a good bit, 55 percent over Farohki’s 45
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 — Alex Wan is the clear winner, with 59 percent of the vote to Liz Coyle’s 41 percent, 93 percent of precincts reporting.
UPDATE, 10:39 p.m.: Reed’s creeping back up in the mayor’s race: 52 percent of the vote, with 80 percent of precincts reporting. In the race to be City Council prez, Ceasar Mitchell’s leading Clair Muller, 57 to 43 percent. The math is all screwy on Fulton’s election site (which now includes DeKalb numbers, which are final), so I’m doing manual calculations. I’ll have the Post 2 At-Large and District 6 results shortly.
UPDATE, 10:32 p.m.: I’ve just compiled numbers (adding Fulton and DeKalb precinct tallies) that differ slightly from 11alive’s report on the mayor’s race. Also with 76 percent reporting, I’ve got Reed with 51 percent, Norwood with 49.
UPDATE, 10:26 p.m.: 11alive has Kasim leading Mary by just a couple hundred votes, with percentage indeed locked at 50-50 with 76 percent of precincts reporting. It might be a long night …
UPDATE, 10:23 p.m.: Fulton County’s election results page has crashed. Bastards!
UPDATE, 10:21 p.m.: AJC reports “Norwood making gains on Reed’s lead.” According to Thomas Wheatley:
11alive shows candidates at 50-50 and an audible gasp fills the Varsity.
UPDATE, 10:20 p.m.: Over at Team Mary, Thomas has some important news: “Vernon’s in the house!”
UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.: According to my esteemed colleague Scott Henry, who’s rubbing shoulders — literally — at the Hyatt downtown where Kasim Reed is partying:
It’s crazy, but there’s not that much to report. Hold on, I can’t even hear myself. I’ll say this: At Kasim’s place, the ballroom is completely filled. Can you hear me? It’s shoulder-to-shoulder almost. Everyone’s just kind of haning out. In the Kasim ballroom, State Sen. Nan Orrock is on the stage — and man does she have a piercing voice. Anyway, people are just killing time until they get some more information.
UPDATE, 10:08 p.m.: So says Thomas Wheatley:
I’m sitting behind the podium at Norwood’s get together. There’s a cute little block where the candidate stands when she addresses the crowd. Lots of confusion about the numbers 11 Alive is reporting. The station tweeted earlier that it dispatched staffers and volunteers to gather election results from each precinct. (According to one tweet, precincts are required to post results to their door. Those are the numbers the station’s reporting.) Since folks have learned that, there’s a little concern that several precincts will put Kasim Reed’s numbers above Mary Norwood’s. But spirits are still high at the Varsity.
UPDATE, 9:55 p.m.: In the mayor’s race, with 40.5 percent of all precincts (Fulton and DeKalb) reporting, I’ve still got Reed at 56 percent and Norwood at 44.
UPDATE, 9:43 p.m.: From our comrade, Thomas Wheatley:
Much like last time, the scene at mayoral candidate Mary Norwood’s Varsity soiree is a diverse mix of black and white, the Buckhead Bettys mingling with Grady babies. Norwood’s used her ability to bring people together as the centerpiece of her campaign. It’s shown tonight. Somewhat baffling: TV news is reporting as many as 60 percent of precincts reporting. But Fulton County is only showing 21 percent of the precincts. Damn TV people. Why you gotta confuse us? Former CL Senior Editor John Sugg is milling about. Grant Park community activist and businessman Paul Zucca (who also served on Norwood’s campaign) can also be seen shaking hands. The candidate’s scheduled to make another appearance in about fifteen minutes.
UPDATE, 9:38 p.m.: Now with a third of Fulton’s precincts reporting in the mayor’s race, Reed’s holding on strong to his lead: 56 percent to Norwood’s 44 percent. Of course, there are some key precincts in Mary-land that haven’t yet been tallied. Then there’s DeKalb …
UPDATE, 9:32 p.m.: With 50 percent of precincts reporting in state House District 58 (covering East Atlanta, Ormewood Park, Grant Park, Reynoldstown, Edgewood and Cabbagetown), community activist Simone Bell has 56 percent of the vote to lawyer Asha Jackson’s 44 percent.
UPDATE, 9:20 p.m.: Here’s a rundown of some of the results from Fulton County, with 16 percent of precincts reporting …
- MAYOR’S RACE — Kasim Reed: 55 percent; Mary Norwood: 45 percent
- CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT — Ceasar Mitchell: 59 percent; Clair Muller: 41 percent
- CITY COUNCIL POST 2 AT-LARGE — Aaron Watson: 53 percent; Amir Farokhi: 47 percent
UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: Mayor Shirley Franklin will be providing her successor with a “modestly equipped” office at City Hall, one that is “is fully functional with the basic needs to conduct business.” Oh, the perks of political power.
UPDATE, 9:02 p.m.: According to Insider Advantage, turnout for the mayoral runoff has been strong — really strong:
[T]urnout in many sections of the city will exceed the turnout in the general election held four weeks ago.
Turnout in the heavily white northern portions of the city appear to be heavier than on the predominantly African-American south side. Yet even on the south side, turnout looks heavier than last month, especially in Districts 10 and 11, which are likely to go strongly for Kasim Reed, who is black.Turnout is reportedly weaker in Districts 2,3 and 4, which are predominantly African American and went heavily for Reed in November.
InsiderAdvantage, which surveys races throughout the nation, showed the race a 46%-to-46% dead heat between Reed and his opponent Mary Norwood, who is white.
UPDATE, 8:55 p.m.: Of the first 131 votes counted in the mayor’s race, Kasim Reed grabbed 104. Meanwhile, Thomas Wheatley, hanging out at challenger Mary Norwood’s shindig at the Varsity, captured this shocking video:
UPDATE, 8:50 p.m.: When is DeKalb gonna get with it and start providing election results that people can actually follow? Downloading a PDF every 10 minutes is asking a bit much. Unfortunately, DeKalb results can’t be ignored. Just ask Liz Coyle.
The polls are closed. The campaigning is finally (mercifully) over. The countdown to determine Atlanta’s next mayor, City Council prez and two key Council members is underway. Let the election drinking games begin!
As promised, CL news staffers Scott Henry and Thomas Wheatley are braving the anguished crowds gathered at several candidates’ victory (or misery) parties to bring you insightful dispatches, shocking photos, riveting video and (according to Henry) all-around “arousing” coverage. O-tay!
We also will be watching the returns and posting rapid-fire updates to keep you, dear reader, in the loop.
December 1st, 2009 at 10:50 pm
You have done an excellent job covering the election and it is greatly appreciated. It adds to the confidence in our system and is an important contribution to the democratic process. Creative Loafing is a winner tonight. Thanks for the long-hand calculations.
December 1st, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Mary Nitwit is GOIN’ DOWN!
Whew! That was close!
December 1st, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Hopefully these results hold up. Reed won by the skin of his teeth. His stance on gay marriage almost cost him. Just check the results for Mitchell and Watson who won easily.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 am
Can’t believe you guys were so busy munching Mary’s bad food at Varsity that you missed the news item of the day. NYT article on our mayoral election that might have surprised Rob Pitts’s mom by declaring him the white candidate who lost to Shirley in ‘01.
From now on, don’t pay any attention to the crap they print in the NYT.
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:48 am
Bwahaha…oh, THAT white Rob Pitts! Seems that some Times lackey was doing some excellent last-minute research on the exotic Dirty South w/his iPhone.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
The NYT, that beacon of enlightenment, never misses a chance to jump on black/white stories if they take place in the South. Just watch the paper’s reaction when a black church burns…
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 am
Well, Loaf, you missed it in 2 out of 4. Maybe a rethink is in order for next time around?
The electors strongly disagreed with your picks of Muller and Coyle. Good for them, say I. You mistook experience for effectiveness and overlooked the fact that being inside the establishment power circle does not make one a good representative of voters’ interests. You totally missed the negatives on Coyle which explain her weak showing among D6 heteros. She had really managed to irk a lot of neighborhood people who’d worked with her over the years.
You won on Watson, and that’s unfortunate because a tired insider hack brings nothing to council.
So we have to hope these newcomers are more useful than their predecessors: Yolanda Adrean, Keisha Bottoms, Alex Wan. And that maybe, just maybe, Michael Bond has learned something from his years in the wilderness and will do a better job. Felicia Moore deserves the help of intelligent colleagues looking out for the interests of all Atlantans.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:58 am
@Grant Parker – but what’s remarkable about the NYT piece is that a white church burned down and they report that a black church was fired. Yankee bias is one thing: 180-degree inaccuracy is another.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:04 am
NYT no longer says black is white. But they don’t admit that this awkward fact messes up yesterday’s thesis a bit and is some of the sloppiest journalism going.
From today’s Corrections.
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http://www.nytimes.com/ref/pageoneplus/corrections.html
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
ugh… And I missed Charlie Brown’s Christmas special too….
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 am
A question? It appears that about there were about 7000 people who only voted in the Mayoral election (i.e., about 83000 people voted in the mayor’s race but only 77000 voted in the the other citywide races). Is that odd? Or is it pretty typical?
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 am
@Wary: Good point. The NYT doesn’t bother to mention that its little mistake undermines the story’s thesis.
Well, I am sure the Times will bounce back with another article telling us what we should know for our own good.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:05 am
Wary, it’s time for a new handle. The race is over…
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
I really fear what will happen during the municipal elections in 2013 and 2017. Our city’s demographics are changing rapidly, and until we decide to have a mature discussion about this as a community, we’ll see the dialogue around election time turn even more hostile than it was this time. How this city chooses to addreses its changing demographics will be an important chapter in its future.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
When the race IS over, I’ll be Kautious of Kasim.
He and the machine are on notice – one hopes – that if they don’t run a tighter ship and take a practical view of the city’s finances, a more credible white candidate (who, though?) will finish them off in 2013.
By practical view, I mean no more funny-money $4bn sewers and $2bn Beltline boondoggles – never mind Civil Rights Museums and god knows what all else – that 400-500,000 mostly poor residents can’t possibly pay for.
Most of us still don’t realize this, but Franklin’s financial moves were like the Sheikh of Dubai’s.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 am
“Wary of Mary” is tops on my list of favorite names. The only election name that might have been better was “Atlanta Without Borders.”
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Adrean replaces Muller. Wan replaces Fauver. Bottoms replaces Maddox. All changes for the good. Maybe there is still hope?
It’s very unfortunate the tired hack Watson beat than Farokhi.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 am
What in the world are you talking about? Most would consider the sewers, beltline, and civil rights museum as the high points of the Franklin Admin. I guess she can’t please everyone.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
If Reed is in, one can only hope he and his minions recognize his exceedingly thin margin of victory is hardly a mandate for staying the course. A surprising number of residents/voters felt left out, disenfranchised, by the current regime. They voted out of anger for an opponent who may not have Reed’s intellectual or political heft. This is understandable to any resident who has puzzled over water bills, tried to get a straight answer from anyone at City Hall or wondered why our infrastructure is in such sorry shape.
Mr. Mayor-Elect, if you or your handlers bother to read these posts, take heed: You have four years to show us something good. This isn’t the same city that the Jackson people once delivered to their hand-picked inheritor of City Hall.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 am
I disagree. If Reed was pro gay marriage this race would have been a landside. Don’t believe me, check the results for Mitchell and Aaron Watson in Midtown.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I agree with Grant Parker (and Jay Bookman, btw) that Reed will be on notice that he has to run the city well and cannot take re-election for granted. But only if a credible outsider candidate stands against him in ‘13. Who could do it? Nobody on the new council, I fear, unless Yolanda or Alex really took off. Where’s our Michael Bloomberg, i.e., liberal white billionaire? Would Clark Howard take inspiration from Mary’s near-win? He actually has no qualifications to run Atlanta, but might be able to adapt his skills to the task and is certainly smarter than Mary.
SDK, I’m not yet convinced that a gayer-friendly Reed would have coasted in. The up-themselves gay ultras might have made a bit of difference for Norwood, but mostly I suspect that the post-general election GLBT noise was generated by the Mary camp and was inauthentic, not swinging much voting in D6. (Did many D6ers switch from Kasim to Mary in the 2nd round as they ‘learned’ that Kasim would not coddle their single, city-irrelevant issue quite as favorably as Mary would pander to it? – to be checked.)
Looking at the other two races for confirmation doesn’t work. Clair is a really uninspiring and unlikeable old biddy, far from an equal of Mary as a campaigner, so Ceasar would always have done better than her in their match-up, as he did in the 1st round. Watson v Farokhi – well Amir’s a total newcomer with a Muslim-sounding name and again the 2nd round merely confirmed the 1st round.
December 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Check the results. Kasim lost 6 big time. The gay marriage issue was the difference.
http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/county/elections/images/stories/files/ElectionResults/Unofficial_Incomplete_SOVC_Dec2009.pdf
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
SDK, absolute D6 results prove nothing about the gay issue’s influence. I’m all for digging into the numbers, and thanks for the link, but blanket assertions don’t end the story.
I just added up the precinct numbers and in D6 Kasim got 26% of the vote yesterday. At the Mt Paran precinct in Buckhead – where there are far fewer gays – he got only 11% – a pretty typical result in the Buckhead districts. On your logic, looks like gays helped him!
In D6, Norwood’s vote was 26% higher in the 2nd round than in the 1st. Reed’s vote was 25% higher. So it looks like the Norwood campaign’s gay brouhaha between the rounds – intended to distract from Mary’s weakness as mayoral material – made no difference to the shares of vote they received. White, relatively affluent, tired-of-machine D6 was Norwood-friendly in 1st round and likewise in 2nd round.
Keep digging, though. There are other ways to slice the 1st-2nd round delta.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Reed got 23% of 6 in round 1, and 26% in Round 2. Mary got 58% in round 1 and 74% in round 2. Borders got 15% in round 1. I thinks it pretty safe to say those voting for Borders in round 1, were not the so called tired-of-the-machine voters.
You’re wrong on this one buddy. The gay vote swung to Mary in round 2.
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
BTW, where is Rep. Ralph Long when Mary needs him? I bet he is crawling through the ceiling at the Fulton County Govt building trying to find the next his next expose
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
“Did many D6ers switch from Kasim to Mary in the 2nd round as they ‘learned’ that Kasim would not coddle their single, city-irrelevant issue quite as favorably as Mary would pander to it?”
Please don’t continue to slander all D6ers with this crap!
(1) D6 is not all gay. I realise that it looks pretty gay as you drive through it, but the voting residents are largely paranoid suburban transplants, lost in the big city and wondering where all those black folks came from.
(2) The “LGBT Community” is not in love with Mary Norwood! This ridiculous campaign comes from a hundred or so desperate, affluent, white gay men (check out the photos) whose biggest issues are property taxes and fear of black men in power.
I am saddened that these scared little men get to stand in for Atlanta’s “LGBT Community”. At best they could be said to represent Atlanta’s “G Community”. But if you think so, please take a minute to consider that there are gay men living in black neighborhoods, hispanic neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods — all over the city. The “LGBT Community” is much bigger and more diverse that this silliness.
It is not accurate to say that “the gay vote swung to Mary in round 2″. You might say that the paranoid affluent white vote swung to Mary in round 2, not that she didn’t already have that one wrapped up.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
does poor s dekalb voter EVER know what he/she is talking about?
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
@SDK, True, Mary picked up 74% of the D6 Borders et al votes. Some would be women voting for a woman again, presumably. Few of the Borders votes were black identity voting, since there are few blacks in D6, so you would not expect them to flow automatically to Reed, as they seem to have done Southside.
Given that Kasim did far better in gay D6 than in straight Buckhead, you have not proved that had he pandered to the marriage irrelevance he’d have done much better.
OTOH, I don’t think I saw a single Alex Wan yard sign paired with a Kasim Reed yard sign. Mary had successfully chatted up the politically involved gays well before Kasim even stood for election. There were a few Coyle signs paired with Reeds, but most of her yards were for Mary, too. Mary’s photo-op concern for the neighborhoods had lots of straight folks sold.
It’s interesting that citywide Mary picked up 5000 votes over her 1st round, of which 1290 ( 25%) were from D6. So you can say that without D6 she would not have been able to force a runoff, but you can’t prove that the gay thing had much to do with it.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
I agree it’s debatable. I was just making my case.
Also, I agree with the D6 too. There are many GLBT who live outside 6, so it is hard to tell how it hurt Reed.
I guess my main point is that the so called machine candidates usually win with the black vote and a strong showing in 6 and other intown neighborhoods. Reed got creamed in 6 and still was able to squeeze out a win.
The results for Watson and Mitchell were that of typical “machine” candidates and they won handily. I’m assuming this was partly due to their stronger in 6, which I believe included more gay votes than Reed.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
“the voting residents are largely paranoid suburban transplants, lost in the big city and wondering where all those black folks came from.”
Best description of D6 I have ever heard. I say this as a native of D6 who has much love for the area but had to go south to get away from it.
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
“Paranoid suburban transplants”? Come off it! I’ve argued loud and long for Reed, but that’s not an accurate description of D6 Mary supporters that I know.
In my little patch of D6, the folks with Mary yard signs are long-term residents (some 30 year veterans), so not recent transplants, if that term was meant literally. My guess is that some old-timers blur varying degrees of exasperation with years of municipal incompetence, resentment at paying taxes for services that mostly go to poorer folks, and a bit of out-and-out racism. But I know several ardent and well-informed Mary supporters for whom it is all about the misgovernment and city hall’s contempt for neighborhood interests, with no racism and not even a neo-Buckheadian, selfish desire to avoid paying for Southside’s services.
Folks who’ve moved in in the past 5 years or so may be more suburban, but in my perception are mostly not politically active. Busy earning enough to pay the inflated mortgage and bringing up the kids, I would imagine.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:39 pm
My letter to Mary Norwood:
Please stop now. The citizens of Atlanta have had enough. You lost: very narrowly, but still you lost. Please let a mayor winning a majority of the vote prepare for office, and be gracious about your defeat.
You consistently played to two major issues (public safety and municipal finance) because you knew they would earn you PR credits and enhance your image as a self-styled outsider interested in systemic reform. The reality is that you had rather insipid ideas of what you would do to address the problems tied to these issues.
At best, these issues were your hallmark causes and allowed you to get a lot of press time in the wake of highly publicized murders and the city’s continued fiscal contraction. But where you may have been able to hum a few bars on these issues and convince a good part of a weary electorate that you would be an effective leader in addressing the core problems, on the remainder of the issues the city faces you didn’t even display fundamental understanding. Infrastructure, schools, public health, homelessness: it is clear that you do not understand the complex but utterly frightening reality of a city like Atlanta. It can be an exhilarating challenge, but only for those who can focus on a problem, quickly develop a real understanding of your working resources and act expeditiously to find a sustainable solution.
You do not have to convince anyone of how greatly you wanted to be our mayor. You have spent a considerable amount of your time as an elected official (a position that comes with certain responsibilities) campaigning to be mayor, and if nothing else we can appreciate your enthusiasm. But the electorate did not hand you that mandate, and it is time to accept that.
Kasim Reed has offered you, at least nominally, a chance to remain an effective and engaged force in the Atlanta community and its politics. You should take him up on his offer. The 20 years of ‘working for the people of this city’ which we all understand to be one of your touchstone qualifications should continue if you want them to, and I suspect that you can be far more effective in this capacity than if you carried the obligations of the city’s elected chief executive. Rest in the knowledge that your runoff opponent has a very tall order in front of him and, whether or not anyone will admit it, made campaign promises (especially related to public safety) that are nothing if not quixotic. Be an ambassador to Atlanta’s living rooms as you have been, get to know the challenges and aspirations of everyday Atlantans, and for heaven’s sake, learn something about public policy. Doing these things and developing an acumen for leading a diverse and poised but weary city could make you a highly effective– even unstoppable– challenger in 2013.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
@Freddo – Please, not Mary in 2013! You just got through explaining very cogently why the lady is unqualified. If she couldn’t learn the job in 8 years, what on earth possesses you to believe that if she put her mind to it she’d be ready in another 4? She’s not made that way.
What we need is a CREDIBLE candidate as a potential challenger to Kasim, to keep him on his toes and – if he fails to take the tough and effective actions he’s promised – to replace him. Someone with a sound grasp of the city’s finances, a no-nonsense leadership style to hold the cops and others accountable for performance, and the ability to relate to diverse communities.
As several commentators have noted, Mary proved that the Maynard machine does not have a lock on the mayor’s post. The challenge now is to find someone with the moxy to take on the job if Kasim lets us down. It’s unlikely that person will replicate Mary’s superb 8-yr outreach campaign, but hopefully his / her superior qualifications and debating prowess will compensate.
Is there a role for Mary? It would be nice to think so for purposes of unifying the city, but given her policy and management ineptitude, what could she do?
December 5th, 2009 at 1:26 am
The rumor of my demise has been greatly exaggerated.