I hate to pile on the AJC with regard to their election coverage, because they’ve already taken plenty of lumps for cravenly weaseling out of endorsing candidates in the Atlanta city elections.
But, sweet Jesus, did they screw things up! As my colleague Thomas noted in an earlier post, someone over on Marietta Street just plumb forgot to add in the results from precincts in DeKalb County. (Granted, DeKalb, which is usually very facile with online data, has made it excruciatingly difficult to find said results.)
The snafu is most noticeable in the District 6 Council race, where the AJC online graphic suggests that Tad Christian made the runoff, rather than Liz Coyle:
While the DeKalb numbers didn’t alter who won or who survived in any other Council districts, they did change the percentages in all the city-wide races.
Last night, longtime community activist Liz Coyle was edged out of a Dec. 1 runoff against Alex Wan by darkhorse candidate Tad Christian in the Atlanta City Council District 6 race.
Or so we thought.
CL just spoke with Coyle. And the Atkins Park resident says she’s ready for a runoff.
“Huh?” we asked.
Coyle said the election results reported for the six-candidate race didn’t include three DeKalb County precincts that are considered part of the City of Atlanta. When you add those results, Coyle says, she leads Christian by 65 votes.
“So I’m ready for a runoff,” she said. Work begins today on her Dec. 1 showdown with Wan.
We’ve reached out to the Christian campaign. We’ll update when we hear word.
UPDATE 11:45 p.m. Um, we’re pretty positive Norwood and Reed will be duking it out on Dec. 2 Dec. 1. I for one am going to bed. Thomas and Scott will continue partying. (Thomas just showed up at Kyle Keyser’s gathering at Noni’s.) You’ll hear more from them soon, I’m sure. Nightie night!
UPDATE 11:33 p.m. Kasim Reed tells the crowd gathered at the Hyatt that in the “darkest days” of his campaign, Andrew Young was there to help by assuring him, “If you’re not sleeping, I don’t want to sleep.” Reed also says, “Several weeks ago, not many people thought we would be here with 37 percent, did they? … I’m ready to go for this city. I will fight for you. I will stand up for you. And I will make Atlanta the city on the hill again.”
UPDATE 11:22 p.m. Reed’s about to take the podium at the Hyatt Regency, the TV people say. With more than 80 percent of precincts reporting, we’ve got Norwood at 45 percent, Reed at 37 percent, Borders (who has conceded the race) at 14 percent.
UPDATE 11:15 p.m. Text message from Thomas Wheatley: “Norwood announces she anticipates a runoff.”
UPDATE 11:11 p.m. Via Scott Henry, as he leaves the Varsity (Norwood’s party) for the Hyatt Regency (Reed’s shindig): “I just had to get a few pictures of Eldrin Bell and his wife in the Varsity. He’s dressed to the nines. Mary just walked back in, and the crowd is chanting, ‘Mare-EE, Mare-EE.’ I just bumped into Rodney Cook, the Buckhead millionaire. Anne Fauver is sitting right next to me in her white Prius as she leaves.”
UPDATE 10:54 p.m. Thomas here. Reporting from the Varsity, which honest to God has some of the best ice in the country. There’s a lull in activity as Norwood supporters watch votes continue to line up in the councilwoman’s favor. She’s expected to return at 10:45. While we wait, it’s worth taking a look at the other races.
Perhaps most surprising: We might see a runoff in the City Council President race between Ceasar Mitchell and Clair Muller. City Hall gadfly Dave Walker has managed to pull nearly 10 percent of the votes counted thus far. That’s surprising, considering that Walker’s reported zero funds raised in this race. (CL’s profiled Walker before. Here’s a video interview shot.) Where’d he get the support? It’s worth considering that some of those are protest votes. You should also remember that Walker attends nearly every single council meeting (literally). He’s a fixture on Channel 23, usually found badgering councilmembers.
Post 3 At-Large: Embattled incumbent H. Lamar Willis faces a tough contest from challenger Shelitha Roberston. 52-48. WIllis could very well lose his seat.
District 3: Incumbent Ivory Young appears headed for re-election, with 80 percent of the vote. 63 percent of the precincts reporting.
District 4: Incumbent Cleta Winslow leads closest challenger LaShawn Hoffman by 20 points. 46 percent of precincts reported.
District 6: Alex Wan leads Liz Coyle in the crowded race that’s almost certainly headed for a runoff. Looks like it will be Wan v. Coyle or Tad Christian. Too close to call.
District 8: Yolanda Adrean commands a strong lead over Rick Coleman in the race to fill Clair Muller’s seat.
District 11: The race to fill longtime Councilman Jim Maddox’s seat quickly filled up after he announced his retirement. A runoff seemed virtually guaranteed — but Keisha Lance Bottoms currently leads the pack of nine with little over 50 percent of the vote.
District 12: It appears Joyce Sheperd has a solid lead, with 57 percent of votes. 85 percent of precincts reporting.
UPDATE 10:47 p.m. It’s now up to 60 percent of precincts reporting, folks — Norwood: 45 percent. Reed: 37 percent. Borders: 14 percent. But it ain’t over yet. Can Norwood close in on the 6 precious points that will give her an outright win? Or will it be a Norwood-Reed runoff in December???
UPDATE 10:29 p.m. In other city races (with 52 percent of precincts reporting) … City Council Prez: Ceasar Mitchell, 48 percent; Clair Muller, 42 percent. City Council Post 1 At-Large: Michael Julian Bond, 55 percent; Adam Brackman, 22 percent. City Council Post 2 At-Large: Aaron Watson, 43 percent; Amir Farokhi, 41 percent.
UPDATE 10:23 p.m. With 48 percent (yes, I double-checked this time) of precincts reporting — Norwood: 46 percent. Reed: 36 percent. Borders: 14 percent. Could the magic be ever-so-slightly slipping away from Norwood? Well … even if she can’t avoid a runoff, it’s been an impressive showing. Who knows? She could still pull it off.
UPDATE 10:03 p.m. With 48 30 percent (oops) of precincts now reporting — Norwood: 47 percent. Reed: 35 percent. Borders: 14 percent. According to the AJC, “Norwood flirting with magic majority.” Ooh la la.
UPDATE 9:55 p.m. Text message via Thomas Wheatley: “That’s Norwood entering the Varsity. Talking now.”
UPDATE 9:51 p.m. So says Scott Henry: “There’s quite a crowd down here at the Varsity. I walked in and [Norwood's] press person tells us that the early returns put Mary at 51 percent. There are a lot of people with Mary T-shirts. Glenn Thomas just walked in. It’s a very mixed crowd, older African-American folks and Buckhead Betties — two groups you never see together. Ralph Long is here. Lee Morris is here. Ahh, here we have Anne Fauver. She just walked by. A lot of people with families. A very different crowd than at the W. For one, they are giving away free food. Pretty nutty. I got a chicken salad sandwich on rye. But I can’t do their onion rings. Those will kill ya. After I finish my sandwich I’m going to walk around some more and talk to some people.”
UPDATE: 9:35 p.m. This is what I’m hearing from Scott Henry, who was en route from Lisa Borders’ party (at the W) to Mary Norwood’s (at the Varsity): “Not a lot of people there [at the W], maybe 100, maybe 80. Not a lot of energy. Please put in there that I had to suffer through someone singing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ Yeah, I would not say it’s downbeat, but no one was totally psyched or anything like that. I couldn’t tell if it was because they thought that they were gonna lose or what. I’m pulling into the Varsity parking lot now. It is difficult to find a parking space at the Varsity. Is that unusual?”
UPDATE: 9:16 p.m. In case I left anyone wondering, that last update was left by me, Mara. Carry on.
UPDATE: 9:11 p.m. Greetings! I’m stuck on the couch at home while the esteemed Scott Henry and Thomas Wheatley get to party-hop, so let’s make the most of this, shall we? Starting now, I’ll be keeping a close watch on the election returns while Scott and Thomas deliver dispatches from the field. With 11 percent of precincts reporting, here’s what Fulton County’s vote-o-meter is spouting — Norwood: 44 percent; Reed: 39 percent; Borders: 13 percent. Thoughts, y’all? Predictions? Hopes? Dreams?
UPDATE: 9:03 p.m. Results now rolling in. Kasim Reed at 49 percent, Mary Norwood at 31 percent, Lisa Borders at 15 percent, Jesse Spikes, Kyle Keyser and Peter Brownlowe at 3 percent, 1 percent and 1 percent, respectively. One percent of precincts reporting.
UPDATE8:39 p.m. Ahoy, Atlantans. Thomas here, writing from my car outside Manuel’s. For an election night, the Poncey-Highland pub is surprisingly empty. Granted, polls closed roughly 30 minutes ago. If you’re looking for a place to watch the election results in peace, it’s an option.
Political gadfly Tom Houck was holding court with a table of somewhat familiar faces. His itinerary for the night includes Atkins Park to see Atlanta City Council District 6 candidate Liz Coyle and Shout in Midtown to see Post 2 At-Large hopeful Amir Farokhi. He also plants to drop by the Hyatt Regency to hobnob at mayoral candidate Kasim Reed’s soiree. Emory Morsberger was also in attendance at Manuel’s, but he’s high-stepping to several parties as well. When I asked how he was doing, he greeted me with his trademark “incredible!”
Atlanta City Council President candidate Clair Muller might owe Norwood a thank you card tomorrow morning, one political observer said. Muller, a longtime councilwoman who represents the affluent area, might see a boost in support thanks to Norwood’s solid grip on Buckhead. If Muller’s successful in her race against Ceasar Mitchell — and Norwood in her own contest — the city could have a white mayor and a white city council president.
Still no results to speak of in the Atlanta races. Lisa Borders tweeted earlier that election results are set to come in first from Buckhead, then Midtown, and finally South Atlanta. If that’s the case, don’t be surprised if you first see Norwood way ahead in the polls. But we’ll see.
It’s getting cold and I need to drive somewhere else. More to come.
After countless candidate forums, weird commercials with ACTUAL CRIMES and even some debate about race and closetedRepublicans, Election Day has finally arrived. And if you haven’t already cast your ballot for the city’s next mayor and other elected posts, be sure to get out and do so.
Polls are already open and will close at 8 p.m. You can find your polling place here. Here’s a PDF that lists all polling precincts and locations. Here are sample City of Atlanta ballots. (If you encounter any monkey business at the polls, let us know.)
CL Staff Event Planner Scott Henry has a list of the campaign parties where you can eat free food, hobnob with politicos, and tell the next mayor to shut down the crack house on your street. Or you can just go to Manuel’s.
We’ll be providing election results coverage tonight. Look for fireworks, flame wars and sock puppets posting links to anonymous websites. Just kidding, we’ll moderate those fools out of existence.
Low turnout is expected, which means your decision could help make or break many of these contests. So get out there and help determine who’ll lead Atlanta out of its mess. We’ll have more throughout the day.
Seems the Atlanta mayor’s race isn’t the only political contest with mysterious operatives trying to brand a candidate as a “closeted Republican.”
A li’l birdie landed on our windowsill earlier today and informed us that District 6 voters have received similar calls about Tad Christian, one of the six candidates running to represent the Midtown, Morningside and Candler Park neighborhoods. (Incumbent Anne Fauver isn’t seeking re-election.)
If you’re still on the fence about who to vote for in Atlanta’s Nov. 3 elections — and there are plenty of you out there, we’re sure — be sure to tune to PBA on Oct. 25 and on Nov. 1.
The Atlanta Press Club’s wrangled candidates for Atlanta mayor and city council, forced them to stand at podiums, and allowed journalists to pummel them with questions.
Prerecorded APC debates for Atlanta City Council’s three At-Large posts will air Sunday morning. Atlanta mayoral candidates will participate in a live one-hour debate at 7 p.m. And a prerecorded debate between Atlanta City Council president candidates will air on Nov. 1.
The full broadcast schedule follows after the jump.
As you may have noticed, we at CL offered our City Hall endorsements this week — but only for four races: mayor, Council prez and two of the three at-large seats. Frankly, the reasons for being so selective were more practical than anything else. I mean, have you seen how many people are running for some of these seats? It wasn’t feasible to bring in 20 or 30 candidates for individual interviews. As it was, we ended up meeting face-to-face with a dozen candidates.
Does this mean we’re blowing off the rest of the Council races? We’re glad you asked, because the answer is no! In each of the contested district races, we asked the candidates to answer a questionnaire that we’d then post online to help educate voters. (Links to candidate responses are below the jump.)
You may recall that the Metro Atlanta Chamber (dba Committee for a Better Atlanta) does the same thing; we’d encourage you to read both sets of questionnaires — and visit the candidates’ websites, and watch forums, and attend meet-and-greets, etc. — in order to get a more complete idea of the choices facing you in the Nov. 3 election.
Before qualifying ended, the race to claim Councilman Ceasar Mitchell’s at-large post looked like a clown car.
Nine political hopefuls had filed to run for the citywide seat, including perennial candidates, a former councilman and a handful of unknowns. When it came time to pay the $1,184 fee to run, however, only four men and women remained.
Brackman, a 42-year-old resident of south Atlanta’s Benteen Park, has risen through the ranks of neighborhood-based politics to stand out as a fresh-faced candidate with an arsenal of ideas — and a strong dose of enthusiasm — that could greatly enhance a council where nearly half the members will win their seats without opposition.
It’s a shame that some of the candidates for City Council’s Post 2 At-Large can’t be farmed out to other district races with less impressive rosters. As it is, we’re forced to decide between three seemingly qualified and capable guys running for the same open seat.
There’s Weslee Knapp, an engineer and real estate broker who thinks his private sector expertise could knock down walls in City Hall’s bureaucratic maze. Amir Farokhi is a 31-year-old attorney and Grant Park resident whose smart-growth vision for Atlanta doesn’t just sound exciting, but doable. And Aaron Watson, a corporate finance lawyer, boasts a long record of leadership that includes the Atlanta Public Schools board, the Atlanta Housing Authority and the Piedmont Park Conservancy.
All the contenders have big ideas and want to effect change. But only Watson has the record to back it up.
It hasn’t been a good couple of weeks for Atlanta Councilman H. Lamar Willis, who stands for reelection in a little more than three weeks. First, the AJC reports that he owes nearly $44,000 in back taxes. Then, Secretary of State Karen Handel trumpets the fact that Willis just got socked with a $25,000 court fine due to his squirrely scholarship foundation.
The most recent AJC story mentions, for good measure, that the state filed yet another lien against Willis in late August to recover about $1,500 in unpaid sales taxes relating to a car he bought four years ago.
So today Willis released a statement trying to put his many financial missteps into, um, context. Here’s a taste:
The [$25,000] fine is related to a failure to properly register as a charity as required by Georgia law. The Court specifically found that there was insufficient evidence that the Foundation had used any artifice or scheme to defraud contributors. The Court also found there was insufficient evidence that the moneys’ [sic] raised were misappropriated. In fact, not a single contributor was called as a witness by the Secretary of State in support of the allegations put forth in her complaint. I did not use any contributions for my personal benefit.
Certainly, it should come as a big relief that “there was insufficient evidence that the monies raised were misappropriated.” Doesn’t that make you breathe a little easier?
Community advocacy group Georgia STAND-UP will host a forum on Tuesday night for Atlanta mayor, City Council president and City Council District 11 candidates to say where they stand on such issues as economic development, affordable housing, transit and transportation and public safety, among others.
From Georgia STAND-UP:
The forum puts candidates (sequestered until their time slots) in the hot seat with questions addressing issues identified in a 6-month community-issues process led by Georgia STAND-UP and presented in the Community Issues Platform Report released on August 21st.
Unlike most candidate forums this election cycle, all mayoral hopefuls have been invited to participate in Tuesday night’s event. The forum, which is free and open to the public, starts at 5:30 p.m. and will take place at the IBEW Auditorium in Southwest Atlanta.
Take note, ballot casters! Today’s the last day to register if you want to vote for Atlanta’s next mayor and councilmembers on Nov. 3.
We ran through a list of links and how-to’s last week, so you can jump back to that post for info. But here they are again if you want to save a click.
Check to see if you’re already registered to vote. If not, here’s how you can get registered. Look here to see how you can vote via absentee ballot. To view Early and Advance Voting dates and locations, check out our previous post. This FAQ can answer a lot of questions about the upcoming municipal elections. Your county elections office can answer more specific questions or help you out with specific problems. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has a convenient one-stop resource to handle general registration and election concerns.
Many municipal races will end up in a runoff, which traditionally have low voter turnout. That means your vote could make or break your favored candidates’ hopes for actually winning office. Now go forth and get registered!
Last night, candidates aiming to replace outgoing Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver in District 6 gathered at Inman Middle School to win residents’ hearts and minds.
We’re sure it was a crowded house — District 6 includes such politically active neighborhoods as Virginia-Highland, Morningside, Candler Park and Midtown, among other hamlets. And since there isn’t a clear-cut frontrunner among the six candidates vying for the open seat, voters probably wanted to hear some opinions on the issues.
We couldn’t attend the gathering, mainly because we were in Athens talking to whippersnappers about the future of journalism. (Keep your heads up, yo!)
If you were there, we’d love to hear your take. And if you don’t write anything, it means you hate America. Consider this an open thread.
The political process sure has a helluva way of sneaking up on ya, don’t it?
If you want to help decide Atlanta’s next mayor and city councilmembers, you have to get legit with the state before Oct. 5. That’s… seven days away.
Don’t know whether you’re registered to vote? This handy tool courtesy of the Georgia Secretary of State can tell you. If you’re not registered to vote, here’s the info about what you gotta do if you want to cast a ballot. If you have any specific questions, it’s best to contact your county elections office. (The Secretary of State has an easy-to-use one-stop resource that can provide you with most registration and election information. Here’s a list of frequently asked questions about the upcoming Atlanta elections.)
You’ll have the option of voting before Nov. 3. Registered voters can cast ballots Oct. 12-23 during Early Voting. Advance voting will be held Oct. 26-30. We really don’t understand the difference between the two, only that there are additional polling locations. We gleefully copied a chart from the city’s elections website that lists dates and locations and pasted it after the jump.
If you want to vote via absentee ballot, you can download an application from the Secretary of State’s website and a ballot will be mailed to you.
Remember to bring one of these valid forms of ID to the polls. And grab a doughnut or some coffee if they’re available. We’ll have more details as voting time approaches. But in the meantime, get registered.
The question in the recent ethics complaint filed against City Council candidate Steve Brodie is this: Did he knowingly try to sidestep state ethics laws that limit the amount companies can contribute to a candidate?
The other question: Did Brodie — one of six candidates running to represent the uber-political District 6 that includes Midtown, Morningside and Candler Park — even know he could have been violating the $2,400 cap placed on contributions from companies?
And might it have been the ethics commission, and not Brodie, who denies the allegations, that erred when it said the contributions were kosher?
A complaint filed Wednesday with the state Ethics Commission focuses on four separate campaign contributions Brodie received from four different real estate and development companies during the months of May and June that totaled $2,875.
What’s the problem, then? Well, according to the complaint, all four companies have the same address and corporate officers. And state ethics law limits campaign contributions by a company and its affiliated companies to $2,400.
At a time when public safety and the need for strong leadership are on the minds of all Atlantans, the Georgia Equality Board of Directors has voted to endorse Lisa Borders in the 2009 election for Atlanta Mayor, as well as Ceasar Mitchell for the position of Atlanta City Council President.
Borders, the current City Council President, stands out among a group of highly-qualified mayoral candidates running this year. The Georgia Equality Board of Directors found Borders to be the candidate with the best fluency and understanding of the issues important to LGBT Atlantans, as well as the candidate best-equipped to govern a city in need of a decisive leader with keen insight into public safety and municipal management.
Atlanta City Councilman Jim Maddox’s surprise decision not to seek re-election has apparently caused a District 11 free-for-all. At the end of qualifying on Friday, nine candidates had filed to run to represent the southwest Atlanta district.
There are some familiar names who wants to take over Maddox’s office. Former Fulton Commissioner Reginald Eaves, Jr., is one. He’s got a interestingpast. Another is Morris “Mo” Finley, a former councilman whose last attempt at office was city council president in 2001. (He won only three percent of the vote.) Keisha Lance Bottoms, who last year ran an unsuccessful bid against Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford for his seat, also wants to represent the district.
Councilmembers Carla Smith, Kwanza Hall, Natalyn Archibong, Howard Shook, Felicia Moore and C.T. Martin will run unopposed, which essentially means they’ve already won another term. The only way to make it on the ballot now is as a write-in candidate. And good luck with that.
There are a lot of familiar names in the races. Perennial candidates, former elected officials, rabble-rousers and the like. See who you can spot.
After the jump, the list of who qualified to earn a place on the Nov. 3 ballot.
After last November’s elections were in the books and the fervor had died down, local Obama campaign volunteer Sharonda Hubbard found herself wanting more.
“I started thinking, ‘Wow! I can affect my city government,’” she says. “I can affect change in my area, in my neighborhood.”
She considered a run for East Point City Council, that is until her neighbor and former Councilmember Kevin Hudson decided to run. “Once I found out Kevin was running, I just had to support him.”
“Once [Hudson] decided not to run, I figured this is my chance to do it, to seize the opportunity and move forward with it.” Hudson threw his support behind Hubbard, and now this political newcomer is a candidate for East Point City Council (Ward A, At-Large).
Nonprofit think tank Georgia STAND-UP will hold the first of two candidate forums for Atlanta City Hall hopefuls tomorrow in Southwest Atlanta.
The organization’s spent the better part of the year working with more than 160 neighborhood leaders to craft a “community issues platform” that covers such issues as public safety, affordable housing, transportation and economic development in Atlanta. Last month, 17 candidates — including mayoral hopefuls Kasim Reed and Mary Norwood — signed on to the platform. Other candidates will be asked to sign the community issues platform during the forum. (The platform’s too large to upload to the Web. If you’d like to take a gander, shoot me a line and I’ll email it to you.)
Tomorrow’s event, which is free and open to the public, focuses on all City Council At-Large posts and races in Districts 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Another forum will be held on Oct. 1 for the mayoral and City Council president races.
The forum begins at 5:30 p.m. at the IBEW Auditorium on Pulliam Street. Click here for directions to the event.
Clarence Turner, one of eight candidates running for Atlanta City Council Post 1 At-Large, says he’s ending his bid for office.
From a Turner campaign press release:
After careful consideration and deliberation, I have decided to end my pursuit for the Atlanta City Council Post 1 At-Large seat in this 2009 election. My decision is based on personal and financial readiness.
So what will I do now? That’s a great question. I will now redirect my efforts to more grassroots initiatives such as the nonprofit my wife and I established, The Turner Family Foundation, which we will use as an umbrella for initiatives like providing micro-grants to youth artists for art supplies. We will also be operating the annual Y.O! forum through our nonprofit. I also plan to get more involved with my friend’s like ATAC, Making the Transition Inc., Neighbor In Need and many more.
He also says he’s looking forward to spending more time with his wife and daughter. He hasn’t decided to make an endorsement in the race. Incumbent Councilman Ceasar Mitchell is vacating the seat to run for City Council President.
East Point City Council Ward A at-large candidate Kevin Hudson has announced his withdrawal from the race and his immediate endorsement of Sharonda Hubbard.
Hudson was a political newcomer when he was appointed to Council in May 2007 after Gov. Sonny Perdue suspended Councilman Gregory Fann from his post because of an ethics violation investigation.
In March 2007, Fann was indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury for allegedly using city crews and equipment to conduct work on his property four years earlier. He later pleaded guilty — not to the felony counts but to three misdemeanors. He received three years probation, 180 hours of community service and $3,000 in fines.
Since Fann’s suspension was contingent on the felony counts only, he returned to Council in March of this year, replacing Hudson, who later announced his candidacy.
Hudson spoke to CL before officially announcing his withdrawal, saying, “I was apprehensive but excited to have the opportunity to serve two years on Council as an appointed member, and thought I would want to continue for another four years. But since I’ve had these months away from city business, I’ve remembered there’s much more in my life than that.”
Atlanta City Council District 6 candidate Alex Wan has resigned from the Atlanta Development Authority Board to clear up any perception of a conflict of interest and focus his energy on the crowded race to represent the Midtown, Candler Park and Virginia-Highland neighborhoods.
From a Wan campaign press release:
“Before officially qualifying, I wanted to further demonstrate my absolute commitment to the people of District 6 and ensure there was no perception of a conflict between my ADA service and my City Council campaign,” he says. “It has been a privilege and an honor to serve ADA and the city of Atlanta since my appointment by City Council in 2006, working for the economic improvement of the city of Atlanta. I have learned so much from my fellow Board members and the incredible ADA staff, and I intend to put that experience to work for our great city’s future.”
…
Wan’s decision to resign from the ADA’s board was clarified by legislation passed by City Council on August 17, stating that candidates for citywide office cannot serve on the boards of entities such as ADA.
In July, some district residents voiced concerns that Wan and Liz Coyle, one of his opponents in the Nov. 3 election, served on the ADA and Atlanta Beltline Inc. boards while also running for office. Coyle resigned from her post last week.
Before now, if you wanted to see who gave money to a mayoral candidate, you had to schlep down to City Hall, find your way to the municipal clerk’s office, park yourself in front of a computer — there’s only the one — that looks like it still runs Windows 95 and click on a PDF file. If you wanted the information printed out, it cost 25 cents a page, as I recall. If you wanted it put on a disc so you could view it using an operating system from this century, it cost $30 a pop.
I recently described this set-up to someone as what you’d put in place in order to meet the absolute minimum requirements of state open-records laws if you didn’t actually want anyone to have easy access to these documents.
Well, lo and behold, the clerk’s office has just launched a new page that allows online access to city disclosure filings — just as if they were county or state filings! And it works!
Now it only takes a moment to confirm that perennial City Hall hanger-on Dave Walkerhasn’t raised one red cent for his “campaign” for Council president.
Steve Brodie, one of six contenders in the crowded race for the Atlanta City Council District 6 open seat, has received the endorsement of the city’s 1,100-member police union.
In a statement (PDF) released yesterday by Brodie’s campaign, Sgt. Scott Kreher, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 623, said the wooer of water ballerinas is unique because he’s “providing specific ideas for improving public safety in Atlanta and the action steps needed to fund improvements….The other District 6 Candidates are working to develop slogans and [Brodie is] seriously proposing plans.”
”I am honored and proud to be endorsed by the police,” Brodie said. “The Police Union’s endorsement
of my candidacy illustrates their confidence in me as a City Council member and their belief that I will
initiate real changes to make Atlanta safer.”
Brodie’s opponents in the race to represent the district that includes the Midtown, Candler Park, Virginia-Highland neighborhoods are Bahareh Azizi, Tad Christian, Liz Coyle, Miguel Gallegos (who recently earned the Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council’s endorsement) and Alex Wan.
Steve Brodie, one of six candidates in the Atlanta City Council District 6 race to represent the Midtown, Virginia-Highland and Candler Park neighborhoods, is first out of the gate with nontraditional campaign commercials.
