This article was originally published in GPR’s Spring 2017 Magazine
With Mayor Kasim Reed term-limited, Atlanta’s search for a new mayor is a wide open battle.
Candidates will appear on a nonpartisan ballot on Nov. 7, and if no one reaches 50 percent of the vote, which is practically guaranteed, the top two will fight it out in a runoff for the four year term.
Typically, many mayoral candidates come from the state legislature or Atlanta’s city council. The council has three at-large seats, 12 district seats based off of geography, and a President who serves as a de facto Vice Mayor.
The Top Contenders
Mary Norwood
Norwood, a council member serving in the Post 2 at-large seat, is a favorite after her close miss against Reed in 2009. After finishing first with 46 percent of the vote on the first election day, an unprecedented jump in voter turnout and attack ads from the Georgia Democratic Party resulted in Norwood losing to Reed by 714 votes out of nearly 84,000 votes cast in the runoff.
Back then, Norwood ran on a straightforward platform of fiscal responsibility and transparency. For round two she’s sticking to it.
At a January forum hosted by the Buckhead Coalition, Norwood called for a “forensic audit” of funds and spending by the municipal government, along with online postings of city expenses. Norwood’s platform on safety provides for an increase in community based intervention programs for juvenile offenders as well as “repeat offender intercession” and “more vigorous prosecution of chronic offenders who have historically wreaked havoc on the community.”
Vincent Fort
The state senator for district 39, which covers a wide swath of downtown Atlanta, is looking to take his hard-nosed, confrontational style all the way to the mayor’s office.
Fort has been a state senator since 1997; outside of that, he is a professor at Emory University- and last year he stumped for Bernie Sanders before Georgia’s primary. He’s a key player in the Democratic side of the Georgia Legislature, serving as the whip in the Senate.
At the forum hosted by the Buckhead Coalition, he took a similar reformist note to Norwood.
“One of the things I’ve done in the last year and continue to do is tell the people of Atlanta the truth,” Fort said, “Atlanta has lost its way. Atlanta City Hall has lost its way, not the people. There are people there more interested in serving their interests than the people’s interests.”
Cathy Woolard
Woolard is a former Atlanta City Council President and an ardent LGBTQ activist. She became the first openly gay elected official in Georgia history when she was sworn into the city council in 1997 and was the first woman to serve as the council’s president. Since her departure, she has lobbied for Planned Parenthood and served as the interim Executive Director for AID Atlanta in 2012.
A recurring issue in her campaign is income inequality in Atlanta, as a quarter of Atlanta’s population lives at or below the poverty line.
“To reach our city’s full potential, we must engage ALL in our community, especially those residents that our city’s growth is leaving behind,” Woolard wrote in a letter on her website, “Only through the strength and talent of our residents can big projects, projects like the Atlanta BeltLine, be accomplished.”
Ceasar Mitchell
Ceasar Mitchell is a common sight in Atlanta politics. He has served as the current Atlanta City Council President since 2010, and prior to that he served as the Post 1 at-large representative for eight years. Born in Atlanta, he graduated from Morehouse with honors and later from UGA Law.
Outside of his work within the municipal government, Mitchell has worked with a number of charitable organizations. He has served on the boards of Hands On Atlanta, Points of Light, and Outward Bound Atlanta, and was he appointed to the Georgia Commission on Volunteerism and Service by Governor Deal.
Mitchell has also posted the strongest fundraising numbers, having raised over $1.2 million as of early February. That being said, Mitchell is also facing questions about campaign finance violations related to his leadership PAC and his 2013 campaign for Council President- a large determining factor will be if he can move on quickly from that.
The Dark Horses
Peter Aman
Peter Aman previously worked in the lesser-known position of Chief Operating Officer of Atlanta, but managed many agencies crucial to the city. These included the Police, Fire, Corrections, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, and several other administrative agencies.
“I have the insight in how the private sector creates jobs, in how the private sector can work with the public sector and partner to lift communities up. I have demonstrated track record of results that has been proven time and time again,” Aman said at the forum, “I have the integrity to lead the city of Atlanta, all Atlantans, because I’m not a politician like the others on this stage.”
Aman had the second best fundraising numbers in February, with around a million dollars. He could easily supplant one of the top-tier candidates, making him the strongest of the underdogs.
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Bottoms is a council member representing District 11, which covers the extreme southwest section of Atlanta. She also serves as the Executive Director of the City of Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA). The AFCRA overlooks iconic landmarks across the city, including Turner Field, Philips Arena, Zoo Atlanta, and more.
Interestingly, Bottoms may have a wild card. The AJC reported in January that while Kasim Reed has not officially endorsed her, an invitation to a fundraiser for her campaign was advertised over Reed’s mailing list. Could Reed eventually endorse Bottoms?
Kwanza Hall
Hall represents District 2 in the city council, which covers a diverse and vibrant part of Atlanta, ranging from Midtown, to Candler Park, to Sweet Auburn, Atlantic Station, and the MLK Historic District.
“I’m going to be everybody’s mayor,” Hall said at the Buckhead Forum, “Atlanta’s not asking for a black, white, gay or straight mayor. I’m the only one with a proven track record for improving neighborhoods. We’ll use a transit-oriented plan for development to get our transportation working. We’ll have a neighborhood police program to mentor others. We’ll build out our city in a way to help others.”
Michael Sterling
Sterling served under Mayor Reed as the Director of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, and before that, he was a Senior Advisor to the mayor.
“I think I’m going to be better on crime,” Sterling said at the forum, “I’m the only person who has experience with law enforcement and prosecuting criminals. I have worked with the FBI, U.S. attorney’s office and Secret Service to fight crime. Crime is a nuanced issue you can’t handle with a simple solution.”
John Eaves
Eaves disrupted the race even more by jumping in relatively late; he declared his candidacy in February, whereas as many of the candidates declared in the summer or fall of 2016. His late start is the primary weakness in his position, but he has a considerable amount of experience and connections that could compensate for his lateness. Eaves is the current Fulton County Commission Chairman, which effectively puts him in charge of the county level government.