ATL mayoral doings: Arson, water meter lids, and a Facebook video from Andrew Young

Many things doing on the Atlanta mayoral front today:

Councilwoman Mary Norwood has called a 4 p.m. press conference at the Summerville home of Mattie Jackson, destroyed in 2008 by a fire that authorities determined was a matter of arson. Don’t know what the topic will be. A look at AJC archives indicates the response time by firefighters was four minutes.

The Atlanta water department has taken umbrage at a Norwood TV ad, in which the mayoral candidate says the city purchased 150,000 water meter lids that don’t fit. Commissioner Robert Hunter, who oversees the Department of Watershed Management, today declared the charge “absolutely untrue.”

Okay, maybe “absolutely” was the wrong word. This from the a press release:

DWM is replacing and upgrading approximately 150,000 meters. However, the number of meters reported with lids which do not fit properly represents significantly less than 1% of the meters.

Presently there are 994 open work orders to replace meter lids, not 150,000 as Ms. Norwood claims. The AMR program is an innovative program which streamlines and automates the meter reading process, eliminates the need for manual reading, and provides a more efficient and accurate bill for the customer.

This morning, we told you that former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young has made the plunge into social media. He’s a quick learner. A few hours later, his office passed on this video endorsement of Norwood rival Kasim Reed, which is to be posted shortly on his page.

Young lent his voice to a radio ad early in the campaign. The note from Young’s office:

This video and a second one that will follow in a few days are the work of Ambassador Young himself and have not been shown to or approved by the Reed campaign itself. Obviously, he feels strongly about the election.

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67 comments Add your comment

Mary Norwood mess up

November 17th, 2009
4:45 pm

I love when the Mary Norwood give me attention Ha Ha Ha ….Wow they
love my post for Reed. I real be there at 8:30 Am to cast my early vote for Reed..

Mary Norwood mess up

November 17th, 2009
4:48 pm

sorry I mean *will and instead of real it a blooper like Norwood did on her AD just kidding Mary Norwood supporters…Ha Ha Ha

Reed are going to all the children John Hope scholarship teela
he need to give you one so you can read better. Ha Ha Ha teela
who live in Cartersville

@Teela

November 17th, 2009
4:51 pm

Nothing you say has any credibility. Why don’t you do us all a favor and stop posting until you have something to say worth reading. Reed is in no way “fat” and in no way does he act “scared of the black community”. Your comments are laughable at best. You decided to move to one of the roughest areas in Atlanta and you must deal with that. You people have annointed Mary Norwood as Atlanta’s savior but if her performance as a councilmember is in any way indicative of the way should perform as mayor, i’ll pass. This woman has been the biggest joke in Atlanta city government over the past 8 years. Yes, a bigger joke than C.T. Martin (who has more legislative accomplishments than Norwood), a bigger joke than Anne Fauver (who in between naps actually got a few things done), Jim Maddox (who actually has lead a committee).

Joyce Sheperd has also been present at a lot of community meetings, but just like Norwood she is not qualified to be Mayor.

Mary Norwood mess up

November 17th, 2009
5:07 pm

Thanks for bringing to our attention Teela is Norwood staff who dont have a clue how you going to win the election with her campaign in shamble….Ha Ha Ha teela the joke on you.

Mary's a Misinformer

November 17th, 2009
5:09 pm

How many times has Mary Norwood spewed bad information concerning the very city that she wants to lead? It’s starting to seem that she’s either real dumb or a big liar. Maybe she doesn’t get “it” or she’s just lying to see what will stick in the minds of voters. Either way it shows extreme weakness on her part.

Kasim Reed will roll all over her on Dec. 1.

Obama is tanking in the polls and he ain't losing the Republicans.

November 17th, 2009
5:46 pm

This is off topic, but too funny and sad. Since Jumbo G will never, ever post a negative story about Obama, I thought I would share this here. Check out the headline and click the link for the story.

Headline:
Exclusive: Jobs ‘Saved or Created’ in Congressional Districts That Don’t Exist
Human Error Blamed for Crediting New Stimulus Jobs to Nonexistent Places
By JONATHAN KARL
Nov. 16, 2009

Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jobs-saved-created-congressional-districts-exist/story?id=9097853

Do not buy the Obama excuse. Obama obviously put VP “Plugs” Biden in charge of counting created and “saved” jobs.

Teela

November 17th, 2009
6:09 pm

Poor stupid Reed staffers and supporters here, especially the hack “Mary Norwood mess up”.

It’s none of your business, but I have lived in SWATL for 40 years. I know the issues here…and I am also a community leader.

As for ‘why do you write like this?’ I am a published author. I also talk like that. Boo!

As for you, you CAN’T be as stupid and illiterate as you seem here…and what you are projecting doesn’t help your candidate one bit. By your behavior here, you seem so….. ghetto. Do you think this accomplishes anything except make people think that uneducated and ignorant people are the core of Reed’s support? I would hate to think that you are what he depends upon.

You drag him down in the ghetto-speak of your own making. If this is supposed to make me even consider Reed, you are far off the block.

You need to put down that crack pipe. And I’m sure your candidate would wince at your attempts to sound….’down’.

Aaron Burr V. Mexico

November 17th, 2009
7:19 pm

The poster above has lived in the area for 40 years and has been leading. SWATL is a swamp. Drain it. Or at least fire the leaders that have done NOTHING!!!!!! Why oh why can we not have a Milton County?

Mary Norwood mess up

November 17th, 2009
8:54 pm

Wow Teela is a community leader it sound like you belong in Bank Head with the other hoochie moma..You could never lead me with nothing you do that why Mary Norwood would lose because of ignorant that you give on here and especially I would never read or buy your book. I guess I hitt your nerve when I said you live in Carterville with the rest of the trashie folks. Teela could you tell me what Norwood did and pass while she was in city hall for 8 yrs nothing.

Political Oracle they are useing my name and your name the Norwood Supporters these prejudice back in wood white folks.

Jason

November 17th, 2009
10:47 pm

Aaron Burr V. Mexico, y’all already had a Milton County and willingly gave it up when the going got tough. Seems to be the way of people out there, to always give up when going gets tough instead of doing the hard work of making things better.

Teela

November 17th, 2009
11:31 pm

Sigh. Do you even care what you come off as, Mess Up? You do your race a bad turn.

The bigger issues are not the trifling Mess up. He is a dime a dozen. And what he represents for his candidate SHOULD make others wince. He is not playing around. The hatred and ignorance is to the bone. Inbred.

The issue is how is this city going to recover from all the racial hatred that is so obvious in this city?

But perhaps it won’t. Lowery et al have come out with their true colors. Bunnie Ransom/ Franklin, etc….they all are set characters. No change there expected.

How is it going to resolve so many issues that serious Atlantans…taxpayers, not the trifling folk ….who just spew hatred….how are we as a city going to move forward?

At this point….the lines are drawn. We have so many serious issues, infrastructure, crime, etc. These will take the combined efforts of sane citizens and we can’t be detoured by the usual screamers.

It’s not about endorsements….that only really works with the sheep. It’s about voter turnout.

This campaign has raised a lot of issues for everyone. That’s for people who aren’t imbued with ignorance, superstition and cowardliness.

Mary has made an impact on the Atlanta scene that will not be forgotten. And though the hatred from some posters here has been because of their own misogyny, we can forgive and forget them after December 1st.

We have to because they will never change. Atlanta is so much better than them.

Vote for Norwood Dec. 1st.

AtlantasFuture

November 17th, 2009
11:41 pm

Reed is feeding at the big business trough. He’s turning people off… also, why can’t he tell people who he really is?

Obama won because of grass roots. AND Norwood will win because of grass roots.

Decided

November 18th, 2009
2:18 am

I am disappointed that Rev. Lowery among other black leaders would endorse Kasim Reed. I am voting for Mary Norwood because I want to see change and if Kasim Reed is elected Atlanta will not see anything. I have talked to a lot of City workers who do live in the City and they are not happy with they way the City is and has handled employees. Look how many they have laid-off. How many more will Kasim lay-off? Not just water but all City services are and will be effected if Kasim is elected. When you call or go to handle City Hall business, there are a lot of upset City workers.

When you mess with folks money, folks will pay attention.

Pay attention everyone and vote for Mary! I am black too!

Just Do It

November 18th, 2009
2:23 am

Kasim is not talking about the issues at hand. Endorsements can’t and won’t help City Hall.

We got all of these endorsements when Bill, Maynard. Andrew and now Shirley ran and look where it got us? Nowhere.

To all of the ministers who supported Kasim, maybe we need to hold a prayer service for all of you.

Cause the City is going to need it if Kasim is elected.

Were were all of the endorsements when City Hall was closed on Fridays? Think about it everyone.

Either get with it now, or get with it later. VOTE Mary Norwood.

MC W

November 18th, 2009
4:59 am

zeke

November 18th, 2009
9:17 am

Can we say Andy is a RACISTS?? YES!!

IdaHere

November 19th, 2009
12:37 am

It is great to see that Rev. Lowery endorsed Kasim Reed. Rev Lowery put his life on the line to secure the right to vote for those who were left out of the political process. I was at the Press Conference and heard him say that he endorses Reed because he is the best qualified candidate in the run-off. After looking up Reed’s record as a public servant, I thoroughly agree that Reed is better qualified to be the next Mayor of Atlanta.
Reed has served the people of Atlanta over the last 11 years as a State Representative and State Senator. His passion for Atlanta was evident in the bill he co-authored and passed legislation aimed at code enforcement., increasing penalties for violations in order to clean up neighborhoods and make our community safer. He successfully worked to pass a measure doubling the homestead exemption for all Atlanta homeowners. He secured a property tax freeze for low-income seniors, cutting property taxes and increasing the homestead exemption to $40,000.
Kasim is the only candidate who has a plan for increasing the number of police to ensure the safety of business owners and all citizens. Kasim led the effort to pass legislation to keep MARTA operating 7 days a week. Kasim led the fight against child prostitution. (Atlanta is fastly becoming the lead city for child prostitution). Kasim was the chief sponsor of legislation to require local governments (including Atlanta) to establish strong ethics policies and independent review boards! Kasim fought for legislation to reduce class sizes and supports opening recreation centers to keep our children off the streets and from joining gangs. His record of accomplishment over the past 11 years is public knowledge and can be accessed by those who are interested in knowing the truth of this young man who has come forward to lead our great city forward!

He represents new leadership and change we can believe in. It is to his credit that his colleagues on all levels are willing to publicly endorse him. I will do all that I can to spread the word and get people out to the polls. Atlanta is too important to sit by and see us go backwards!