Mary Norwood to run for Fulton County chairmanship — as an independent
We knew that former Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood was running for something, given her recent Tweets about Fulton County taxation. But we didn’t expect this.
Former Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood. Elissa Eubanks/AJC
Phil Kent, that white-haired Georgia Gangster, reports that, at a Johns Creek GOP event last night, Norwood took to the microphone to announce that she’s running against John Eaves for chairmanship of the Fulton County Commission — as an independent.
Throughout her mayoral campaign, Norwood maintained she was neither blue nor red, but purple – though by the runoff, pressed by Democrat Kasim Reed, she was forced to emphasize her support for Barack Obama in the ‘08 presidential contest. Even so, state Democratic officials declared her a member of the GOP.
The result was that many Republicans were just as miffed. Such are the hazards of life in the middle.
Kent says he had his line ready, and told Norwood that he thought it gratifying that “you now appreciate Republicans.”
Here’s the link to her petition.
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101 comments Add your comment
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
11:33 am
@ S. Fulton Guy: I agree… I’ve been down Enon Road, Butner Road, and seen some fabulous mansions off of SR 92 between Cascade-Palmetto Highway and South Fulton Parkway. I don’t even live in Fulton County… I live in Henry County. However, I can see that South Fulton has high potential for becoming a more developed area. Looking at the congestion on the Northside, South Fulton can be better prepared for that development. Better planning will occur in this area of the county than on the northern end. There’s already elegant development in the remaining unincorporated portion. The incorporated portions will also be developed or redeveloped as time progresses.
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
11:37 am
This goes back to my point on ROI. I believe Fulton Commissioner Edwards when he says that South Fulton will be a cash cow. I believe that he’s on point. There’s enough open land to develop elegant and upscale homes and businesses. Contrary to what many people believe, from my cruising around the area, I find it very decent and comparable to other developing suburbs. Considering South Fulton’s proximity to the airport, it makes it an even more desirable location. There’s many positives for an area that hasn’t seen as much growth as the northern suburbs.
When we start looking at the northern suburbs collectively, the growth will eventually slow. The lopsided growth will eventually move itself into equilibrium by coming to areas such as South Fulton. It’s only a matter of time before it happens.
The Dogs & Water Hoses are a Comin'
April 19th, 2010
11:43 am
It’s time to trot out John Lewis, Shirley Franklin, and Andy Young to warn people about the dogs and water hoses coming out to suppress minorities should a Caucasian be elected to a county commission seat!
As John Lewis said (and will say again) in the radio spot: “Our very lives depend on it”.
S. Fulton Guy
April 19th, 2010
11:45 am
You’re on point T.A. When those MIlton-backers find out the true cost for providing government services, they’ll be begging Fulton County to take them back. S. Fulton has thousands of untouched acres of land. You see new shopping centers going up on S. Fulton Pkwy @ Hwy 92. A new high school opened last fall. Let the haters hate, they can have their Milton County as far as I’m concerned. When those taxes go up, you’ll hear the roar all the way to Union City. And they’ll have to pay Fulton and Atlanta for all the infrastructure they’re inheriting.
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
11:53 am
@ S. Fulton Guy: I used to think Milton County shouldn’t be created simply because of the method that they’re going about getting the county created- allowing only the people up in the area to be carved out to vote when its an issue that affects the entire county. However, when I thought about the returns Fulton County will ultimately receive for their investment in this area, allowing the area that will be Milton County is only a small price to pay for the benefits the rest of Fulton County will ultimately receive from the separation. If North Fulton is really smart enough, they’d stick around and encourage the development of South Fulton like the county did when it absorbed Milton/Campbell counties into itself in 1932.
atlmom
April 19th, 2010
11:57 am
Mary never chaired a committee when she was on council because those positions are appointed by the city council president. She would have done a great job doing it – but she didn’t get to choose..
What has she done? She has been to every inch of this city, speaking with people, in every year she was on council (and before). When no other politician showed up – she was there. election year or not. She worked with property owners to create safe places for people to live – where they could live with their kids, pay their rent, and have safe places, without prostitutes and drug dealers nearby. She has done so much for this city.
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
11:58 am
To follow up on my point, perhaps Ms. Norwood sees the potential of South Fulton; perhaps she sees the necessity and the benefit(s) of letting N. Fulton pull out and go off on their own; perhaps she would be the best person to execute the action of revving up the development of South Fulton. I’m interested in hearing what she would do as Fulton Commission Chair. Even though I don’t live in the county, I’d like to see what plans she has. I’m interested in giving her a chance to demonstrate what plan she has to pull the growth near the airport in the southern part of the county.
MiltonMan
April 19th, 2010
12:02 pm
To all of you South Fulton clowns, if S. Fulton is so great with so much potential, then why are supporting folks that do not want to let go of Milton County? Milton County schools are second to none to the rest of the county.
Cutty, Milton County will go broke? I guess you are to ignorant to read the many reports that state Milton County is viable. I can’t wait until we get rid of those with their hands in our pockets.
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
12:04 pm
@MiltonMan… We’re actually supporting Milton County being formed. Please go back and read the posts.
MiltonMan
April 19th, 2010
12:06 pm
“I’m adamantly opposed to splitting up the county,” Eaves said. “There’s already tremendous Balkanization of the metro area.”
Eaves, we will give you the water hoses since we have never used them like you thought we would.
MiltonMan
April 19th, 2010
12:10 pm
TA, who exactly outside of your weak endorsement is supporting Milton County that you speak of? You guys are so pumped about the potential of S. Fulton. Last time I checked, potential does not pay the bills.
just get along
April 19th, 2010
12:14 pm
I moved to Atlanta because this is the city that is to busy to hate! sounds like a lot of hating going on. Let’s just pick the best person for this city regardless of race.
fultoncounty future
April 19th, 2010
12:17 pm
When Mary runs the county like it should be run, guess what we’ll ALL be better off. FULTON is Fighting other Counties for Jobs and Growth. We need MARY who can get all of us to work together instead of cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Adrian
April 19th, 2010
12:19 pm
@diehard: “Tea Party Candidate?” What paper you readin’? What you smokin’? You drinkin’ Kool-Aid again?
@The late Maynord(sic) Jackson: Dat stem be commin’ out yo neck be you severed brain(?) stem, Maynurd (rhymes with).
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
12:20 pm
@MiltonMan: Last time I checked, North Fulton has a huge congestion problem; Last time I checked North Fulton has far less undeveloped land; Last time I checked, South Fulton has neither of these issues; Last time I checked, South Fulton is near the airport and is getting development. North Fulton may have many things now but rest assured, the lopsided growth of the metro area will move to equilibrium. The price of land in North Fulton is much higher than South Fulton; the accessibility is much better since there’s less congestion; mansions and other upscale homes are already in the area with more businesses soon to come.
Sure, the Fulton County Commission isn’t endorsing the proposed split; however, I do and I don’t even live in the county. I’d like to see North Fulton go out on their own. Then Fulton County can truly focus on developing the southern portion. I believe Fulton County will thrive regardless, whether North Fulton sticks around or not.
As for paying the bills, the bills will always get paid. Atlanta is big enough with a decent tax base that it can handle itself. The incorporated cities in South Fulton has made it and will continue to. Don’t think that the rest of Fulton County is dependent on North Fulton because its not. The rest of the county is sufficient enough to keep moving.
TJ
April 19th, 2010
12:26 pm
@MiltonMan: Milton County is not going to happen. In fact, I bet in 20 years, you’ll be in the vast unspoiled naturalness known as South Fulton County. You guys think its going to be just so easy to start your own county. Have you noticed your home state is flat broke? Who is going to provide your city services, especially once the criminals start targeting your high-income areas? Who is going to provide fire services and police services, plus all the modern amenities of a centralized government AND keep taxes low? It’s not happening. Fulton County will not be divided. The chicken’s head will not be cut.
And also, I heard some NF nut say that “Fulton County is too large to govern.” Apparently they are a victim of Georgia education. California, the most populous state, has 52 counties. Los Angeles County is the largest county in the country with about 11 million people. Fulton County is a fraction of that size with not even 10% of LAC’s population, and you guys are saying “it’s too large to govern”? If anything, Georgia needs to be combining some of these counties together. So, @MiltonMan et al, put your sheets back in the closet, put down the Sarah Palin novel and turn off Fox. Milton County is clearly a race-based idea. You’re not getting your own county at the expense of the rest of us.
S. Fulton Guy
April 19th, 2010
12:31 pm
MiltonMan- What are you and yours waiting for? Isn’t your state rep a part of the republican leadership now? She must not be very effective if her bill to create Milton hasn’t come to a floor vote in any chamber yet.
Pay Fulton for the infrastructure that even S. Fulton’s have paid for up there and be on your merry way. I want you to leave so can be thoroughly happy in your little enclave. Instead of getting on us S. Fulton Clowns, maybe you should be getting on your state rep.
T.A.
April 19th, 2010
12:39 pm
@ S. Fulton Guy: Don’t entertain the comment of ‘S. Fulton Clowns’ that MiltonMan made. It’s pretty clear that people on one end of the county think those who reside on the other end are not intelligent enough. However, you have made an intelligent argument in this discussion that is worth merit. If other people can’t hold a discussion without resorting into personal attacks such as calling people who live in South Fulton ‘clowns’, then they are displaying their gross ignorance and lack of ability to have a civilized discussion.
S. Fulton Guy
April 19th, 2010
12:46 pm
Touche, TA.
Drew
April 19th, 2010
1:01 pm
Even if Norwood weren’t an unprincipled flake, the obvious racial resentment on the part of her supporters would be enough to turn me against her. Really, people. Get over it.
MARY SUPPORTER
April 19th, 2010
1:07 pm
A white woman who cares about Fulton County? Yes, I’m voting for her because we need to SHAKE UP Fulton County. I’m Tired of my Taxes going to an ineffective government.
STOP with the masked reverse racism. A White Woman is AS GOOD as a Black Man.
The Real Politico
April 19th, 2010
1:10 pm
The same people who believe Norwood is qualified for the position also believe Palin is qualified to be President.
dave chappelle
April 19th, 2010
1:17 pm
“These crackers are crazy”
Jason
April 19th, 2010
1:25 pm
@MiltonMan, care to give a source for your assertion that those in the historic boundaries of Milton County provide almost half the taxes to the county? Every time I ask a Milton person for proof of statements like that one, they hem and haw.
The one person who finally gave me some data after asking over and over again turned out to have bad numbers: he was looking at only income from residential property tax. Given that residential property tax doesn’t cover the amount needed to cover the cost of providing services to that property, using it as the only basis for comparison is not convincing.
In addition to the many other sources of county revenue such as sales tax, franchise fees, ad valorem taxes, etc. the county gets a huge stream of money from commercial and industrial property taxes. While “Milton” has some of those areas, most notably Northpoint Mall, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount raised in the middle of the county from those categories of property taxes.
I’d be happy to see Milton recreated along its historic borders. Just like the new cities found out the hard way, running a government, even a minimal services outsourced government, is much more expensive and difficult than it looks. It appears those in the legislature know this, which is why they dangle Milton in front of you all year after year but never actually do it. It is an issue that gets them elected over and over again without them being required to do anything of actual substance to earn your votes.
@Mary Supporter, casting Norwood as an outsider didn’t work in the mayoral election and it won’t work here. She didn’t offer anything of substance during the last election. If she wants to be County Chair, she should learn a lesson from that and tell us SPECIFICALLY what she plans to do. But Mary being Mary will just complain that no one will give her the information she needs and that’s she is helpless to get it herself. But she will be sure that no matter what, when she gets into office, she’ll have the solutions that she can’t even hint to today.
If you really just must have a white woman in that position, there are plenty of them in the county who are much more qualified than Mary. Enlist one of them and let Mary go back to her telemarketing company, annoying everyone with dinner time phone calls.
Just Me
April 19th, 2010
1:34 pm
I guess we can expect to receive a million more unsolicited telephone calls from ONECALLWEB, the for profit robo-call company she owns.
just wondering
April 19th, 2010
1:36 pm
Why there is a continued waste of time and effort forming Milton county. Just about every county and school system is slashing budget items and reducing schools. So the cost and time needed to form a new school system, court house, city hall, police force, etc. is available with all the other issues going on in the state of GA. Someone correct me or give me better insight; I thought GA had a cap on the number of counties it can have so in order for a new county to form, another county will have to merge and cease to exist. Can one of the poly-sci majors help us out on this.
antijason
April 19th, 2010
1:40 pm
Jason, exclusively paid for by “Eave’s for chair”! Wow so hateful Jason. Why are you so afraid. Fulton needs more particiaption from all walks of life. Too bad the Obama effect won’t help out little ole Eaves. By the way what has he done to lower Fulton taxes?
S. Fulton Guy
April 19th, 2010
1:41 pm
JW- They’d have to amend the Constitution, which I believe would require a 2/3rds majority in both houses. Then it would go before those Miltonites to approve it.
Common Sense
April 19th, 2010
1:42 pm
Why not Claire Muller instead?
Whynotmarynorwoodinstead
April 19th, 2010
1:48 pm
Becasue Cliare Muller cannot win a citywide race and she has not annaouced her canidacy. If Lisa Borders wouldn’t be so meanspirited Norwood would have been a cahmpion chairperson…she was not allowed to be by “the powers to be”. The same powers to be that want to control the Fulton BOC. Wake up Midtown and Buckhead. Do you like paying taxes for broken infrastructure, etc. NORWOOD 2010
haterDrew
April 19th, 2010
1:54 pm
Flake…I don’t think so; Not paid enough to come up with something better? Norwood will trunce. Don’t be scared change is a good thing. I support a one term limit on all Local pols! DO YOU?
MiltonMan
April 19th, 2010
2:04 pm
Jason, follow the link clown. Eaves himself stated 40% of revenues come from the North. For those morons, who know nothing, Milton already has a fire & police department which is 1000% better than the crap we got from Fulton County. Also, even if our services were outsourced, they were much better than waht Atlanta & Fulton County could offer – e.g., Fulton County courthouse, fulton county prison both under court orders. Sheriffs department full of corrupt crack heads, fulton county library sued for reverse discrimnation, etc., etc.
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2009/04/15/fulton-secession-movement-still-brewing/#more-18498
Sheila
April 19th, 2010
2:05 pm
I am so glad to hear that Ms. Norwood is running again. She was the only mayoral candidate that had the nerve to address the Atlanta city budget problems and the relentless crimes committed by “thugs” that were released from jails after very short sentences. Good luck, Ms. Norwood!
MiltonMan
April 19th, 2010
2:11 pm
TJ, your ignorance is funny. Crime will all of a sudden hit Milton County when it becomes a county??? You must have been educated in the city of Atlanta with that kind of logic.
Mary Norwood launched Independent Fulton County Commission bid | northfultondemocrats.org
April 19th, 2010
2:41 pm
[...] – Read more — [...]
John Kirkland
April 19th, 2010
2:41 pm
Mary this is great for our city and county. You represent all as I know as me being a true democrat. You want to have accountabilty and finacial responsibilty. I will be on the the badwagon for election. You should have been mayor. Trust me people this woman is real.
Just Me
April 19th, 2010
3:08 pm
Accountability & financial responsibility for Mary Norwood only relate to the profits she receives from making her own political calls from ONECALLWEB. That may be real, but is it ethical?
Georgia is racist
April 19th, 2010
3:09 pm
If she cant win Mayor race what make she going to win county commision race. Georgia is so racist. I knew she was a republican when she was running for mayor. I wondering who Mayor Reed going to support.
Mary Norwood to run for Fulton County Commission post | Fresh Loaf
April 19th, 2010
3:22 pm
[...] AJC’s Jim Galloway this morning brought news that Norwood has announced she’ll challenge Fulton County Chairman John Eaves in this [...]
GaLiberal
April 19th, 2010
3:37 pm
A typical republiNazi stooge that will appeal to the racist white republiNazis that make up North Fulton. She will run on cutting taxes and then claim the budget must to cut to avoid a shortfall. Typical of the republiNazis who only know of one answer for every problem. No wonder the republiNazis only appeal to the lowest common denominator.
I am a gay liberal and support Norwood 1000%
April 19th, 2010
4:45 pm
GAliberal – why all the mean language and hate! Be nice. Go for a walk. Just b/c she is white does not mean she is the devil or a republican! You have major issues!
C
April 19th, 2010
4:52 pm
So glad she LOST to Kasim Reed. How in the heck is Norwood at all qualified to be on the county commission? Let alone being the dang chairman/woman? She is a wannabe career poitician, running on the “I’m a woman and I really really want this” platform. Haha it’s your funeral fulton county, you would be better served electing a bowl of goldfish as your county commission chair.
Keisha
April 19th, 2010
5:58 pm
I LOVE YOU, MARY!!!!!
michael
April 19th, 2010
6:43 pm
Let’s have some civility. If Eaves is so great he should not have to worry. Let the record speak for itself. Fulton is bloated and we residents pay the bills. This midtown gay liberal is for Norwood all the way. Shake it up! The year of the indies! It’s funny how so called liberals are so hateful…..
tom
April 19th, 2010
6:46 pm
http://georgiaunfiltered.blogspot.com/2010/04/mary-norwood-will-be-fulton-countys.html
TJ
April 19th, 2010
10:04 pm
@MiltonMan: All you “NIMBY” counties got hit with crime. Just ask Gwinnett and Cobb and Clayton. Why don’t you show us some facts to back up your argument? Actually, don’t. It’s just a waste of time. Milton’s not happening. North Georgia will secede from South Georgia before that happens.
Go Milton; Fulton's a basket case
April 19th, 2010
10:35 pm
S. FultonGuy; you’ve got it wrong. If a new political entity is created in behalf of its constituents, that entity gets the infrastructure that came along with it–’cause its voters already paid for it. Just look at Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, City of Milton–they all got the former county facilities in their borders and they got it because their tax dollars had already paid for it. Your comment demonstrates how little you know…
I’m not saying a Milton County is the perfect solutio, but its pretty clear how dysfunctional Fulton has been–both County commission and Schools–why do we pay the highest taxes in the state and what do we get for it? With Sandy Springs, I now get effective and responsive local governance and my taxes didn’t increase, but I get more and better service. Gee, how does that happen?
Mary Norwood (I) Running for Fulton County Chairmanship - Peaches in Regalia
April 20th, 2010
3:57 am
[...] Political Insider, brings us word that former Atlanta Mayoral candidate Mary Norwood (I) will be running for the Chairmanship of the Fulton County Commission as an independent: We knew that former Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Norwood was running for something, given her [...]
OceanofWisdom
April 20th, 2010
7:27 am
WONDERFUL ! ! ! Brilliant! THANK YOU MARY ! ! !
Things get better when theres MORE CHOICE on the ballot!!!
e.r.
April 20th, 2010
9:48 am
I just wanted to thank the few people that made comments here concerning their opinions on issues without resorting to racism and vitriol. Some of these comments are obiviously well thought out whether I agree with them or not. It doesn’t take any thought to spew hate or the race card.