Archive for the ‘Mary Norwood’ Category

It wasn’t the final, final exchange – that happens tomorrow on V-103/WAOK at 8 a.m. Monday morning. (Yours truly will be one of the interrogators.)

However, WSB-TV’s Sunday night debate between the two runoff candidates for mayor of Atlanta was indeed the last televised affair – and resulted in some testy exchanges between Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed.

The set-to last only 30 minutes. Anchor John Pruitt, the sole questioner on this Thanksgiving weekend, immediately asked about “the elephant in the room” – i.e., the racial stuff. Pruitt asked how the city could smooth things over after Tuesday’s vote.

Reed had the first crack. Said he:

We can start on election night by deciding that whomever wins – that if Ms. Norwood is fortunate enough to be elected mayor on Dec. 1, I’ve already committed to go to her side — if she would have me there, immediately — so we can begin healing this city. Equally, if I am fortunate enough to be elected mayor by the people of the city of …

Continue reading Kasim Reed presses on the racial divide; Mary Norwood declares she’s not ‘the mayor’s protege’ »

My AJC colleague Ernie Suggs sends word that the Human Highlight Film has apparently added flip-flopping to his repertoire of gyrations.

On Thanksgiving evening, during half-time of the Atlanta Hawks – Orlando Magic game, basketball great Dominique Wilkins announced that he was endorsing Kasim Reed for mayor of Atlanta.

That’s fine.

But Wilkins’ endorsement comes less than a month after he recorded a robo-call for Mary Norwood, supporting her for the general election.

“In basketball, you just can’t show up for the game. You have to work very hard every day in practice,” Wilkins said on behalf of Norwood in the 24 second call. “Mary Norwood is someone who has always worked hard for Atlanta and not just on game day. Now it is time for us to help her.”

Listen here.

On Friday, from his hotel room in Philadelphia, where the Hawks are playing the 76ers, Wilkins said that since he recorded the call for Norwood, his political thoughts have changed.

“Mary Norwood is a …

Continue reading Dominque Wilkins switches to Kasim Reed »

No buckle-shoed Pilgrims were in sight, and to ask Native Americans to raise their hands would have been rude, but a small group of candidates and voters gathered this week for a Thanksgiving-style session on racial tensions bubbling up in Atlanta’s contest for mayor.

The verdict: We’re better than that, but let’s not examine ourselves too closely.

The topic of race has hung in the background since simple math and the city’s changing demographics both made it clear that, on Tuesday, Councilwoman Mary Norwood stands an even chance of becoming the first white mayor of Atlanta since “The Partridge Family” and bell-bottom jeans.

Even the candidates have been on edge. In a pair of televised debates over the weekend, Norwood and Kasim Reed, the former state senator, tiptoed to the edge of the abyss, peered over — then stepped back.

On Saturday, Norwood said her black supporters had been harassed and threatened. The next day, she said the election wouldn’t turn on …

Continue reading Stepping back from the divide in the Atlanta race for mayor »

Some significant messages are zipping around Atlanta, trying to penetrate the tryptophan haze that’s about to descend on the mayoral race.

The first concerns gay marriage and Mary Norwood. The second is an avalanche of videotaped endorsements about to appear on former mayor Andrew Young’s Facebook page.

A third is from state Rep. Ralph Long (D-Atlanta), he of the sign-stealing video.

Douglas Brooks is an Atlanta attorney, parent of two, and member of the gay community, upset at the state Democratic Party’s opposition to Mary Norwood, an advocate of marriage equality.

Georgia Equality, the state’s largest gay rights organization, has declared its neutrality in the contest. The state Democratic party, by declaring Norwood a Republican, has all but endorsed Kasim Reed – who favors civil unions, but can’t take that one step further toward gay marriage.

Atlanta’s Stonewall Democrats have also endorsed Reed.

Read Brooks’ entire message of frustration here, but these are a few …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Gay marriage in the ATL race for mayor, and another video from Andy Young »

Did you miss the Atlanta Press Club debate between mayoral candidates Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed on Sunday night?

The video has been posted on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s web site. See it here.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Watch Sunday’s Norwood/Reed debate on GPB »

The crazy season has arrived a few days early.

State Rep. Ralph Long of Atlanta, the only elected official now supporting mayoral candidate Mary Norwood, has handed to WXIA a video recording that he says shows someone removing Norwood yard signs – then handing them to a Kasim Reed field office for what appears to be payment.

Long told the TV station that his car was pounded on and he was chased by another vehicle after the African-American lawmaker, armed with a video camera, showed himself to Reed supporters

Here’s the teaser to its 6 p.m. broadcast offered by the TV station.

Long isn’t identified on the video by name, but the WXIA web site does make use of his name. The signs were allegedly removed at the Adamsville natatorium on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, an early voting location. Long allegedly followed the man removing the sign to a shopping center at Linhurst and MLK.

Paul Crawley says that, afterwards, a “shaken” Long came straight to the TV station.

“And frankly, …

Continue reading Ralph Long and a video of yard-sign theft »

The race for mayor of Atlanta became quite snippy over the weekend, with each candidate leveling attacks against the other – Kasim Reed by air, Mary Norwood on the ground.

On Friday, the Reed campaign put the following TV ad in circulation:

The script and sourcing for the claims can be found by clicking here.

The two attacks are linked by the Atlanta budget. The basic Reed claim is that Norwood voted against two property tax hikes that resulted in the furlough of Atlanta police and fire fighters.

“Norwood voted to allow police furloughs. Twice. She made Atlanta less safe,” the ad says.

Over the weekend, the Norwood campaign sent an oversized mailer – large enough to draw the attention of voters. (And hard to scan, too, so that part will take a while.)

“Kasim Reed voted to increase the sales tax and repeatedly supported property tax hikes,” the mailer says.

The Norwood attack gets just as personal as the Reed TV ad, accusing Reed of neglecting to pay property taxes. …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Ground and air attacks in the ATL race for mayor »

A contentious exchange on race relations marked the beginning of Saturday evening’s debate between Atlanta mayoral candidates Kasim Reed and Mary Norwood on WAGA-TV.

Fox 5’s Diedra Dukes opened up the topic by asking Reed whether the mayoral campaign had divided the city by black and white.

Reed responded optimistically:

“I think that the city has made outstanding progress. I think that we both received support both from white citizens and from black citizens. My support in the white community has actually been growing significantly.

“Elections are tough. But I think now that the campaign is down to two individuals, you will see more support that is cross-racial. And I think that is important. Both Ms. Norwood and myself are working toward the best Atlanta – the Atlanta that Dr. [Martin Luther] King talked about.

“I think that we have both conducted ourselves in a way that makes the citizens of Atlanta proud. And as long as we don’t get bogged down in trying to win an …

Continue reading ATL mayoral candidate Mary Norwood says her African-American supporters ‘have been threatened’ »

WSB-TV and InsiderAdvantage today released a poll that, like a survey earlier this week, shows the Atlanta mayor’s race in a dead heat: Kasim Reed at 46.3 percent, and Mary Norwood at 46.1 percent.

This from IA CEO Matt Towery:

“What sticks out in this survey to me is the fact that Norwood does well with men while Reed does better with women. A closer examination explains this: African American men are the least likely to vote, based on our analysis, and African American females are one of the demographics most likely to vote.”

Which could give an advantage to Reed, he said.

The WXIA/V-103/Survey USA poll had Reed slightly ahead, 49 percent to Norwood’s 46 percent. – but the lead didn’t exceed the margin of error, and thus wasn’t statistically significant.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading Another poll shows ATL mayor’s race a dead heat »

The Mary Norwood campaign for mayor of Atlanta just unveiled a supporter-created GOTV rap video. There’s no embed code available, yet, so this link will have to do.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.

Continue reading The Mary Norwood rap »