This year, only 24 percent of Atlanta voters came out to cast ballots in the off-year municipal election (contrast that with the 41 percent electorate that brought the first female black mayor, Shirley Franklin, into office eight years ago). Of the three contestants this year, Mary Norwood was the front runner and stood to be the first white mayor in 36 years. With no clear winner, after the election there was a mayoral run-off between black man, Kasim Reed and white woman, Mary Norwood.
Though the race wasn’t about “race” , the CS monitor reported: “A milestone came in August, when a memo penned by two Clark Atlanta University professors brought race into the campaign by pointing out the importance of keeping blacks in control of City Hall.”
Apparently, others agreed and though she was the front-runner in the original race, Norwood took home an L after the run-off.
(CNN) – An elections board certified Kasim Reed on Saturday as the winner of the Atlanta mayoral runoff election by a margin of 620 votes.
Barry Garner, director of Fulton County’s elections board, told CNN on Saturday that former state senator Reed was declared the winner of last Tuesday’s runoff election against City Councilwoman Mary Norwood.
Garner said Reed received 42,348 votes compared with Norwood’s 41,728.
Norwood has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to request a recount, Garner said. He said if a recount is requested, it will begin Wednesday morning.
In the initial vote among eight contenders, Norwood received 45 percent of the votes to Kasim Reed’s 37 percent. Lisa Borders came in a distant third with 14 percent of the vote, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A candidate needs 50 percent plus one vote to avert a runoff.
Atlanta has had black mayors since Sam Massell, the last white mayor, was defeated in 1973.
Article by FreshXpress Staff
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I currently live in Atlanta and I think that the close election of Kasim Reed should serve as a warning shot to the political establishment of the city. Mary Norwood is a lightweight and looked down upon by most informed people in Atlanta. With 8 years on City Council, she’s never been asked to chair a committee and has missed votes for some of the most important legislation. Kasim Reed is a well respected legislator with a proven record. He raised the most money in the campaign and still only came within 620 votes of losing. Something is wrong here. People were casting votes for Mary, I believe, because she’s White. With a Black mayor system, she symbolized change, even if it was only superficial. Cities like Atlanta with a history of Black leadership could go the way of the Norwood’s of the world for the sake of perceived change. I’d be cautious of this in the next election.