As the administration of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin draws to a conspicuously quiet and non-descript conclusion, an inflammatory ‘Black Mayor First’ memo is gathering political and cultural steam. It has colored the context of the race for mayor of Atlanta and provided an inflammatory backdrop for the election process. Moreover, front-runner Mary Norwood, the single white Democratic candidate, is poised to become the first Caucasian mayor in Atlanta in more than 36 years. That was the year the legendary Maynard Jackson first rolled into office and transformed this mid-sized city into a booming metropolis and spawned an era of unprecedented black prosperity.
Rolling Out took the time to interview each of the three main candidates – City Council President Lisa Borders, state senator Kasim Reed, and city councilwoman Mary Norwood – to discuss their vision for the future of the Capitol of the New South:
What is your vision for the city of Atlanta?
Lisa Borders: I have had the privilege of serving as president of Atlanta City Council. We’ve accomplished a lot in the city: we completed Atlantic station. We’ve completed the fifth runway. We consolidated the courts, we saved the taxpayers 10 million dollars. But today, Atlanta is broke and broken. We need someone who can actually fix the city. I bring not only commitment and competence and compassion to the city of Atlanta. We’re here tonight at the National Black MBA forum along with the Atlanta Business League. As a life time member of the Black MBA and as a business owner and member of the ABL, I believe I have the skill set to fix what is broken. I offer myself as a continued public servant, having served five years as president of the city council to finish the work that has yet to be done.
Mary Norwood: I have been involved in the city for 20 years. I know every part of the city intimately. I know what the issues are, I know what their hopes and concerns are. I will keep the city safe. I will fix the finances. And I will grow this entire city and bring prosperity to all the city. It is truly a city where we have not taken care of our citizens and we have not provided them with the quality of life that they expect and that they deserve. I will make that happen.
Kasim Reed: I’m a Georgia State senator. I am the best candidate for mayor of atlanta because of what I’ve done. When Atlanta has big challenges to stand up to, I have been there. When it was time to fix the city’s water and sewer crisis I was there. When it was time for senior citizens to afford their property taxes, I cut taxes and raised the homestead exemption, I was there. When it came time to adequately fund the the beltline, I was there. When it was time to help young people reform the educational system and reporting structure for Atlanta city schools, I was there. When it was time to protect Peachcare kids … and the Peach Care program [and] 17,000 [from] losing their healthcare, I was there. When it was time to impose a 1,000 SAT [score] for the HOPE scholarship program, I was there. So I have been there time and time again for the city of Atlanta. And I look forward to having the opportunity to leading you as your mayor.
What steps will you take as mayor to improve the educational system and graduation rates in a city that has a 50 percent dropout rate?
Borders: We need to have relationships with the city of Atlanta and students so they can understand the practical application of what they’re learning in schools. Kids feel like they are learning static information and there’s no way to use it, nor do they feel they are going to use it. So I think if they had internships in the summer and perhaps even during the school year they could understand what businesses are in this city, what type of jobs are available to them, and what kind of skills they must bring to those jobs to be successful. So marrying the business needs with the educational needs of the students would be one of my signature items I would try to work through.
Norwood: In order to have the city work for us again we have to fix the finances. That means a top to bottom audit on how much money the city has and how much the city owes. The city has a fiscal crisis. Doing that we can allocate the resources to bring the prosperity that we need to bring to the city. We have to enforce the codes, pick up the trash, get the city safe. We need to have fixing broken windows, we need to deploy community policing. We need to deploy code enforcement in a truly comprehensive manner. There’s no reason why citizens who take great care of their property are dragged down by absentee landlords, by land-banking, by mortgage fraud, by illegal dumping — all the plagues that harm our city. I will make sure its now allowed. It will be a safe city. It will be a pristine city and all the citizens will enjoy the quality of life they deserve.
Reed: First thing we can do, we can open every recreation center and swimming pool in the city of Atlanta, so our young people have structure and have somewhere to go in their lives. We can transform them into centers of hope. We can provide tutorials in the areas of science, technology and engineering and mathematics. We can extend the hours of rec centers to 8 p.m. so that mom and dad don’t have to worry where their sons and daughters are, and make sure they are absolutely safe. We can set a goal in Atlanta to reduce the dropout rate in Atlanta by 3 percent every single year over 4 years. But we have to set the goal and put the resources behind the objective and get it done.
Would electing a white mayor, combined with gentrification, signal the end of the “Black Mecca” that Atlanta has been known to be around the nation?
Borders: What I would tell you is that Atlanta is the Capitol of the New South. We still have some significant [work] to do here on race relations. It is true and it is clear that the river of race runs through every conversation we’re having, whether its about public safety, education, housing or water. So the first thing we have to do is acknowledge that. But more importantly rather than just speak about it. What we have to do is deliver results. We need a city that’s financially stable. We need a city that is safe. We need a city where opportunities abound for everyone and that we’re clear that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their full potential. So as mayor of the city of Atlanta, I intend to continue the legacy left by Maynard Jackson, my mentor, who created the MBE project. Who actually built Hartsfield-Jackson which leveled the playing field for African Americans so they could in fact work in the city, have contracts with the city and continue to be successful in the city. Today it’s not just a black and white city. We have brothers and sisters from around the world. So we must continue to be an international and inclusive city so that it offers the strength to lift all of us up.
Reed: I don’t have any concerns about it at all. I think that talent can merit can determine the next mayor of Atlanta. And I’m comfortable standing on my merits and on my record. This election is going to be about performance and who is able to deliver concrete results. We should not have concerns that we have a diverse slate of individuals who are offering themselves for office. It’s a healthy thing. It’s a part of the dream that we sold and the vision that Atlanta be a diverse city and an inclusive city. And I am enjoying the process of competing for the mayor of the city of Atlanta.
