The race for mayor of Atlanta entered a new phase Tuesday as most of the leading hopefuls took a rainy trip to City Hall to formally register for entry into the Nov. 2 contest.
Tuesday marked the start of qualifying for local candidates, who have until Friday afternoon to file paperwork and pay the $5,529 fee to get their names on the ballot for mayor.
Candidates for City Council also have until Friday to qualify.
Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore and former mayor Kasim Reed — who have a contentious past and are now among the frontrunners in the mayor’s race — visited Atlanta City Hall at the same time Tuesday morning.
The simultaneous visits created a scene among their supporters, who stood in the rain waving signs and chanting for their candidates as their voices competed with the morning bell of the nearby Trinity United Methodist Church.
Reed’s supporters even yelled over Moore during her attempt to address the press after she qualified.
“You may have heard the phrase, ‘Bye Felicia,’ but I’m asking you to say ‘Hi Felicia’ because this Felicia can’t be bought,” Moore said amid the competing chants of: “We are with Kasim.”
Reed greeted the press and his supporters minutes after Moore left. He compared his entrance into a third mayoral race to “putting on an old comfortable sweater.” When asked about his crowd’s behavior, Reed said “my supporters are enthusiastic, and I appreciate every one of them joining me this morning.”
Attorney Sharon Gay visited City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to qualify after the rain and crowds subsided. She called it “a momentous moment,” four months after she announced her candidacy in April. Gay, who has never held elected office, said she’s eager to get off the sidelines in order to “get something done” for the city.
“It does feel real now,” she said. “I was an announced candidate and now I’m an actual candidate.”
Gay said she’s eager to interact with voters to understand what’s important for their families within the community’s larger vision for Atlanta.
Credit: Wilborn P. Nobles III
Credit: Wilborn P. Nobles III
Councilman Andre Dickens pumped his fist in the air as he left City Hall after qualifying for the race. He called it a “fantastic” experience and said he’s “ready to lead this city” because Atlanta requires “a change in leadership” to cultivate a safe and “prosperous” community.
“What we’re going to see is a leader that understands how to be inclusive, a unifier, one that’s going to bring this city back together,” he said before he held a press conference with supporters alongside him at City Hall.
Credit: Courtesy of the Andre for Atlanta Campaign
Credit: Courtesy of the Andre for Atlanta Campaign
City Councilman Antonio Brown’s campaign manager, Lance Jones, said Brown is planning to qualify Friday, around noon.
Residents Kenny Hill and Mark Hammad also qualified for the mayoral race Tuesday. Hill’s platform focuses on public safety, education, affordable housing, city leadership and the economy, according to his website. Hammad’s platform focuses on voter turnout, crime, policing, homelessness, basic services, and accountability.
If prospective candidates can’t pay the qualifying fee, they can qualify as a “pauper” with a petition signed by at least 1% of the eligible voters in Atlanta.
