The first televised debate of the mayor’s race over the weekend kicked off what’s sure to be a busy and critical week in the election to decide Atlanta’s next mayor. Voters started heading to the polls Tuesday for the first of three weeks of early voting before Election Day on Nov. 2.
Hoping to win over undecided voters and secure a spot in a likely runoff, the candidates pitched their plans to reduce crime at a Channel 2 Action News debate Sunday night, sparring over topics like corruption and the fate of the city jail.
The sharpest back-and-forth involved ethics and Reed’s eight-year tenure at City Hall. The debate came days after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that two of Reed’s personal attorneys said they were told by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that Reed was not a target in the Atlanta City Hall corruption investigation. A third attorney, for Reed’s campaign, said a grand jury probe into his campaign spending also ended without charges.
That wasn’t enough for Moore, who said the Reed administration brought a “cloud of corruption” over City Hall that would be another distraction should he be elected to a third term. That solicited a sharp rebuke from Reed about her vote to increase property taxes in 2009 when Moore was on City Council; she said she didn’t regret that vote because the city was broke at the end of the Great Recession.
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In case you missed it, the AJC held its own forum with the leading mayoral candidates last Monday — your Race for City Hall hosts asked questions about affordable housing policy, coronavirus vaccine mandates, what sets each candidate apart and more. Go to ajc.com to read a recap of the forum, listen to a podcast with our analysis or stream the full event.
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Kasim Reed and Felicia Moore each celebrated endorsements from two unions representing city of Atlanta first responders and employees last week.
Reed stood with supporters at his campaign office on Thursday to announce that the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 134, the union that represents almost 600 Atlanta firefighters, is backing him in his bid for a third term.
“I always want the women and men of our fire department to have the best. The best equipment, the best facilities. … This endorsement is one of the infinity stones” of Atlanta mayoral politics, Reed said, referencing the six all-powerful gems from the Marvel “Avengers” movies.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
The Professional Association of City Employees Union, which represents Atlanta’s employees, is endorsing Moore, her campaign announced last week.
“Felicia Moore’s reliable insistence on transparency, plus her many votes to move legislation that would help our City of Atlanta employees with salary increases, pension reform, as well as her work holding department heads accountable, make her the best choice to lead the city of Atlanta,” PACE President Gina Pagnotta-Murphy said in a statement.
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Latino issues took center stage last week when candidates gathered at a mayoral forum organized by and for the Hispanic community. The event was billed as the first of its kind in Atlanta history, as mayoral hopefuls addressed issues important to the Latino community. Lautaro Grinspan has the story.
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A review by the Georgia News Lab found some apparent shortcomings in the personal finance disclosures of the three current city officeholders in the race: Moore filed her disclosure late, Dickens did not list some companies of which he is an officer or trustee and Brown did not file a report at all.
Only current officeholders are required to file the disclosure statements, which show their personal financial interests, meaning Reed and Gay were exempt; neither filed a report.
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What’s coming up:
- 11Alive will hold a mayoral debate today.
- On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Buckhead Business Association and Livable Buckhead are hosting a mayoral forum at Chastain Horse Park starting at 7:15 a.m.; candidates will share their vision for the Buckhead community amid the renewed discussions over Buckhead cityhood.
- Reed is joining rapper Killer Mike for an “intimate, fireside-chat” on Thursday at Switchyards, the startup hub with locations around the city.
- A City Council District 1 candidate forum co-hosted by the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill and the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corporation is happening on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. It’ll be live-streamed on Facebook.
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We’ll leave you with this: At a recent forum, the mayoral candidates were asked to sing a few lines of their favorite song. It did not disappoint. Moore sang “Golden” by Jill Scott, while Brown rapped a few lines of “The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby. Dickens chose “Elevators (Me & You)” by Outkast while Reed crooned “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls.
As always, send us any feedback or story tips! We’re at jdcapelouto@ajc.com and wilborn.nobles@ajc.com.
