By 7GenNativeATL

Dec 15, 2008 7:00 PM | Link to this

As a city and as region, we must directly involve ourselves in the selection process of the next Atlanta mayor. Atlanta is the center of the city. It's current machine can stay in place for a very long period of time to the detriment those not well connected. The "machine" will slows growth and resilience of our region. The Machine keeps us in dead last versus our 15 peer MSA's (other similar sized cities) in terms of jobs created, transportation issues, and average house hold income.

I personally support Mary Norwood. She serves as an exemplary public official. She has executive experience starting and running a successful business venture, onecallweb as well as being a high ranking manager for a national chain of radio stations. Her 7-8 years as City Coucil At Large have been on the "right" side of the issues, forcing the 3rd party audit of the mayor, questioning Franklin's the closing of fire stations and rec centers to "punish" the public, bringing the American Civil Engineering Institute in to to a full and FREE 3rd party review of the sewer (which Franklin literally ignored.) She is the only council person that can be relied upon to get anything done with the city on behalf of all its constituents. Others council people do make an effort, but Mary usually succeeds when she attempts to deal with an issue.

We are all sick of the corruption, the mismanagement, and the general lack of service we receive as residents, business owners, and visitors to this otherwise remarkable city. Remarkable for one reason that the City of Atlanta has not been able to drag down the entire region with it, even after nearly 30 years of outright corruption.

Voting for Kasim Reed will keep Franklin's/Jackson's/Young's/Anderson's regime alive and well.

Your vote for Reed will ensure that Atlanta will continue to be a drag on the metro Atlanta region.

Displaying his lack of ethics, he promotes his mayoral campaign by saying he endorsed Obama. The Mayoral campaign is a non-partisan contest. As such, his endorsement has no bearing upon his qualifications. His hype smacks of a desperate ploy to keep his base.

Thankfully, his assumed base realizes that their prospects will never improve while there is rampant corruption, unethical governance, and poorly managed city finances.

Luckily, house party's/listening party's in ALL parts of the city are being well attended, and though hard questions are being asked, people seem to feel confident that Mary will work hard to reform our City. That is why listening parties where his "base" lives, are packed with supportive neighbors willing to pitch in to help Mary go to the Mayor's office. Yes We Can. If Kasim can say it as a candidate, I can say it as a voter. It is not about party. It is about CHANGE.. hard, much needed changes.

Please do consider donating your time and energy to a good candidate, and if I may say so.. please support Mary!

By Grant Parkian

Aug 17, 2008 11:39 AM | Link to this

Clark - It's a no brainer. You've got to fix this.

By Grant Parkian

Aug 17, 2008 11:37 AM | Link to this

Clark - It's a no brainer. You've got to fix this.

By South of Ponce

Aug 13, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this

Go Mary!!!

By Rudy

Aug 13, 2008 12:50 PM | Link to this

Atlanta City government is a shambles of inneptitude, incompetence, greed, racism, mismanagement, misfeasance, and any other acitivity that detracts from that which is good and noble in government. It needs NEW BLOOD at the helm! Not the same old Maynard Jackson cronies or their descendants. Clark Howard . . .do you hear me??

By Callin' Em

Aug 13, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this

Lea O'Neal, another looney tune for Mary Norwood.

By Lea O'Neal

Aug 13, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this

July 2007 my neighbor, Mr. Edward Nurse was murdered in cold blood one exit from our community, Historic Collier Heights.
Eddie was a man who worked hard. He was from the old school and made provisions for his wife to stay at home to raise three lovely little children. Upon learning of the shooting, I called Councilwoman Mary Norwood. The very next day, she and Councilman C.T. Martin arrived at the widows' home. It was a Saturday at 8:00am. I stood there with Mary Norwood as she expressed her condolences with Eddie's wife, Deborah Nurse. Councilpersons Norwood and Martin then drove to the crime scene, a gas station off of I-20 in SW Atlanta. The three of us viewed in horror the blood and brain matter that the police failed to clean up from the ground. We witnessed the sloppy police work and realized that crime-tape had still been left across the parking lot. This is just one example of what it means to be a servant of the people, you have to go where the problems are. Mary is not afraid to come into neighborhoods were poor and elderly people live to show her compassion.
The reason why I am STRONGLY supporting Mary Norwood is because whenever there is a crisis in our community she finds a way to come to our aid and help us navigate the rough political waters. Under the Franklin administration, the corruption in Atlanta has become so huge it would choke a dinosaurs! Mary Norwood is a tiny woman who comes to us with intellectual integrity. I believe she can clean up the corruption from the inside out. Atlanta NEEDS NO NONSENSE NORWOOD to clean up the corruption and criminal behavior at city hall. If ever we need
a CHANGE...NORWOOD would be a change we could be PROUD of.
Lea O'Neal
219 Hermer Circle, NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30311-1103
atlcorruption@yahoo.com

By spfaust

Aug 13, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this

Brent, curb your racism, fella. Cobble didn't say anything about race or desiring a mayor concerned only with "Black" issues. The concerns he mentioned are concerns for all of Atlanta. Only YOU interjected race. time to become a bit more sophisticated. We're a Big-Boy city now.

Just to refresh the memory, here's what the article mentioned with no reference to race:

Atlanta's next mayor must be someone who can deal with issues such as the economy, rising mortgage foreclosures and homelessness, said the Rev. Richard Cobble, a leader of Concerned Black Clergy, one of the city's most influential organizations. The group had talked Monday, before Borders' announcement, about devoting more energy to the mayor's race.

"We're going to be very vigilant," Cobble said. "We're going to see who [candidates are] in bed with and who they're taking money from."

By Brent

Aug 12, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this

hey Rev. Richard Cobble, of Concerned Black Clergy.... understand this... that there ARE actually white people who live, work and pay taxes in this city.

By Wayne

Aug 12, 2008 1:49 PM | Link to this

Let me lay it out plain and simple. Don't vote for Kasim Reed - our state senator. Can't be trusted!!!

If you followed the South Fulton city debacle he screwed up the bill by "excluding" South Fulton when it came to the area that would be the new city. At the same time he got it right when he wrote an identical bill that made up the city of Chatt Hill. Residents feel he was trying to steal away land for Atlanta to annex including Fulton Industrial.

Better still if you check the residential records he appears to live in unincorporated Fulton County while state records show him living in a rented or leased property in land that was annexed by Atlanta a year or so ago. Word has it the area will be seeking deannexation soon.

He carried water for Shirley throughout the South Fulton city hood debacle - meaning he did what he could to help Atlanta and not the citizens of South Fulton who wanted to create a new city.

Clark Howard is most likely the best candidate