Borders endorses Reed for Atlanta mayor

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders endorsed Kasim Reed for mayor Wednesday, saying he was the best candidate to improve the city's finances.

Reed, a former state lawmaker, is in a Dec. 1 runoff with Councilwoman Mary Norwood. Borders, who finished third in last week's general election for mayor, was courted by Norwood and Reed for her endorsement last week.

"(Reed's) ideas for after school recreation centers, his focus on public safety and his willingness to work toward increasing revenue opportunities for Atlanta are in line with my policy objectives," Borders said in a statement.

Norwood campaign manager Roman Levit said his candidate respects Borders' decision, but "voters will make up their own minds at the end of the day" about who is best to lead the city.