Group to mayoral candidates: Don't fan racial flames in campaign

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A group of ministers urged Atlanta mayoral candidates Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed to avoid race-based appeals to win votes in the Dec. 1 runoff.

D.L. Winston, president of the Greater American Ministerial Association, said he's worried that political analysts and campaign advisers will "fan the flames of racial polarization." The association, which Winston said includes 60 area churches, wants the candidates to focus on the issues.

"We are saying to the candidates, avoid gutter politics and raise the bar of unity," said Winston, pastor of Greater Works Assembly in southeast Atlanta.

He added, "If you fan the flames, Atlanta will burn again."

Reed, a former state senator, is African-American and Norwood, a city councilwoman, is white, and many community leaders are worried about a nasty runoff that splits Atlanta along racial lines. Although both campaigns targeted voters in all parts of the city in Tuesday's general election, Norwood dominated in predominantly white precincts in the city while Reed pulled the most votes in districts where African-Americans are the majority.

Winston also urged voters to focus on the issues and not vote based on race.

Norwood campaign manager Roman Levit said the candidate agreed with the group's appeal.

"Mary welcomes the sentiments expressed by the ministers, and her whole campaign has been about bringing Atlanta together and solving our problems through common purposes," he said.

Reed spokesman Reese McCranie made a similar commitment.

"Senator Reed has spoken about issues that affect Atlanta and will continue to do so in the runoff," he said.

Meanwhile Thursday, Reed met former campaign foe Lisa Borders and appealed for her support in the runoff.

Borders, the outgoing City Council president, captured 14 percent of the vote Tuesday. Still, Reed wants her endorsement, which could help him win votes in City Council districts 2 and 6, where she had her best showing; those districts have more registered voters than any part of Atlanta. Borders also raised $1.3 million, much of it from city business leaders, and her fund-raising help would be useful in the runoff.

Borders said she will meet with Norwood Friday morning.

Borders and Reed, who sparred with an increasingly bitter tone in the final two weeks of the campaign, talked for more than an hour Thursday, and the two insisted there were no hard feelings.

"We understand that campaigns are campaigns and governing is governing," Reed said.