By Steve Visser

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta mayoral candidate Lisa Borders lashed out Wednesday at a letter from a purported student group accusing her of neglecting security at Clark Atlanta University where she is a trustee.

The anonymous letter addressed to Board Chairwoman Juanita P. Baranco demanded Borders’ removal from the board if trustees could not account for her contributions to campus security.

Attempts to identify and interview representatives of the group that called itself Coalition of Concerned Clark Atlanta University Students were unsuccessful.

At a press conference, Borders, who is president of the Atlanta City Council, called the letter a political stunt and implied it was arranged by one of her competitors in the mayoral race.

“I remain unwilling to use the murder of a young woman for political ends,” she said. “Any person willing to do so fails to comprehend basic human decency and the bounds of political rhetoric.”

She didn’t name any suspects.

The coalition said Borders “smacks of political opportunism” for citing her campus safety plan that she released six days after the killing of Spelman sophomore Jasmine Lynn on Sept. 3 on the Clark Atlanta campus. “As students our lives are not fodder to be used in a campaign to advance Ms. Borders’ political ambitions,” the letter said.