Mary Norwood, the former Atlanta city councilwoman who narrowly lost two bids for mayor, is seeking a return to City Hall. She told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that she plans to run for an open council seat this year.
“I’m delighted to be running and I have always enjoyed being at City Hall,” she said. “And I hope to go back.”
Norwood plans to run for the seat currently held by J.P. Matzigkeit, who announced Monday he does not plan to seek reelection. The district includes the western half of Buckhead. Norwood said she filed the legal paperwork Tuesday allowing her to accept campaign contributions.
Norwood currently serves as the chair of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, a powerful coalition of neighborhood associations that advocates on issues related to Atlanta and Buckhead. She ran for mayor in 2009 and 2017, losing both times by less than 1,000 votes to Kasim Reed and Keisha Lance Bottoms, respectively. Before that, she served on the council for three terms.
In December, Norwood made headlines after she signed an affidavit that was included in one of the so-called “Kraken” lawsuits intended to invalidate Georgia’s 16 electoral college votes for Joe Biden. Her affidavit outlined her own experiences in the 2009 and 2017 elections and what she believed were weaknesses with the matching of signatures surrounding absentee ballot votes.
In a statement announcing her candidacy, Norwood said her priorities include public safety, city services and neighborhood zoning. She said she appreciates the work Matzigkeit has done for the district since he took office in 2018.
Matzigkeit, who is serving his first term, said in a newsletter to constituents that his position on council has become the equivalent of a full-time job on top of his role as chief financial officer for a tech-fitness company.
“Two demanding full-time jobs for four years required more sacrifices than I anticipated,” he said. “I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do through the end of 2021. I’ve learned more than I imagined and have loved every minute of it.”
Since being elected in 2017, Matzigkeit said his top priorities have been public safety and good government. In the last year, he has pushed for additional security and police patrols along Buckhead’s commercial corridors.
The council president seat will also be open this fall, as current council President Felicia Moore announced last week she plans to run for mayor, challenging incumbent Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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