The Race for City Hall: The first debate brings out the attacks
Tension between mayoral candidates — especially Councilman Andre Dickens and former Mayor Kasim Reed — is starting to build as the hopefuls look to persuade the large swath of undecided voters with just two weeks to go until early voting starts.
Moments of intensity were on display last Tuesday at the first true debate of the campaign season, hosted by Kiss 104.1 radio host Frank Ski.
Candidates seized at chances to criticize the federal investigations into Reed’s administration. At one point, in a moment that has since made the rounds online, Dickens asked Reed, “How can voters trust what you say in the future if you so willingly didn’t tell the truth in the past?”
Reed didn’t hold back.
“As usual, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and voters trust my opinion enough for me to be No. 1 and for you to be in the single digits,” Reed said. “So you’ve vacated your role, and now your career is falling apart and you’re losing.”
Reed said the federal government investigated “multiple contracts” at the airport and found that “there has been no systemic corruption found at Hartsfield-Jackson,” or anything directly involving him. Reed then said Dickens should talk about legislation he sponsored “to give the biggest rebate to airport vendors in history,” and said lobbyists tied to that measure have given to Dickens’ campaign.
We caught up with Dickens at a campaign event on Friday to get his thoughts on Reed’s response.
“He didn’t answer my question about corruption. ... He’s his old self. Nothing has changed,” Dickens said, adding that the legislation Reed referred to provided rent reductions to airport shops and restaurants since there was a drop in passengers during the pandemic.
There were also some moments of levity. After Reed’s response to Dickens, Councilman Antonio Brown quipped “where’s the tea,” which is slang for gossip.
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Two new TV ads in the mayor’s race hit the airwaves last week. City Council President Felicia Moore debuted her first ad of the campaign cycle, focusing on her background and time in City Hall, while Reed dropped his third, highlighting his experience as mayor.
That makes four top candidates with ads on your TVs.
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The Dickens campaign is calling out the other candidates for not yet releasing their tax returns. Over two weeks ago, Dickens released his taxes, disclosing that he’s paid $93,681 in federal taxes since 2017. He issued a challenge for other candidates to release their tax records by Sept. 15, and Moore and Reed said they would do so.
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The endorsement corner: Reed has announced endorsements from several labor unions to show his support for workers.
Representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Georgia Local 1644, the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees, and the Southeast Council of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union lauded Reed’s candidacy at the former mayor’s campaign headquarters last week.
In other endorsement news, Dickens gathered on Friday with over a dozen local faith leaders who are putting their support behind the two-term councilman.
“We have a candidate who practices humility, who is decent, who is not always rushing for attention or seeking the spotlight,” said Rev. Kenneth Alexander of Antioch Baptist Church North. The event was held outside New Horizon Baptist Church, where Dickens is a deacon.
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Several of Atlanta’s 14 mayoral aspirants recently called out some organizations for only focusing on the city’s leading candidates.
Kirsten Elise Dunn, Nolan English, Mark Hammad, Kenny Hill, Rebecca King, Roosevelt Searles III, Richard Wright and Glenn Wrightson held a joint press conference outside City Hall Thursday to criticize the press and private organizations for excluding them from coverage and forums.
Brown, Dickens, Gay, Moore and Reed are the only candidates who cracked over 1% in the AJC’s recent poll of 842 likely voters. But Hammad told us he’s talked to voters who think there are only five candidates running, and that “they don’t like any of them,” so those residents don’t plan to vote.
“The only key conclusion from early polling is that many voters are undecided. This suggests they want and deserve to hear from ALL candidates,” a press release from the candidates stated.
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Reed is holding a “Washington D.C. for Kasim Reed” fundraiser in the nation’s capital on Thursday. This past Saturday, his campaign held a “Los Angeles for Kasim Reed” fundraiser hosted by Jamie Foxx.
Because of that, he missed a forum hosted by the Old Fourth Ward Business Association on Sunday at Ponce City Market.
“One of our mayoral candidates is in California today and we wish he was here with us today,” local journalist and moderator Sean Keenan said before the event.
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What’s coming up:
- This Thursday, Sept. 30 is the deadline for candidates to submit their latest campaign finance reports before early voting begins Oct. 12.
- The Arts Vote ATL Planning Committee is hosting a forum focused on the arts on Monday at the Woodruff Arts Center.
- Partners for HOME and the Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative are hosting a virtual mayoral forum at noon on Friday, Oct. 1 to focus on homelessness.
- The TransFormation Alliance and several other organizations are hosting a series of virtual forums for Atlanta’s City Hall candidates. Register online at Eventbrite to hear from the City Council President candidates and Post 3 At-Large candidates at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
- In one week, your Race for City Hall hosts will be discussing the key issues in this year’s race with Atlanta’s five leading candidates for mayor on Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. RSVP at ajc.com/conversation to join our Community Conversation series.
As always, please send us any story tips or feedback at Wilborn.Nobles@ajc.com and jdcapelouto@ajc.com.
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers the Atlanta mayor's policies for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wil (not "Willie" or "William") previously covered Baltimore County government at The Baltimore Sun, but he never finished "The Wire." He also covered education for the Times-Picayune in his hometown of New Orleans, so he tries to avoid discussions about football. Wil used to play tuba for his high school marching band, but he eventually put down his horn to intern at The Washington Post. The Louisiana State University graduate enjoys gardening, comedy, and music.
J.D. Capelouto is a local news reporter covering City Hall and all things intown Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His work focuses the City Council, neighborhood issues, public safety, housing and transportation. J.D. was born and raised in Atlanta and has lived in the city all his life, except for four years at Boston University, where he studied journalism and learned how to dress for cold weather. He’s been with the AJC since 2018, and has previously written for The Boston Globe and the Thomson Reuters Foundation. When he’s not reporting or scrolling through Twitter, J.D. enjoys pop culture podcasts, “Survivor” and visiting various pools around Atlanta.
About the Authors
J.D. is a local news reporter covering intown Atlanta and Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He began covering DeKalb County Schools for The AJC in November 2020. He previously covered Baltimore County for The Baltimore Sun and education for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He interned at the Washington Post. He graduated from Louisiana State University.
