A candidate forum that included the Atlanta City Council post held by Michael Julian Bond turned ugly Thursday when he seemed to get aggressive with his opponent and was asked to move several seats away.
Courtney English, current chairman of the Atlanta school board and a candidate for the at-large council seat, said Bond grabbed him, spewed profanities and made disparaging remarks about his family. English said Bond, son of civil rights icon Julian Bond, became angry as they locked horns over the ongoing controversy concerning property deeds that the school district says the city still refuses to turn over.
“I was shocked and taken aback,” English said Friday, a day after the event held by the activist group Georgia STAND UP. “I’ve never seen adults or politicians act this way.”
Bond vehemently denied English’s characterization of the fracas.
“This is pathetically ridiculous,” he said. “I don’t have to resort to anything physical when I can defend myself with my intelligence.”
A video of the event recorded on Facebook Live shows Bond and English trading accusations of poor leadership back and forth for several minutes. After pointing out what he considered financial mismanagement at APS, Bond, whose time to comment had expired, is seen sitting in a chair next to English and continuing to make his point very close to English's face.
At one point during the confrontation, Bond also is seen pushing away a microphone English seems to be pointing at him to try to capture what the councilman was saying.
Moderator and broadcaster Rashad Richie quickly jumps in and asks Bond to move several seats away from English.
“I understand that people are passionate about what they feel. But councilman, please sir, for the remainder of this forum, do not get in anybody’s else’s face,” Richie tells Bond in the video.
On Friday, Richie told listeners of radio station News Talk 1380 that he heard Bond curse English and saw Bond put his hand on English.
“He said more (curse) words. I’m not going to say all of them,” Richie said of Bond. “He knows what he said.”
Races for Atlanta City Council have played second fiddle throughout most of the campaign season to the contest to succeed Kasim Reed as Atlanta mayor on Nov. 7.
The council will see a significant shakeup after this election, as seven of the 16 sitting members have given up their seats to run for mayor or council president and another has decided not to seek re-election. All but one of the remaining members face opposition.
Harvey Newman, professor emeritus at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, said he was disappointed by the Thursday confrontation, but said he hopes it will bring more attention to the council races.
City council will be critical to the success not only of the next mayor, but the growing list of projects that is being handed off by Reed, including redevelopment of Underground Atlanta, Philips Arena, Turner Field and the potential sale of Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, Newman said.
“These are very important roles in the governance of the city,” he said.
Despite the brouhaha involving Bond and English, said Georgia STAND UP Director Deborah Scott, the more than three hour-long forum was successful and featured debates among all the council candidates.
"What happened yesterday is unfortunate," said Scott, who will have a mayoral candidate forum Sept. 14. "I don't want to focus on the fight but on the passion of residents who came out and stayed for the whole thing."
Both Bond and English apologized after the blow up.
“What just happened should never happen between anybody,” English said shortly after the confrontation. “That’s not OK. I want to apologize because that’s not OK. It’s incumbent on adults to act like adults. There are children in this audience and it’s incumbent upon us to set the example.”
Bond told the audience he was sorry and that what they witnessed was how much he cares for the city.
“I’m very passionate about my public service,” Bond said. “I cannot apologize about that. But if I offended someone, I’m personally sorry.”
MyAJC.com
To see video of the altercation, visit myajc.com.
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