I am also from ATL. I agree with you on everything except the results of the runoff.
First of all, I have no real dog in the fight. I work in ATL but live outside and am only active in my hometown politics.
However, there is no way a white person will beat a black person for the ATL mayor’s job. Here are just a few reasons:
- The current (black) Shirley Franklin has not royally screwed anything up, if anything she has done IMHO a relatively decent (for ATL standards) job considering the pile she was handed by her predecessor. So to the extent there could be a “throw the (black) bums out” factor I dont see it here.
- While ATL ostensibly claimed to be “the city to busy to hate” there is no way the local or national media is going to let a black v white conflict turn out as a bad bellwether omen for the Messiah. If there is a runoff just can’t imagine how bad the rhetoric would be. They would have to print race cards by the millions. I can imagine a radio ad implying that the King Center would be shut down under a white mayor.
If I am wrong I will run down Peachtree Street butt naked.
I live near downtown Atlanta south of I-20 and I see a lot of Mary Norwood signs in my neighborhood.
Mary has been campaigning for the last two years in neighborhoods all over Atlanta. A black state rep. from south Atlanta has endorsed Mary because of her "accessibility".
Shirley Franklin has not royally screwed anything up . Wrong. The crime in intown Atlanta is way up. The police commissioner, who plans on leaving when the new mayor is elected, is no where to be seen.
Shirley did all right in her first term, but she hasn't done anything in her second term but coast.
Also, six city council members are running unopposed. No interest in coming out to vote for them. The two black mayoral candidate live in the same district, so their "home base" is split.
I think Mary Norwood, the white candidate for mayor of Atlanta, has a good chance to win.