Apparent Push Poll Pushes Kasim Reed for Mayor of Atlanta
(APN) ATLANTA — A polling firm has been conducting an apparent push poll regarding the 2021 Atlanta Mayor’s race where the poll has been suggestive of Kasim Reed, the former Mayor of Atlanta, as a potential candidate for 2021.
Atlanta Progressive News’s Editor received a phone call on Feb. 20, 2021 from Political Opinion Research and participated in the poll. [There was no screening question asking whether the poll participant is part of the news media industry.]
The poll asked whether Kasim Reed should run again for Mayor, yes or no. [The interviewer did not originally correctly pronounce the former Mayor’s name, asking whether “KASS-’em Reed” should run again for Mayor.]
The poll asked whether “you” would vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms or Kasim Reed for Mayor.
In an especially suggestive question, the poll then asked whether “you” would vote for a candidate focused on “national partisan political issues and is a warrior on social justice” or “local nonpartisan issues that has a plan to address crime, education, and jobs.”
The implication is that Bottoms–in her national media blitz attacking Gov. Brian Kemp over his statewide policy not mandating the wearing of masks during the SARS-CoV-2 (a/k/a COVID-19) pandemic; and in her campaigning for then-Presidential candidate Joe Biden–has neglected local issues in her quest to become a national star.
The poll asked whether “you” would vote for Keisha Lance Bottoms or “a different African American Democratic candidate who has a plan to reduce crime, open our schools, and improve the economy.”
The poll also seemed to attempt to plant the idea that Bottoms might be partially responsible for Atlanta Public Schools schools being physically closed for a year during the pandemic – despite the fact that APS is run by the Atlanta Independent School System, not the City of Atlanta.
Based on the cost of the poll and our general knowledge of who has the resources to conduct such a poll, it appears that the poll was likely conducted by Mr. Reed or his allies.
Former Mayor Reed still has over 166,000 dollars in his Mayoral Campaign, according to a June 30, 2020 Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report (CCDR) filed with the City of Atlanta.
Former Mayor Reed has not wound down his campaign; however, he also does not appear to have filed the required CCDR for Dec. 31, 2020 or Jan. 31, 2021.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Reed and Bottoms are no longer allied together, although Bottoms was a strong supporter of then-Mayor Reed when she was the District 11 representative on the City Council [later being criticized by some for her perceived closeness to Reed].
The Charter of the City of Atlanta prohibits a single person from holding more than two mayoral terms consecutively, although it does not preclude holding more than two non-consecutive terms.
“Any mayor who has been elected for two consecutive four-year terms under the provisions of this Charter shall not be eligible to be elected for the succeeding term.” Charter, Article 3 (Executive), Chapter 1 (Mayor), Sec. 3-101 (Election; term; limitation of terms).
Political Opinion Research provided a phone number for information (678 324-5510); however, upon calling the number, the organization merely provides a recorded message stating that the call was from Political Opinion Research.
Currently, there are two candidates for Mayor: incumbent Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and City Council President Felicia A. Moore.
https://www.feliciamooreformayor.com/
https://keishalancebottoms.com/
If Council President Moore were to prevail, it would be the first time in decades that the City of Atlanta would have a mayor who is independent of the political machine. Bottoms and Reed have just been the latest in a long string of mayors produced by the marriage of Atlanta’s business community and Atlanta’s Black political leadership (former Mayors Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin).
In her historic quest, Moore will have to bring together a citywide coalition that will have to include voters in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhoods.
During her time as Councilperson and Council President, Moore has been accessible to Buckhead voters; look for her to position herself as concerned with Buckhead issues like being tough on crime, lowering property taxes, and fighting corruption in government.
As Moore runs to Buckhead, this has created an opening for a true progressive in the race, especially among Atlantans who are interested in police reform and police accountability.
Enter Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown (District 3), a political newcomer and hypocrite who lacks core values, to attempt to take advantage of this opening. Last year, he introduced legislation to defund the Atlanta Police Department by fifty percent, even though he also thinks police are social workers who help homeless people.
According to several sources familiar with the matter, Brown, unmoved by his federal indictment last year for fraud, is also going around telling people he is planning to run for Mayor (instead of running for reelection for District 3).
To date, Antonio Brown’s CCDR filings and related filings indicate that he is still officially a candidate for District 3; he has not filed to create a campaign for Mayor of Atlanta.
(END / Copyright Atlanta Progressive News / 2021)