More on First Televised Mayoral Debate
As a supplement to APN’s recent news article, here is more on the first televised Mayoral debate:
On improving police moral, each of the candidates agreed they would not support a policy that would force Atlanta police officers to pay for parking at work.
Borders noted moral is down because officers “spend an inordinate amount of time in meetings,” don’t have “adequate toilet paper or paper towels,” and are not protected with bulletproof vests and would work to improve that situation.
Norwood would set up a Web site where officers could share information and complaints anonymously and receive feedback. Reed would offer scholarships to officers to obtain more education and training at local universities.
Spikes relied on the old stand-by: “get rid of waste and mismanagement.”
Candidates also spent some time discussing how Atlanta could improve its working relationships with other governments, especially the Georgia General Assembly.
“We are clearly not seen as a partner with the state,” Borders said. “We have to go to the state with an open hand,” suggesting the city “present a program that helps all parties.”
Norwood, likewise, said she would “work with both sides of the aisle” to find mutually beneficial solutions to regional problems.
Reed touted his accomplishments as a state senator that benefited Atlanta: coauthoring legislation that created the BeltLine, coauthoring legislation that merged the traffic and city courts; and coauthoring legislation that provided $500 million in low interest loans to pay for water and sewer repairs.
Spikes said the city need to work with state lawmakers to get a regional transportation funding bill passed (bills have stalled in the previous three sessions). He also said the relationships have been in place for some time that make it easier to get these things done.
“The view must be pretty good from the cheap seats,” Reed fired back. “The transfer of MARTA funding has already been done. That bill moved from the Senate into the House…If that was easy to do, somebody else would have done it.”
Overall, the first debate provided a chance for candidates to distinguish themselves and show a large audience how far they’ve come since entering the campaign.
Norwood has been in this race for two years and has plenty of Council experience, two facts she did not shy away from reminding the public about Sunday. Her mix of grassroots and business appeal is attracting plenty of voters but her long-time council tenure may also turn off voters looking for some change.
Borders, likewise, reminded viewers of all the things she has done as a public official and is clearly trying to make this a two-person race between her and Norwood, boiling it down to a choice of who is more experienced. Borders’ experience is bringing in the endorsements (five so far) and also big money from big-time donors. This will keep her in the race but could keep away voters looking for an outsider.
Reed performed well, landing more memorable lines Sunday than his opponents. He went after Borders several times, acknowledging it may come down between he and Borders for a runoff spot against the leading Norwood. If he delivers similar performances in future debates and successfully garners more name recognition, he could give Borders a run for her money. But his status as former Shirley Franklin campaign manager may turn off those unhappy with the current administration.
Spikes took on each candidate Sunday, distancing himself from the current power structure and making the case that Atlanta needs a fresh start to solve its problems. While Spikes offers solid debate and forum performances, it is still not clear what he would do as mayor beyond putting Atlanta’s financial house in order. Still, his outsider message may prove intriguing to voters wary of City Hall insiders.