Last month, Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood was on track to be Atlanta’s first white mayor in a generation. Now, one race-based run-off later, Atlanta has finally made its choice.
The November 3rd Showdown between Mary Norwood and her African-American opponent, State Sen. Kasim Reed, became less of a political contest to run the city and more of a proving ground between black Atlanta and white Atlanta. When neither Norwood, Reed, or anyone else on the original ballot got more than 50% of the vote, the stage was set for a high stakes run-off between Norwood and Reed. A new election was scheduled for Tuesday, December 1st. Racial lines were drawn, dividing the city ethnically at the polls. And in the end — Reed was named the victor, winning by a mere 630 votes. But as Reed prepared his much anticipated victory speech, Mary Norwood refused to concede. Visibly bothered by the racial overtones that likely caused her defeat, Norwood demanded and got a recount for the “oh-so-too-close-to-call” election result.
On Saturday, the election result was officially certified, maintaining Kasim Reed as the next Mayor of Atlanta. But in Norwood’s mind the question still remains: would SHE have been the next Mayor of Atlanta had it not been for the color of her skin?
