Hal Lamar is… Inside Atlanta
The Race for Atlanta Mayor 2021
“Are you gonna run, too?”
After Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms decided not to seek another four years as head of our home town, candidates for the post have popped up faster than toadstools after a heavy rainfall.
The list of certain, possible and maybe candidates have intrigued many including The Atlanta Inquirer. Lately, Inquirer Publisher/Editor John B. Smith, Jr. and I have spent a good portion of evening hours sizing up the possibilities. Some saved us the trouble of tossing their hats into the ring and have already declared themselves.
To whit…
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- Felicia Moore
The current president of the Atlanta City Council and native of Indianapolis Indiana announced her candidacy to challenge Mayor Bottoms in late January of this year. But now with no incumbent to challenge, she waits to see who will challenge her. But while waiting, she has reportedly managed to raise almost $500,000 for her campaign with 82% of those funds coming from city residents.
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- Antonio Brown and Andrew Dickens
Both are also members of council (this is going to leave some empty chairs on council but you can bet pretty soon, wannabes will be grabbing for those seats). Brown, a political neophyte , accentuates his own chances by pointing to his surprising win for City Council district 3 in 2019 over former Atlanta school board member and native son Byron Amos. Dickens, meanwhile is an Atlanta native, B. E. Mays High School graduate, and Georgia Tech graduate. He was elected to his city-wide District 3 post in 2013. He has served the post the last near 8 years.
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- Sharon Gay
She is a political newcomer and an attorney with the Denton Law firm of Atlanta.
There are also several others thinking things over: Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, William Gentry, former State Senator Jason Carter (grandson of former Georgia Governor and U.S. President Jimmy Carter), former councilmember and former candidate for Mayor Mary Norwood, Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koning and community activists Antonio Lewis and Tiffany William Roberts.
On our watchlist: Former councilmember H. Lamar Willis; former councilmember and WAOK afternoon talk show host Derrick Boazman; former city council president Kathy Woolard; attorney, 2017 mayoral candidate and former council president Caesar Mitchell; WAOK talk show host Rashad Ritchey; former ITC and Morehouse College President Reverend Dr. Robert Franklin; political activist Al Bartell; former Fulton County Commission chair John Eaves; and former councilmember; and 2017 candidate for mayor and 5th district congressmember for one month (filling out the remainder of a term for the late John Lewis) Kwanza Hall.
A question on the minds of many Atlanta voters is whether another Black person can be elected to the mayor’s chair or will the city see its first white CEO since Sam Massell in 1971? Consider this. According to Ballotpedia, a national non – profit and nonpartisan “digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections,” African-Americans constitute 52.9% of the city’s population versus 40% for whites. Hispanics make up 5%, Asian-Americans 3.9% and Native Americans 0.2%. And don’t forget, those of you who’ve made your intentions known or still thinking about it: the deadline for filing is August 20. The election is November 2.
Last updated on May 23, 2021
