Who will be running for Atlanta Mayor in 2017?
ATLANTA - Candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring for Mayor of Atlanta. There are some notables including some seen frequently on TV.
The biggest name of all has not committed, although she is being urged to run. Her name, former Mayor Shirley Franklin.
“I watch out for working people in the middle class. I'm comfortable in the streets, but I'm comfortable in the suites,” said State Sen. Vincent Fort.
Fort is a proud community activist who has a seat in government at the state legislature. He thinks that Atlanta voters will decide to put him in City Hall. He will formally jump into the mayor's race Saturday.
“There is a wealthy condo high-rise on the north side that holds a million dollars for water bills and no one speaks up,” said Fort.
There are a lot of people who think they have what it takes to replace Kasim Reed. In addition to Fort and Franklin, here are some flirting with or already putting together a team to run:
- Ceasar C. Mitchell, the current City Council President
- Mary Norwood, a City Council Member
- Kwanza Hall, a City Council Member
- Cathy Woolard, an entrepreneur and former City Council President
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, an attorney
- Peter Amman, Former Atlanta COO during Reed's first term
Some of those potential candidates spoke with FOX 5 News on Friday about why they would be running:
"When we worked on the beltline, Ryan Gravel and I, worked on the Beltline we had over 90 community meetings and talked to people all over the city to get their vision and then came forward with the plan that reflected people's hopes and aspirations for the city and i think that's the kind of leadership that we need at a City Hall," said Cathy Woolard.
“Well, first of all, I have served in elected office for a number of years, Council President now for seven years. I am a practicing attorney. I work in the business community. I live in the community. So, I face many of the same issues that citizens that I represent face every day,” said Ceasar C. Mitchell.
And there is one potential candidate who got very close in a previous run. Mary Norwood said her strength is her breadth of knowledge of the city.
“We talk about 242 neighborhoods. There actually, when you think about our new high-rise communities, over 300. I have a deep understanding of those communities and an appreciation for them. I think that kind of hands-on is what we need,” said Norwood.
As for Shirley Franklin, she has not given a firm “no” and since she hasn't, her supporters will continue to try to persuade her that she could very well be the odds-on favorite if she jumps in.