Voter discontent is key in Atlanta's mayoral election -- Disaffected residents could be deciding factor

Eric Stirgus writes in the ajc:

The Rev. Timothy McDonald looked around the Park Tavern stage Wednesday and saw several familiar faces.

In 1989, many of them supported Maynard Jackson’s third successful bid for Atlanta mayor. A generation later, here they were again, united behind the mayoral candidacy of Kasim Reed, promising to help him win the Dec. 1 runoff against City Councilwoman Mary Norwood.

Since Jackson’s first mayoral victory in 1973, the first time a black candidate won the job, most African-American residents have looked at the city’s black leadership as a vital cog that has opened the doors to higher-paying jobs and fostered a better quality of life.

Over the years, a small minority has questioned the effectiveness of the city’s African-American leadership, but those voices are growing this year and could tip the scales to Norwood and make her the city’s first white mayor in 36 years.

Norwood won nearly one-quarter of all votes in majority black precincts on Nov. 3, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of election results shows. That support helped her capture nearly 46 percent of the vote citywide, besting the five other candidates on the ballot but still not enough to win the election outright.

The AJC analysis shows, however, that Norwood won or tied in just five of the 102 precincts in which African-Americans are the majority of all voters. Reed won or tied in 99 of those 102 precincts. Still, Norwood’s showing was better than most white mayoral candidates have fared among black voters.

The disaffected African-American voters are people such as Ora Cooks, a retired Clark Atlanta University professor who is active in civic affairs and is troubled by how city money has been spent. She is supporting Norwood, saying the candidate has been present for years in her community and backed its residents’ battle against a church that tore down a building in their neighborhood.

“In the South, we like face time. We like for folks to show up, and she’s been there,” said Cooks, 68, who lives in Oakland City.

Reed said he is aware of discontented black voters and recognizes he needs a larger percentage of their support to win the runoff. The former state senator said he needs to show black voters across the city the “personal attention” people such as Cooks demand.

“I think they’re coming [around to support me],” Reed said. “I think you will see a substantial shift the more I have an opportunity to campaign for them.”