State Sen. Vincent Fort officially jumps into Atlanta mayoral race

Marijuana, no more private-parking enforcement, and anti-displacement measures top progressive state senator’s platform

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State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, officially tossed his hat in the ring of Atlanta’s crowded race to choose its 60th mayor, saying he aims to decriminalize marijuana, ban private parking enforcement, and stop displacing people to make room for luxury developments.

Fort, a well-known rabble-rouser and one of the Gold Dome’s most progressive lawmakers, kicked off his campaign on Saturday at the Westgate Shopping Center, a rundown retail complex in Southwest Atlanta.

“When I first came to Atlanta, this place was very busy,” Fort said in the strip mall parking lot. “It had Mr. V’s nightclub, Dairy Queen, a movie theater; It was a vibrant location. But it’s not just the fact that this is in District 11. It’s the fact that there are hundreds of neighborhoods like this in Atlanta that are in decline and deteriorating.”

The senator has joined a jam-packed contest with about a dozen other candidates, including a slew of current and former city council officials such as Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, former City Council President Cathy Woolard, and the city’s former chief operating officer, Peter Aman, among others. City Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose district includes the Westgate Shopping Center, is also in the race.

Fort, whose platform calls for strengthening Atlanta’s Citizens Review Board, repairing its public school system, and upping affordable housing options, among other goals, said he’s not concerned about the competition.

He told CL “all the serious candidates are from City Hall,” and they’ll have to answer to past policy choices. “They’ve been at City Hall for 10 or 20 years, and either they’ve said nothing or they’ve collaborated with big shots to take over neighborhoods,” he said, pointing to pricey sports stadiums. “I’m not concerned with my competitors because they’ve either been quiet or they’ve worked with billionaires to strain taxpayers for stadiums and that kind of thing.”

The senator, who’s been a rumored candidate for months, was flanked by workers union officials, civil rights activists, and former Democratic state Rep. Georganna Sinkfield. A few passionate Fort-backers voiced their pride in having spent the night in jail with the senator after protesting.

Harvey Newman, a professor emeritus at Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ Department of Public Management and Policy, says he’s unsure if Fort’s progressive stance will resonate with enough voters in Atlanta. Plus, he said, some of the other mayoral hopefuls, included well-funded candidates such as Mitchell and Aman, have better access to campaign contributions, which could play a big role in the 2017 election.

He also thinks that Fort’s protests against Atlanta’s business community and so-called “establishment” could cost him some campaign backing. Newman noted that Fort will also be competing for votes against another candidate who bucked Atlanta’s political establishment in the past: Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood. The Buckhead resident, who narrowly lost the 2009 election to Reed, has close ties to some neighborhood groups and the northside’s predominantly white and affluent neighborhoods.

“I don’t see him having that broad appeal that represents the tradition of people who have been elected mayor of the city of Atlanta, particularly in this very crowded field,” Newman said. “If the city’s ready to make an abrupt change, he might do well. If not, not so well.”

Fort said he is not too worried about bankrolling his campaign either, saying he will have enough cash to “do the things I need to communicate my message and create organization.”

There’s also the issue of whether Fort’s frequent head-butting with Reed will play a role in this election. The senator has publicly sparred with the mayor over the sale of Fort McPherson to filmmaker Tyler Perry, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Park Atlanta, and other issues.

Neither Newman nor Fort thinks the campaign will be affected by the beef. Fort said, “Mayor Reed in January of 2018 is gone…Whether he likes me or not is the least considered thing in my life.” And if elected, Fort said he won’t stop marching in protests for progressive movements. “City Hall ain’t gonna change me; I’m gonna change City Hall,” he told CL.