Sunday, November 15, 2009, 10:33 PM
News, Opinion, Politics
By Stephanie Ramage

IBPO POLICE UNION ENDORSES KASIM REED FOR MAYOR

Sgt. Scott Kreher, president of the city’s largest police union, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 623, and state Sen. Kasim Reed, candidate for mayor of Atlanta, have confirmed that the IBPO has endorsed Reed for mayor.

“The IBPO supports Senator Reed for Mayor because he clearly understands the urgent need for more officers to be added to the police force. In order to keep our city safe, we cannot be under-manned and under-resourced,” says Kreher, a 17-year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department and national vice president of IBPO.

The endorsement will be made official at an abandoned recreation center tomorrow afternoon. The center was a location agreed upon by Reed and Kreher because it encompasses the shared vision of citizens and the police for a two-pronged approach to public safety: programs that keep young people out of gangs by offering them empowering alternatives and a strong, well-equipped, adequately paid and staffed police force.

Norwood’s vote in 2008 against a half-mill tax increase that would have made this year’s police furloughs unnecessary and her vote last June against the increase that ended the furloughs both figured heavily into the 1,100-member union’s decision.

“Mrs. Norwood cast two votes that caused police to be furloughed, leaving our communities vulnerable to crime and gangs,” says Kreher. “Senator Reed has a commitment and a plan to keep this from happening again.”

Shortly after the furloughs began on Christmas Day 2008, Reed sponsored legislation in the state Senate intended to fast-track a special dedicated stream of revenue made available by a one-mill tax increase to end Atlanta’s police furloughs. The measure became tied up in legal wrangling by the Fulton County Taxpayers Association, a group with much of its base in the Buckhead and north Fulton County areas.

During the furloughs, Atlanta witnessed a string of high-profile murders; reports of carjackings and pedestrian robberies became commonplace.

At a Campaign for Atlanta mayoral forum in July, shortly after the furloughs ended, Norwood said her neighborhood had paid for private security for years.

“In my own neighborhood, we have had a patrol—it is not off-duty police officers, it’s a private security force—and my husband and I have participated in that and paid hundreds of dollars every year since 1984 in addition to whatever taxes,” Norwood said.

I've heard a lot of people begin to call Mary Norwood's genuineness into question, which shows that the general public is catching on to what the officials who work with Mary already know.

Most of her "supporters" aren't voting for her, but rather against something that varies depending on who you're speaking with. Some are voting against black leadership in general (sad) and others are voting against the current City Council (and don't realize that Kasim Reed was in state government Mary was on the Council for 8 years). However, any objective observer is compelled to vote for Kasim Reed because he actually has a record on the important issues and the experience and wherewithal to build a better city.

Sammy
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 7:25 AM

It's interesting that Norwood has become such a champion of public safety after casting a vote that ensured police and fire would be furloughed. The "I couldn't get sufficient information" excuse is a cop out. Once the pressure was turned up, she later voted for a higher increase with the same amount of information.

I'm also concerned about how Norwood disappeared for a couple days last week when Kasim Reed was gaining momentum. If I didn't know better, I'd say she had a breakdown because the next time the press spotted her she slammed the door in their faces. The pressure on her now is nothing compared to what will be on her as mayor. Being mayor of a big city is not for the faint of heart and Norwood's looking rather weak.

Mike
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 7:36 AM