“NEWSMAKERS” LIVE  ENDORSES  MARY NORWOOD

IN 2009, NEWSMAKERS LIVE DID WHAT NO OTHER BLACK OWNED MEDIA COMPANY AND PUBLICATION DARED TO DO WHEN WE ENDORSED MARY NORWOOD OVER THE EVENTUAL WINNER—MAYOR KASIM REED.

THAT PROVED TO BE A COSTLY AND CONTROVERSIAL DECISION.  WE PAID A PRICE WITH OUR SUBSCRIBERS AND PATRONS.  KASIM REED, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS NOT BEEN OUR GUEST SINCE THEN.  THAT ENDORSEMENT EVEN CAUSED A RIFT AMONG THE NEWSMAKERS LIVE FAMILY.

8 YEARS AGO, THE BOARD OF NEWSMAKERS LIVE WAS SPLIT ON OUR ENDORSEMENT VOTE.  TONIGHT WE COME TO YOU UNANIMOUSLY!

THIS WAS NOT AN EASY DECISION, GIVEN THE LEGACY AND RICH HISTORY OF ATLANTA’S BLACK MAYORS  – BEGINNING WITH MAYNARD JACKSON IN 74,.   THERE COULD STILL BE PUSH BACK!

REMEMBER, WE ARE JUST ONE BLOCK FROM THE REVERED BUTLER STREET YMCA WHERE BLACK  COMMUNITY LEADERS LIKE JESSE HILL, HERMAN RUSSELL AND STATE SEN LEROY JOHNSON AMONG OTHERS HAND PICKED WHO WOULD BE THE BLACK COMMUNITY’S CHOICE TO RUN FOR MAYOR.

BUT THOSE DAYS ARE GONE—AND SO TOO IS THE LASER BEAM LIKE FOCUS ON BEING SOLELY COMMITTED TO BLACK MAYORAL CANDIDATES.  —BUT THIS IS A NEW DAY AND A NEW POLITICAL ORDER.

MARY NORWOOD HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS OR MORE TO EARN OUR TRUST AND OUR VOTE.  SHE DOESN’T NEED A GOOGLE MAP TO FIND ANY NEIGHBORHOOD IN ATLANTA—SHE’S BEEN THERE.   MARY IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVANT,  NOT A SELF-SERVING POLITICIAN.

MARY IS EVEN HANDED AND FAIR—-OPEN TO EQUAL ACCESS TO BOTH  BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY.  THAT’S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW THIS GREAT CITY WE LOVE.

  COLLECTIVELY AS THE SENIOR PARTNERS AND OWNERS OF NEWSMAKERS LIVE—WE PROUDLY ENDORSE THE NEXT MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA, MARY NORWOOD.