Mary Norwood Back By Popular Demand

“When the people want to vote for you, it’s hard to make them not. And when they don’t want to vote for you, it’s hard to make them do.”

     Councilwoman Mary Norwood is back with a vengeance; and this time, better than before. Norwood sat down with Newsmakers Live moderator Maynard Eaton to discuss what inspired her to run for the mayor’s office again as well as her plans for the city of Atlanta.

After losing the last mayor’s election by 714 votes, Norwood received an abundance of love from the residents. Their support inspired her to run again. Her love for the city of Atlanta and its residents in various communities shows through her dedication and knowledge of the city. Before she met up with Eaton, Norwood spent the last seven hours stuck in a council meeting.

“I love the city and love the people. There are people who wish for you to run again and there have been a tremendous amount of support to run again,” Norwood stated.

Norwood began her political career in 2001 when she served two consecutive terms on the city council. She lost the mayor’s race in 2009; however, she did not let that hinder her political career. Unable to stay away for too long, Norwood ran for re-election in 2013 as a Citywide Council member and won. Now she is ready to run for mayor a second time.

A better team, data, and strategy, Norwood is ready for this upcoming election. Her team consists of locals who knows the city well and are constant professional with a ground game second to none. She has visibility in every single council district and communities in Atlanta.

Executive producer James Welcome reflected on his first encounter with Norwood:

“I went to her office one day and we started talking.I got real belligerent with her.I said ‘come on Mary, you just gone be like the rest of the folks. And she dragged me and drugged me in the room. Put everybody out. And she showed me the map of the city. And she talked about every community in this city. She also talked about business but the real thing got me was that she knew all of the various conflict in these various communities. Which no other candidate that I have met up until that point knew. So, even if I was kind of suspicious of her. I said ‘well, maybe this is the lady to lead this city’. So when I came home and told my wife, she was like ‘you’re late, we’re endorsing already her.”

Norwood focused is on enhancing the quality of life in Atlanta communities. Her heart is in the neighborhoods and communities because they are the heart of the city. She wants others to remember; people want to be here. It is imperative the able have a good quality of life. Norwood focused on four primary issues: safety, transparency, sustainability and prosperity. However, there’s one thing Norwood need the government to do for her.

“I just need the government to get out of the way,” Norwood said.

When asked about the financial obligations, Norwood promises to get the financial house in order with complete transparency. Her plan is to reestablish the citizens’ trust in the government, especially with the influx of people estimated to arrive.

According to Norwood, Atlanta commissioners estimated approximately eight thousand coming to the city after redevelopment. She stresses the importance to do things well when it comes to redevelopment and the environment. “We have to make sure they are done right, effectively, on budget and with quality control,” stated Norwood.

Norwood plans on bringing prosperity when i development. Implementing an urban design that will increase the quality of life, she will ensure communities are safe as she serves on the Repeat Offender Commission. The communities are the most important aspect of the city. Her heart lies in the neighborhoods and communities because they are the heart of the city.

Norwood has lived, worked, volunteered, and advocated for the residents of Atlanta for more than 25 years. The Georgia native is a proven community activist and socially conscious neighbor.