Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says decision not to run for reelection was made from a position of strength cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
POLITICO
Keisha Lance Bottoms exits Atlanta s mayoral race without ruling out political future
The 51-year-old has led a city marred by multiple crises, including the pandemic, monthslong protests and a spike in violent crime.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms s departure from the race is sure to open it up to a wide range of prospects.
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Keisha Lance Bottoms said Friday morning that she would not seek a second term as Atlanta s mayor, citing the tumultuous last four years.
Bottoms alerted staffers and allies of her plans to exit the race on Thursday evening in a call first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During a news conference at Atlanta’s City Hall on Friday, Bottoms held back tears as she called her term as mayor her “highest honor.”
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File
Controversial Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she doesn’t want to run for re-election, despite polls showing her easily winning.
In 2017, Bottoms won by 800 votes. But a serious cyberattack during her first year in office, and the subsequent Black Lives Matter riots and protests, convinced her that it was time to go.
There’s been speculation that there are other reasons for her not to run. Rumors of a family crisis and a coming scandal in her administration have observers looking for an alternate reason. But Bottoms led Atlanta during one of the most turbulent times since the Civil War and with the pandemic coming on top of the riots, she may have felt she didn’t have anything left in the tank.
Watch Live: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms holds press conference after announcing she won t seek reelection cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Advocates are calling for the city of Atlanta, as well as companies that benefited from the former brick company, to preserve the site.
Earlier this year, organizers managed to stop construction of a fuel transfer station, but the land is still privately owned.
City Councilman Dustin Hillis represents the area. He says Atlanta passed up multiple opportunities to purchase the land over the years.
“At the end of the day, I want to see a memorial park, and in the land that is not in the floodplain, there’s a chance to look at an eyes on the park-type housing development that contains affordable housing, things like that,” Hillis said.