ATLANTA — The race for Atlanta’s mayor is officially ON. The field is crowded with 12 candidates (one suspended his campaign but is still on the ballot), and it’s the largest in recent memory. They are all hoping to replace current mayor Kasim Reed in November.
[ [READ: Fireworks, passionate answers during Atlanta Mayoral Debate] ]
Here are all of the candidates:
[ Ceasar Mitchell ]
Mitchell served as the president of the Atlanta City Council for many years. He said he was involved in legislation related to economic revitalization, tax allocation districts, the Beltline and green projects. Mitchell is a native Atlantan, educated at Morehouse College and the University of Georgia Law.
Lance-Bottoms served on the Atlanta City Council for three years, where she said she was involved in legislation addressing the city’s pension liability. She was also involved in balancing the city budget and authored legislation on panhandlers, according to her website. Lance-Bottoms is a graduate of Florida A&M University, Magna Cum Laude, and Georgia State University College of Law.
[ Mary Norwood ]
Norwood served on the Atlanta City Council for many years, and previously ran for mayor in 2009. She said she has been involved in the Atlanta area for decades, and worked to enhance “the quality of life in all Atlanta communities.” Norwood is a graduate of Emory University.
[ Peter Aman ]
Aman became the chief operating officer for the city of Atlanta in 2010. In that role, Aman said he oversaw all city operating departments, including the police and fire departments as well as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Aman graduated from Penn State University.
[ Kwanza Hall ]
Hall has been a city councilman for District 2 since 2006. He said he was heavily involved with initiatives with the Atlanta Beltline, focusing on community improvements, including land use, historical preservation and sustainable development. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
[ Vincent Fort ]
Fort served in the Georgia State Senate since 1996 and represented Fulton County for the 39th district. He said he first Georgia legislator to sponsor a bill to create a state hate crimes law and helped pass the “nation’s toughest law against predatory lenders.” Fort graduated from the Central Connecticut State College.
[ Michael Sterling ]
Sterling was the former head of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency. He spent three years as a senior advisor to Mayor Reed and was a former federal prosecutor. Sterling graduated from Morehouse. UPDATE: He dropped out Oct. 24 and threw his support to Caesar Mitchell
[ John Eaves ]
Eaves was the chairman of the Fulton County Commission, where he said he helped Fulton County to pass transportation plan, transformed the criminal justice system and presided over the improvements to Grady Memorial Hospital. Eaves is a graduate of Morehouse College.
[ Cathy Woolard ]
Woolard served on the Atlanta City Council from 1998 to 2004, including serving as council president. During her tenure, Woolard said she oversaw an expansion at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. She also worked to create the Beltline. Woolard is graduate of UGA.
Ammanamanchi is a newcomer for Atlanta politics. He said he is running for mayor because the city leadership is “far behind on maintaining and planning our city's infrastructure.” Ammanamanchi graduated from Georgia Tech.
King is the co-founder of the real estate investment firm Millennial Global Investments. He also started the United Economic Development Council of America. He was born and raised in Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor.
This isn't Wrightson's first time running for mayor. The Grant Park native went up again current Mayor Kasim Reed in 2013. Wrightson is running on the slogan "providing cooperative, smart and practical solutions."