Lisa Borders receives highest score from Committee for a Better Atlanta

By Maria Saporta

Mayoral candidate Lisa Borders, president of Atlanta’s City Council, received the top rating from the Committee for a Better Atlanta — a score of 95 out of a possible 100.

Former State Sen. Kasim Reed came in second with a score of 93. Mary Norwood, a city councilwoman who is thought to be the frontrunner in the race, received a score of 86; and attorney Jesse Spikes had a score of 81.

The fifth candidate, Peter Brownlowe, only received a score of 30. The sixth candidate, Kyle Keyser, did not participate.

The qualifications of the candidates were graded on vision, experience, ability to implement initiatives, managing government, public safety, economic development, mobility and infrastructure.

The results were announced at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Omni hotel by CBA Chairman Jeff Wansley, vice president of government affairs for Equifax. Wansley made sure to let people know that the committee was not making endorsements in the various races.

Wansley said the city has had a “great eight years” under the leadership of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and that the committee wants to let voters know which candidates it believes are best qualified to fill her shoes.

“There are a lot of great candidates running for mayor,” Wansley said, adding that 43 of the 51 candidates running for city offices participated in the committees review. That included filling out a lengthy questionnaire and being interviewed in person by committee members.

For City Council President, the two city council representatives vying for that seat — Ceasar Mitchell and Clair Muller — received the identical score of 92.

For the complete analysis, click here for the survey results.

Here are the top scorers in several of the contested city council races:

District 4: Cleta Winslow, incumbent: 87;

District 6: Alex Wan: 90;

District 11: Keisha Bottoms: 86;

District 12: Joyce Sheperd, incumbent: 89;

Post 1 At Large: Michael Julian Bond: 88;

Post 2 At Large: Amir Farokhi and Aaron Watson both received a score of 91; and

Post 3 At Large: H. Lamar Willis, incumbent, received a score of 92.

The Committee for a Better Atlanta, in existence since 1997, is a coalition of more than 30 business and civic advocates. The committee provides voters with the tools to help them make informed choices on the candidates running for office, based on qualifications and their understanding of issues facing the city of Atlanta.