Crime at the center of Atlanta mayor’s race as voting begins

By KATE BRUMBACK and JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta mayoral candidates are talking about affordable housing, hoping to stave off a secession movement in a wealthy neighborhood and trading increasingly pointed jabs. But as in so many places across the country, the election is really about crime. Early in-person voting began this week and recent polls show many voters still undecided. Kasim Reed, Bottoms’ predecessor, is a top contender. City Council President Felicia Moore, long a Reed critic, is another leading candidate. Attorney Sharon Gay and council members Andre Dickens and Antonio Brown also have gained support. With 14 names on the Nov. 2 ballot, a runoff in the nonpartisan race seems almost certain.