Cleveland mayoral candidates face in town hall forum

It’s the first time Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley and nonprofit leader Justin Bibb were together since their primary victories on Sept. 14.

Bibb and Kelley led the crowded field of seven candidates. Bibb finished with 27 percent of the vote, while Kelley had 19.4 percent. Roughly 3,000 votes separated the two.

The town hall was presented by Engage! Cleveland and hosted by the Cleveland Metropolitan Conference Center.

“In this new era of Cleveland leadership, it is more important than ever that we choose a mayor who can help our wonderful city reach its full potential,” said Rebecca Ruppert McMahon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, which operates the CMCC.

Kelley and Bibb are vying to become the first new mayor of Cleveland since 2006. Current Mayor Frank Jackson announced this spring he would not run for the fifth term.



https://fox8.com/cleveland-mayoral-race/cleveland-mayoral-candidates-set-to-face-in-town-hall-forum/

FLIPPABLE: Dontaye Carter for Mayor of Sandy Springs, Ga.

I grew up in Orlando, Florida in a single-parent, working-class home. My mother joined the army at 18 and had me at 20. By 24, she had four kids and was on her way to a divorce and having to reset her life. It wasn’t easy, but my mother was a strong woman. She attended college classes during the day, came home, cooked dinner, helped us with our homework, put us to bed, and went to work overnight while a neighbor took care of us. By the time I was a senior in high school, my mother had earned her degree, gotten remarried, and bought a house with my stepfather. It was through my mother that I learned what hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice meant.

I went on to attend Florida A&M University where I studied Broadcast Journalism. At the end of my sophomore year, I showed up at the local news station looking for an internship—but I ended up getting a job offer. I had to be at work at 4 a.m., so I began waking up at 3 in the morning every day. Then, I was out the door at 9 and had classes until 5. Six months and one promotion later, I was a morning show producer. And a year after that, I was running the morning show while completing my final year of school. The hours were long and grueling, but the thought of my mother working so hard and persevering (while raising four kids) was the fuel that always kept me going.

I moved to Sandy Springs eight years ago with one goal—to marry the woman who stole my heart at a Valentine’s Day party years earlier. At that time, I was working as a reporter in Valdosta, Georgia, and Karen had just finished her residency and was about to interview with Women’s Health Associates. I had driven up from Valdosta to attend a Valentine’s Day conference at our sister church, North River Church of Christ. When I asked her to dance, she said, “You don’t understand, I have two left feet.” So I told her, “I have two right feet, let’s see if we can find a rhythm.” And from that night on, we’ve been dancing to our own beat. She got the job, we got married, and together we’ve worked hard to build a life and a home for our daughter in Sandy Springs.

My father-in-law, George, also grew up in a single-parent, working-class home. Like my mother, he knew a thing or two about perseverance—he marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights movement and went on to become the first Black veterinarian in North Carolina. George’s world revolved around making this country a better place for marginalized communities. And his work inspired me to make some changes in my own life. So I left television news in 2014 and joined former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard as the youngest person ever to lead up the DA’s Public Affairs Department.

After a year working in that office and one especially tough case (four teens falsely accused of murder), all I could think about was my role in this system and the potential impact of those teens going to prison for a murder they didn’t commit. I decided to open my own Public Relations firm to assist attorneys in highlighting cases of injustice in a way that drives change.

My company was built on bringing context and awareness into the arena of public opinion. Our work has amplified many voices in Georgia and across the country, shining a light on some of the nation’s most prominent legal matters, including the cases of Ahmaud Arbery, Maggie Thompson, Jimmy Atchison, the survivors of R. Kelly, and many more. And this year, our campaigns have brought attention to SB 202 and voter suppression, while helping Rep. Park Cannon to share her experience with the public.

Now I’m running for Mayor of Sandy Springs because it’s time for the city’s leadership to reflect its growing, diverse population. It’s time for transparency, it’s time to resolve our water woes, and it’s time to look at strong anti-displacement policies to keep our citizens in their residences as we meet the needs of the growing metro.









https://www.dontayeformayor.com/

Biden pick Florence Pan confirmed as first Asian American woman on D.C. federal court

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Florence Pan as the first Asian American woman to serve as a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., filling a seat vacated by now-U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was promoted to the D.C. Circuit.

The 68-30 vote came shortly after the U.S. Senate Judiciary voted to advance five of President Joe Biden’s other judicial picks, including Toby Heytens, the Virginia state solicitor general nominated to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Pan, a former federal prosecutor who has served judge on the D.C. Superior Court since 2009, was first nominated to the federal court in 2016 by Democratic President Barack Obama.

But despite a favorable vote from the then-Republican controlled Judiciary Committee, she was never confirmed, and when Republican President Donald Trump took office, he nominated Dabney Freidrich to fill the seat she had been up for.

Biden in March announced he would renominate Pan to fill the seat that would be vacated once Jackson won Senate approval to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which she did in June.

Jackson, who is Black, has been seen as a potential nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court should a vacancy emerge. The nomination of Pan furthered Biden’s overall promise to bring greater diversity to the federal judiciary.




https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/biden-pick-florence-pan-confirmed-first-asian-american-woman-dc-federa-rcna2255

Matt Gaetz endorses 'Replacement Theory', calls the Anti-Defamation League a 'racist' organization.

Tweet of the Day

Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' is now the highest-grossing domestic release of 2021

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” continues to outperform at the domestic box office. The latest Marvel film has topped the charts for the fourth consecutive weekend and is now the highest-grossing domestic release of 2021.

Since its September 3 debut, “Shang-Chi” has garnered $196.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, outpacing ticket sales for Universal’s “F9? and Disney’s other Marvel film “Black Widow.”

“Fans of ‘Shang-Chi’ have continued to be drawn to the multiplex to see the latest Marvel extravaganza as Disney’s theatrical first strategy continues to pay big dividends for the film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

“Shang-Chi” was one of the first Disney blockbusters to get a theatrical-only release during the pandemic. Its performance has encouraged the studio to release the rest of its 2021 slate in movie theaters exclusively.

Globally, “Shang-Chi” has generated $363.4 million, the fourth-highest haul of 2021.

“The film’s run is a strong statement for how lucrative theatrical exclusivity remains to the industry’s ecosphere, and a signal for what crowd-pleasing movies can do as box office recovery prepares for its next phase beginning with October’s packed slate,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com.



https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/26/marvels-shang-chi-is-the-highest-grossing-domestic-release-of-2021.html

Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' is now the highest-grossing domestic release of 2021

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” continues to outperform at the domestic box office. The latest Marvel film has topped the charts for the fourth consecutive weekend and is now the highest-grossing domestic release of 2021.

Since its September 3 debut, “Shang-Chi” has garnered $196.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, outpacing ticket sales for Universal’s “F9? and Disney’s other Marvel film “Black Widow.”

“Fans of ‘Shang-Chi’ have continued to be drawn to the multiplex to see the latest Marvel extravaganza as Disney’s theatrical first strategy continues to pay big dividends for the film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

“Shang-Chi” was one of the first Disney blockbusters to get a theatrical-only release during the pandemic. Its performance has encouraged the studio to release the rest of its 2021 slate in movie theaters exclusively.

Globally, “Shang-Chi” has generated $363.4 million, the fourth-highest haul of 2021.

“The film’s run is a strong statement for how lucrative theatrical exclusivity remains to the industry’s ecosphere, and a signal for what crowd-pleasing movies can do as box office recovery prepares for its next phase beginning with October’s packed slate,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com.



https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/26/marvels-shang-chi-is-the-highest-grossing-domestic-release-of-2021.html

FLIPPABLE: Dontaye Carter for Mayor of Sandy Springs, Ga.

I grew up in Orlando, Florida in a single-parent, working-class home. My mother joined the army at 18 and had me at 20. By 24, she had four kids and was on her way to a divorce and having to reset her life. It wasn’t easy, but my mother was a strong woman. She attended college classes during the day, came home, cooked dinner, helped us with our homework, put us to bed, and went to work overnight while a neighbor took care of us. By the time I was a senior in high school, my mother had earned her degree, gotten remarried, and bought a house with my stepfather. It was through my mother that I learned what hard work, perseverance, and sacrifice meant.

I went on to attend Florida A&M University where I studied Broadcast Journalism. At the end of my sophomore year, I showed up at the local news station looking for an internship—but I ended up getting a job offer. I had to be at work at 4 a.m., so I began waking up at 3 in the morning every day. Then, I was out the door at 9 and had classes until 5. Six months and one promotion later, I was a morning show producer. And a year after that, I was running the morning show while completing my final year of school. The hours were long and grueling, but the thought of my mother working so hard and persevering (while raising four kids) was the fuel that always kept me going.

I moved to Sandy Springs eight years ago with one goal—to marry the woman who stole my heart at a Valentine’s Day party years earlier. At that time, I was working as a reporter in Valdosta, Georgia, and Karen had just finished her residency and was about to interview with Women’s Health Associates. I had driven up from Valdosta to attend a Valentine’s Day conference at our sister church, North River Church of Christ. When I asked her to dance, she said, “You don’t understand, I have two left feet.” So I told her, “I have two right feet, let’s see if we can find a rhythm.” And from that night on, we’ve been dancing to our own beat. She got the job, we got married, and together we’ve worked hard to build a life and a home for our daughter in Sandy Springs.

My father-in-law, George, also grew up in a single-parent, working-class home. Like my mother, he knew a thing or two about perseverance—he marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Civil Rights movement and went on to become the first Black veterinarian in North Carolina. George’s world revolved around making this country a better place for marginalized communities. And his work inspired me to make some changes in my own life. So I left television news in 2014 and joined former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard as the youngest person ever to lead up the DA’s Public Affairs Department.

After a year working in that office and one especially tough case (four teens falsely accused of murder), all I could think about was my role in this system and the potential impact of those teens going to prison for a murder they didn’t commit. I decided to open my own Public Relations firm to assist attorneys in highlighting cases of injustice in a way that drives change.

My company was built on bringing context and awareness into the arena of public opinion. Our work has amplified many voices in Georgia and across the country, shining a light on some of the nation’s most prominent legal matters, including the cases of Ahmaud Arbery, Maggie Thompson, Jimmy Atchison, the survivors of R. Kelly, and many more. And this year, our campaigns have brought attention to SB 202 and voter suppression, while helping Rep. Park Cannon to share her experience with the public.

Now I’m running for Mayor of Sandy Springs because it’s time for the city’s leadership to reflect its growing, diverse population. It’s time for transparency, it’s time to resolve our water woes, and it’s time to look at strong anti-displacement policies to keep our citizens in their residences as we meet the needs of the growing metro.






https://www.dontayeformayor.com/

Eliminated from Boston mayoral race, Kim Janey endorses Michelle Wu

BOSTON —
The current occupant of the mayor's office in Boston City Hall has picked a side in the upcoming mayoral election.

Kim Janey announced on Saturday her decision to endorse City Councilor Michelle Wu.

"Black and Brown residents who are most impacted by systemic inequities need a leader in City Hall who will center equity and inclusion in all her policies, and ensure they have a seat at the table when real decisions are made," Janey said in a statement. "I've worked closely with Michelle Wu on the City Council, and I believe she is the candidate with the record and the values to not only protect the progress we have made but builds upon it to create a city that is more equitable, just, and resilient."

Earlier this year, Janey became the first Black Bostonian and the first woman to occupy the city’s top office after former Mayor Marty Walsh stepped down to become President Joe Biden’s labor secretary.

But Janey came up short earlier this month in the preliminary election, finishing fourth in a race where only the top two advanced to the final ballot in November.

Wu finished on top in the preliminary election. The second-place finisher was fellow City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George.

"I’m honored and grateful to have the support of my friend, colleague and sister in service," Wu said in a statement. "Over the past six months and well before, she has taken on the biggest challenges in our city, fighting for better schools, affordable housing and racial justice. She has moved our city forward through overlapping crises, always through the lens of equity, justice, and joy. I know that we will continue to partner on the most pressing challenges facing Boston and fight for a future that includes all of our families."




https://www.wcvb.com/article/kim-janey-endorses-michelle-wu-boston-mayor-september-25-2021/37730673#

Bonus Tweet of the Day