Judge Arrington recalls ugliness of 1997 mayoral campaign

The Daily Report continues its three-part series of excerpts today from Fulton Superior Court Judge Marvin S. Arrington Sr.’s new book, “Making My Mark,” published by Mercer University Press. In today’s excerpt, Arrington recalls his unsuccessful 1997 campaign for Atlanta mayor, a race won by Bill Campbell with the support of former Mayor Maynard Jackson. It was, says Arrington, an ugly campaign.

They say politics is a dirty game, but sometimes it’s an evil game, and when you twist facts the way Bill Campbell did with the tape Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally Yates had used in court earlier, it’s just plain evil. Of course, I’m talking about the grainy, black and white tape of airport concession owner Harold Echols and me at the downtown Radisson Hotel, as Harold followed the prompting of the FBI. Nothing has hurt me, politically, more than the Campbell campaign’s manipulation of those images. However, when viewed while listening to the accompanying audio, the tapes completely exonerate me. Campbell’s people muted the audio portion, then mailed 10,000 copies to Atlanta voters.