ATLANTA, Ga. -- A common refrain from Atlanta voters discussing race in the Tuesday runoff election for the next mayor, which was between a black candidate and a white candidate: "I didn't base MY vote on the race of the candidates, only on their qualifications. It's all those other voters who voted race."

"Indeed the election did break along racial lines," said William Boone, professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University.

Boone was looking at the Atlanta map on 11Alive.com [click here, then wait a moment for the map to load] that shows most voters in the predominantly white precincts in the northside voted for the white candidate, Mary Norwood, and most voters in the predominantly black precincts in the southside voted for the black candidate, Kasim Reed.

"And it shows up rather graphically," Boone said of the precinct-by-precinct interactive display.

According to unofficial returns, the outcome was within a percentage point of 50 percent to 50 percent, with Reed getting a few hundred votes more than Norwood. There will be a recount at Norwood's request.

"Which means, of course," Boone said, "no matter who wins at this point, Reed or Norwood, they have a lot of bridge-building to deal with in terms of bringing the city together," politically and racially. "Clearly the city is divided. And apparently folks see issues differently."

Boone co-wrote the controversial paper this past summer about some of the real-world consequences of the next mayor being black or white.

Atlanta voters, he said Wednesday, demonstrated in Tuesday's runoff election that the race of the mayor is one of the factors that's important to them; and he said that "is not necessarily a racist thing. It could be that their perception as to the folk who best represent their views happens to be one of the people who happens to be one of them.... Clearly the needs as seen by whites are different from the needs as seen by blacks.... I think Kasim Reed and Mary Norwood both understand that here [on the map] you have in rather graphic terms the fact they need to do something to make sure that all communities are served and the city comes together in a way that reflects the needs of all people."

Atlanta's last white mayor, Sam Massell, who was out of town Wednesday, told 11Alive News on the phone that people are supposed to consider their own interests as important factors when voting for the candidates they think will best represent and serve their communities as a whole. 

"People vote for those they feel can best understand them, and feel the needs and hurts and wishes and dreams of the voter," said Massell, who is the long-time president of the Buckhead Coalition. "It's not unusual for people to vote along partisan lines, to vote along gender lines, vote along racial, geographical [lines] and so forth. And I just think we make too much of that as an issue."

Massell and both of the candidates are preaching the same message -- citywide unity after the runoff election.

"Atlanta has a long history of cooperation and working together after the contest." Massell said. "And we'll do it again this time."