Political Insider

By blakley

August 11, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

Too bad… Lisa would have made a great Mayor! Now, unless Norwood can pull off a BIG upset, we are back to more of the same….aggressive panhandlers, city run as a jobs program, decay of our infrastructure…the general dysfunction that we have become well known for among America’s largest cities!

By City Council Observer

August 11, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

Borders’ withdrawal could also benefit the eminently qualified Ceasar Mitchell, a multi-term city councilman and lawyer who has shown strong leadership qualities in the Council.

Does Atlanta really need a continuation of the Franklin dynasty in Kasim Reed, her former campaign director?

By Atlantan

August 11, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this

This race has been wide-open for quite sometime, neither Lisa Borders nor Kasim Reed were ever front-runners. If you one were to look closely, the two At-Large Councilmembers (Mitchell and Norwood) are in the best position to touch the voters and they both have impressive records.

The Political Bar has been raised in this country, thanks to Barack Obama, and Atlanta’s mayoral race will be no different. I predict that Reed will fade to the back, because he stands on no record of service in the city and he is the heir apparent to an absolute disgrace of an administration.

By ATL

August 11, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this

Despite the recent City budget woes and City Council’s opportunisitic overriding of Mayoral vetoes, the majority of folks in this City see the Mayor as a positive influence on the City’s goverment. She rolled up her sleeves to do the hard work and it is paying dividends for the City’s residents.

No doubt Kasim Reed will benefit from being associated with Shirley and Lisa Border’s departure ends the competition for the Mayor’s endorsement as neither councilmember stands a chance in you know what of grabbing that plum.

However, the current field of candidates remains disappointingly weak.

By Clark!!!

August 11, 2008 5:21 PM | Link to this

Borders has a skeleton in the closet…no way she would had dropped out without some major monkey wrench lurking from her past.

Ceasar Mitchell? What an egomaniac. And he’s been on the same city council that allows millions of waste, bloat, nepotism, shady contracts, etc. at the airport, the same city council that voted for a ridiculous pension package that is drowning the city in debt, the same city council that keeps increasing its own staff and budget without any sense of irony, the same city council that didn’t push hard enough for Pennington to get fired, despite the fact he’s always out of town and only cares about statistics, killing the morale of the whole police dept.

Clark Howard is the person for this job. We need someone from outside, someone with no ties to City Hall, someone who will clean house from top to bottom. Unless you’ve dealt with them firsthand, it’s almost impossible to describe how lazy and under performing most City of Atlanta bureaucrats are.

By BPJ

August 11, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this

Reed’s main strength may be that he is a state legislator, meaning that (a) he would be coming in from outside the city council, and (b) he would have relationships in the legislature to draw on, which should be a plus for the next mayor.

By Chris Black

August 11, 2008 5:56 PM | Link to this

Atl, tell me how Reed will benefit from the mayor’s endorsment? Unlike you, the rest of us understand how bad the situation is in Atlanta and we have a STRONG mayoral system, Mayor Franklin has not been a terrible mayor, but she certainly hasn’t been great either. I am speaking as an avid political observer and not an everyday, out of the loop Atlantan. I say again, WATCH OUT FOR MITCHELL AND NORWOOD!!! Reed is an empty suit that recently moved into the city just to run for mayor.

By ATL

August 12, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this

Chris Black:

I too have been an avid observer. I understand what’s going on. And I know that the City will overcome these financial challenges because of Shirley not despite her.

I’m not sure Mitchell has a chance. Norwood does and that scares the crap out of anyone at City Hall who has rational thought processes.

By Time for an overhail

August 12, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this

If it weren’t for the Chamber of Commerce’s effort on behalf of the City of Atlanta, there wouldn’t be much of a City to talk about. This has been true for a very long time!

It hasn’t been the Mayor’s office, the City Council, Politicians or any of the metro County CEO’s that have helped bring growth, business and people to Atlanta. It has been the coalition of business leaders that have made things happen for Atlanta and for the STate.

We need more business people running the City and the Counties like businesses instead of all these politicians. We’ve got too many people holding these offices that are merely using them as a stepping stone to their next political endeavor. Shirley started off good, but in the end she showed her true colors and it was very disappointing.

Unless the City really cleans up its act and clears out the deadwood, we’re going to start looking a lot like Detroit…need more be said?

By Atlantan

August 12, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this

ATL, its obvious that you work for the mayor or you are closely involved with the black establishment. This city is in terrible shape and it is mostly the mayor’s fault, the AJC was so nice to her for the first 5 years that she stopped coming to work and watching over her administration.

You tell me one thing (besides the water/sewer rehab) that the mayor has accomplished that positively impacts the quality of life for Atlanta residents. Brand Atlanta cost taxpayers $14million, APD is STILL hemmoraging officers, there are vacant houses all over the city, the city is dirtier than ever, the size of Government ballooned under her, city hall is a lion’s den for developers and did I mention that her CFO AND BUDGET DIRECTOR MISCALCULATED FINANCES TO THE TUNE OF $200million dollars, she wanted to raise taxes and she increased our water rates by 27%.

Borders, probably would have made a great mayor. She seemed to be plugged in and it is admirable that she puts her family first.

Lastly, I say again: Reed can forget about it. Norwood and Mitchell touch the people of this city on the lowest of levels and they will command the attention of voters once the presidential election is settled. MARK MY WORDS!!!

By ATL

August 12, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this

If I’m close to the Black Establishment in Atlanta, it’s news to me.

1st: Water/sewer was huge. It cannot be downplayed. it affects every single resident of this City as well as half a million folks in Sandy Springs and South Fulton. Getting this going financially and then keeping it going in the face of attacks from just about everyone GA was no small feat. Had she only done this, she would still be among the top Mayors this City has ever had.

2nd: 5th runway project. The most important public works project in America in the busiest airport in America. Completed under Shirley’s watch.

3rd: Leadership. Shirley cultivated a new class of leaders. Almost all city agencies are now headed by capable competent and best in class leadership. If not dismantled by Cuckoo Norwood or someone else, this will be a lasting legacy.

4th: Beltline. She put the City’s might behind this project. It will not be complete for some time but, it wouldn’t be anywhere without her vision.

5th: Unloading City Hall East.

6th: Cutting massive waste in the Municipal Courts.

7th: Elevating ethics management to its own office. Everyone is accountable for their unethical behavior at City Hall. Everyone.

I could go on and on and on. But, you probably wouldn’t listen anyways.

Norwood and Mitchell may have a shot but, the voters are going to be quite disappointed with their next mayor especially if they choose one of the 2 sitting councilmembers.

I’d rather see someone from the business community step up as one of the other posters mentions. It is true that Atlanta’s strongest asset is its business community and that the City would have been cast into chaos and oblivion or by the General Assembly long ago or woudl’ve merely remained an obscure southern town had it not been for them.

By Atlantan

August 12, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this

You see ATL, that’s where the Franklin administration went wrong. Everything that she undertakes is as SEXY as Angelina Joulie and Brad Pitt’s twins will be in in 18 years. What about the basic services that city government are SUPPOSED to provide? The ones my tax dollars pay for?

By ATL

August 12, 2008 9:22 PM | Link to this

It’s doing the unsexy stuff that keeps the City out of the news and in business.

Basic services …

Well, your trash and recycling are now collected on the same day and the price has not gone up. Instead they are being more efficient.

Streets and roadways … total mess. The only reason streets are paved is because of the sewer projects.

Housing — City has helped the Housing Authority a good deal.

Zoning and Building permits - supposedly getting better.

Police and Fire — well, she tried. You need a City Council willing to raise taxes $40 even if the Fulton County Taxpayers Association doesn’t like it.

By S, Dekalb Voter

August 12, 2008 9:36 PM | Link to this

“Sexy as Angelina…”? The sewer, courts and ethics are sexy? Sounds like someone is real disgruntled. “Stopped coming to work…”? Are you kidding? Anyone that works in City Hall knows how hard the mayor works. She sacrifices spending time with her kids and grandkids to deal with people like you. Every major govt in the nation is dealing with budget deficits. I only hope the AJC covers the State of Georgia’s budget deficit with the same mis-leading, headline-grabbing stories that they have done with the City.

Only time will judge the mayor’s legacy. I suspect the final analysis will show both good and bad, with the good outweighing the bad.

As far as Border’s potential being Mayor, can anyone name one thing she has done while in office?

By ATLDEM

August 12, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this

The Mayor may work hard but the her results show that she does not work smart.

By RJ

August 12, 2008 11:21 PM | Link to this

Kaseem Reed simply does not have the administrative experience to lead and manage the city of Atlanta. He has not distinguished himself as a state Senator.

After Bill Campbell and Shirley Franklin, Atlanta needs not only a visionary, but also someone with administrative depth to take it to the next level.

By ATLDEM

August 12, 2008 11:35 PM | Link to this

All things being fair Reed has as much experience as Obama does and I support Obama.

By S. Dekalb Voter

August 13, 2008 12:24 AM | Link to this

Wow, comparing Shirley Franklin to Bill Campbell? We’ve reached a new low on this blog. Lord help us.

By Rev. Jesse Jackson

August 13, 2008 12:35 AM | Link to this

It is racist to compare Franklin and Campbell. Campbell is darker than Franklin by two shades. This racism should not stand. Rainbow push may need to march to write, not white, this wrong.

By GeezG

August 13, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this

Campbell was a complete crook and thankfully went to jail for being one. Shirley might be a lot of things, but crook she is not.

By MaxieGrrrl

August 14, 2008 4:48 PM | Link to this

I can’t wait to see Mitchell’s brilliant campaign strategy. We should remember what he did for Robb Pitts.