Atlanta's crime key issue at mayoral debate

By Eric Stirgus

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The two candidates leading the polls in the Atlanta mayoral race defended themselves Sunday night against criticism that they bear some responsibility for the city’s current crime problems.

During the campaign’s first televised debate, City Council President Lisa Borders and Councilwoman Mary Norwood answered pointed questions from candidates Kasim Reed and Jesse Spikes and the debate panelists regarding the council’s vote in June 2008 against Mayor Shirley Franklin’s property tax increase. That vote led to the city furloughing police officers late last year through the first half of this year.

The council this past June voted to raise taxes at a higher rate than Franklin originally proposed in 2008.

Borders said she didn’t support the tax increase in 2008 because she thought city government was too bloated. She added that then-Chief Financial Officer Janice Davis rejected her suggestion to re-amortize the city’s pension plans to save money that year.

Norwood reiterated her concern that she did not trust the budget numbers from the city’s finance department, several times describing what she called “Enron-type of accounting” from City Hall.

Borders said Norwood, who did not vote for this year’s tax increase, was absent from budget discussions.

“I knew what was going on,” said Norwood, who is leading the polls. “I did not get the information that the city was going to be right-sized.”

The debate was sponsored by the Atlanta Police Foundation. The four invited candidates were selected based on polling data, fund-raising and other factors. At least three other candidates are also running for mayor.

Sunday’s jabs weren’t directed solely toward Borders and Norwood. Spikes, the only candidate at the debate who has never held elected office, accused the other candidates of failed leadership for their inability for get help for the city from state government.

“You must be pretty good from the cheap seats,” said Reed, a former state senator.

City Council President Lisa Borders

Borders touted her recent endorsement by the union representing about 1,100 Atlanta police officers as evidence she is the best candidate.

She also suggested she has connections at the White House. Borders argued she will get more federal funding for her initiatives, saying she was the first municipal elected official to endorse President Barack Obama.

“I think he remembers my name,” she said.

Borders said she would support a public-private partnership to run the city’s jail, which is consistently over budget. She mentioned an “intercollegiate” public safety plan to have officers patrolling local college campuses to better work with Atlanta police.

Borders argued she’s the only candidate with specific plans to pay for improved public safety.

City Councilwoman Mary Norwood

The candidate focused largely on her message of improving safety, but seemed to suggest Borders is too closely connected to the Franklin administration when she asked Borders for three instances when she differed from the mayor.

Norwood said she’d bring a “multi-faceted” approach to public safety that includes keeping more officers on the force, better code enforcement and keeping repeat offenders in jail.

“This cat-and-mouse game will not suffice,” she said.

The councilwoman said she’d hire a police chief from within the department, remove the city’s 911 operations from the police department and expand video surveillance to college campuses to ensure student safety.

Former state senator Kasim Reed

Reed said the council’s actions in 2008 helped create several problems, such as the furlough situation and the closing of nearly two dozen recreation centers.

During the question-and-answer portion, Reed attempted to grill Borders on what proposals she offered last year to avert the furloughs.

Reed said he would use more money from the property tax increase approved by the City Council in June to pay for public safety improvements.

“That’s how you turn the tide [to reduce crime],” said Reed.

The candidate said he would review city contracts, cut the Information Technology budget and cut overtime to fund some of his ideas, which includes hiring 750 officers during his first term.

Reed said he would act cautiously on privatizing more city services, noting the failed effort several years ago to hire a private company to manage Atlanta’s water and sewer system programs.

Jesse Spikes, partner, McKenna, Long & Aldridge

Spikes took the offensive against the other three candidates, arguing they are part of the politics-as-usual system that hasn’t produced results.

“Promises, promises, promises, but show me the money,” Spikes said after listening to the other candidates’ responses for keeping police officers from leaving the force.

The candidate said he supports creating a public safety commissioner position that would focus on obtaining grants and other sorts of funding for the police department.

Spikes said the city must “close” up college campuses in the city to improve their safety. Spikes said he’d encourage more residents to get involved in Neighborhood Watch programs.