Election Day: Atlanta mayor impacts all of us

In two days, voters in our part of North Georgia will personally embrace democracy as they troop to polling places and cast ballots in more than 200 races. Each contest is important as it helps define how government will function going forward. And in troubled times like these, we need the best governance we can get.

To that end, we’d urge every eligible voter to defy the predictions of light turnout and take to the polls en masse on Tuesday. In the dwindling hours between now and Election Day, we’d also encourage the electorate to recheck facts and data, do some last bits of research and then weigh candidates and issues with grave consideration. That’s our duty as citizens in this great republic.

Each contest to be decided Tuesday has merit, yes. But that said, there is a leader among equals, in our view. Given our capital city’s impact on this region, the Atlanta mayoral race stands foremost among matters on the ballot. Indeed, the mayor’s race is important even for the 4 million-plus greater Atlantans who hold voting residence outside the city limits.

It’s not hyperbole to say that, based on many critical measures, as Atlanta city fares, so goes our region. And, yes, even the fortunes of this state are dependent to no small degree on Atlanta’s relative strength or weakness.

So there is much riding on the shoulders of the voters who will choose among mayoral challengers Tuesday. The contest will turn, as always, on who voters believe is the best person to lead Atlanta forward into the 21st century’s second decade. In addition to voting their gut, Atlantans are no doubt making up their minds based on how they believe candidates would address major issues

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as part of our “Atlanta Project” which concludes today, has been asking hard questions about tough issues for the last six weeks. Based on that reporting, and issues we’ve raised on this page as part of the Editorial Board’s “Atlanta Forward” initiative, here are some points worth weighing in our view.

We’ll start with the pocketbook matter of Atlanta’s pension problem. The City Council seems to have believed as truth the old joke that a person couldn’t be broke as long as they still had checks in their checkbook. Atlanta’s decision to increase pension benefits years ago created a financial, legal and moral liability for the city.

Unlike private companies that have heaped pension liabilities onto the feds in times of trouble, it would be untenable for a public entity to do that to the public servants who’ve put their lives on the line each workday.

So, Atlanta’s stuck with the bill. Going forward, the next mayor must act quickly to rein in pension costs. Corporate America has already begun down this road. It’s a painful, but necessary, trip. Signing on with the Social Security system and offering reduced benefits for new employees are two good moves to start with.

In a city that has been a magnet for business, the next mayor will also do well to emulate the private sector’s drive to lower costs and boost efficiency. That will require taking a hard-edged, wall-to-wall look at city governance, with an eye toward gaining savings and improving operations. Thankfully, the leading candidates have stressed the need to re-engineer City Hall. Voters must choose the one they believe is most qualified to get that important job done.

Getting Atlanta’s municipal operation on track will bring an added benefit beyond improving local government — it will also be a good first step toward gaining more influence and respect within the regional and state governments. A smoothly running Atlanta will be harder to brush off, particularly at the Gold Dome.

Better government is only a first step toward creating a more effective working relationship with state officials, though. Atlanta’s next mayor must be able to work well with both compatriots in our metro area and key legislators across the state.

In this wretched economy, we must get substantive things done as a region and state if we are all to climb out of this recession. We need a savvy, honest broker and deal-maker to take office at City Hall next year. If that happens, every Georgian should benefit.

Crime must also be a higher priority for the city’s next leaders. It’s easy to promise more cops on the street, and a lot harder to deliver that in these times of tick-tight budgets. Voters must assess which candidate’s crime-fighting plan makes the most sense and seems fiscally doable.

Andre Jackson, 
for the Editorial Board

In coming weeks and months, we will look at major issues Atlanta must address in order to move forward as the economy recovers. Look for the designation “Atlanta Forward,” which will identify these discussions.