Atlanta homeowner Lynn Irvin thought it was just her neighborhood having billing problems with the city's water department.
Irvin talked to friends in other parts of the city and quickly learned otherwise.
The conversations sparked what has become the "Campaign for Atlanta." Irvin and about 15 civic leaders have banded together to encourage the city's mayoral candidates to join them in an "in-depth, reasonable, rational discussion" about Atlanta's future.
The group has teamed up with Atlantans Together Against Crime and others and scheduled two forums at the Carter Center with four of the candidates. They will be posted on YouTube and on various neighborhood Web sites. The forums are scheduled for July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16.
The AJC caught up with Irvin, former president of the Randall Mill Civic Association, and advisory board member Jim Wright. Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Q: So what got you all started?
A: I'm worried about my safety. I'm worried about garbage pick-up. Our neighborhood is paying for its own security patrol. I have to worry about whether I'll have water. So that's what we decided to do, take all of the frustrations and concerns and try to channel it in a positive way. . . . We want to see a competent bureaucracy, solvency and basic services.
Q: How do you feel about the current level of discussion in the race?
A: We want to raise the level of discussion in the mayor's race. We're not looking for slogans. We're not looking for five-minute sound bites. We're really looking to have an in-depth discussion between Atlantans and the mayoral candidates.
Q: How do you feel about the direction of the city?
A: We think it's broken and we think there isn't enough transparency. We've tried to find out simple things, like how many employees there are in the city of Atlanta, how many police, and we're not getting straight answers, much less on the more difficult things . . . . People don't feel safe. We want an honest, competent police force and we feel that the city leadership should be doing more to provide safety to the citizens of Atlanta.
Wright: It's disconcerting to hear that staff in key functioning areas are being furloughed or fire stations are being shut down. That's what she means by safety, quality services and a competent bureaucracy.
Q: Do you think Atlanta citizens have been as engaged as they should be?
A: In all areas of Atlanta, there are concerned neighborhood groups. I think the citizens of Atlanta, through the [Neighborhood Planning Unit] system, have been engaged. . . . I'm from north Atlanta and I thought everybody else was getting services and I wasn't. I have a girlfriend in southwest Atlanta and when we met, she said, "I'm from southwest Atlanta and I thought everyone in north Atlanta was getting services." Now that we're all talking to each other, the one thing we've discovered is, no one is getting service.
Q: Will the forums be open to the public?
A: It will be an open forum, but it will not be a public forum. And the reason for that is we only have limited space in the room.
Q: Will citizens get to attend?
A: We have not decided for sure how we are going to do this, but we plan to distribute the tickets to groups who sponsor the forums with us. Each candidate will meet with six questioners and each questioner will have 10 minutes with each candidate. The point is to have an in-depth discussion, get it on video, and we want to be a place where people can learn more.
On the Web: www.campaign foratlanta.org
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