Crime has received much of the attention in the 2021 Atlanta mayor’s race, and business leaders certainly want the next mayor to do something about the problem.
But there is more on their minds than crime.
A group of executives and small business owners contacted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution offered a wide range of pressing concerns they want the new mayor to tackle — whoever it is.
The issues range from tricky diplomatic matters like Buckhead’s potential secession, to the nuts and bolts of governing like making it faster and easier to obtain building permits. Business leaders also want some of the same things as the city’s families and homeowners: potholes filled, new sidewalks poured and streetlights fixed.
Atlantans will choose the next mayor Nov. 2. Early voting started Oct. 12.
An AJC poll of 779 likely voters last month found former Mayor Kasim Reed and City Council President Felicia Moore leading the pack. Candidates Antonio Brown, Andre Dickens and Sharon Gay each polled under 10%, but with about 41% of voters still undecided. None of the other nine candidates cracked 1% in the poll.
The Committee for a Better Atlanta, a group of business leaders, in late September released grades of the candidates and found each of the top five qualified for the job.
Valerie Boucher, CEO of homebuilder Bellwood Homes, wants Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ successor to focus on reversing the neglect of some neighborhoods. To Boucher, the city’s inability or unwillingness to deal with a dangerous intersection in the Westside neighborhood of Carey Park is perplexing.
Residents have asked the city for years to install a traffic light at the intersection of James Jackson Parkway and Northwest Drive, she said. The current four-way stop is confusing and has led to many collisions.
It’s a small concern in the grand scheme, but it’s indicative of how city leadership seems to cater to affluent neighborhoods, she said.
Another: Dumping is a major problem on the Westside and city officials don’t attend weekend clean-ups, according to Boucher, who declined to say which candidate she supports.
“I kind of feel like that if this was in Buckhead, it would have been fixed a long time ago,” Boucher said of the requested traffic signal. “We need the mayor and council members to be present.”
Some Buckhead business owners and residents aren’t satisfied either, largely because of crime and taxes, and have pushed for “Buckhead City” to secede from Atlanta. A split would be a recipe for disaster for Atlanta’s economy, said Kevin Green, CEO of the Midtown Alliance business coalition.
The next mayor should make it a top priority to negotiate with Buckhead, he said.
“Splitting apart our city would be an irreversible calamity for all of us,” Green said.
Some in Buckhead may not like how much they pay in taxes, but Buckhead has prospered while the wider city’s economy has grown, said Tommy Dortch, CEO of consulting firm TWD.
Though it’s slowed recently due to the delta variant, Georgia’s economy has regained many jobs lost during the pandemic. Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% in August, compared to the national average of 5.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But the economy has not been great for everyone, which has led to rising crime, Dortch said. The next mayor should work on narrowing the gap between the city’s rich and poor, said Dortch, who declined to say which candidate he supports.
Many low-income residents feel that their employers don’t provide enough protection from COVID-19, and that’s one reason employers have a hard time finding workers, he said.
“It’s not that people don’t want to go back to work,” Dortch said. “They’re afraid to go back into the workplace.”
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
Clark Dean, an Atlanta-based executive managing director at commercial real estate firm Transwestern, said the new mayor should lead the creation of a healthcare innovation district. It has the potential to create more high-paying jobs and improve healthcare for everyone, Dean said.
“Global health touches on things that everyone in Atlanta should care about, to live healthier, happier lives,” Dean said.
Other issues aside, every business leader contacted said the next mayor must tackle rising crime, including a banker, a lawyer and small business owners.
Consider the homicide rate. Through Sept. 11, Atlanta police had investigated 113 homicide cases, a 16% increase over the same period a year earlier. For all of 2020, police investigated 157 homicide cases, the most in more than 20 years.
Katie Kirkpatrick, CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, said in an emailed statement that “the upcoming election is an opportunity to select candidates who will deliver on public safety.”
Jim Childs, the Atlanta-based head of merger advisory services at investment bank Citizens Financial Group, said: “...our next mayor should work to foster an economic climate that is pro-business and a city government that addresses key issues such as violence in the city.”
Crime in Buckhead has become a topic of discussion outside the city, said Shannon Sprinkle, managing partner of the law firm Copeland, Stair, Kingma & Lovell, which primarily represents companies.
“I was out of town [recently] and I had people quip, ‘Do you live in Buckhead?’” said Sprinkle, who declined to say which candidate she supports. “Whether it’s reality or not, people are afraid to go out on their lunch hour because they heard there was a shooting in the parking lot.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Rising crime affects businesses of all sizes, said Dennis McKinley, president of branding firm Detroit Equities and owner of Original Hot Dog Factory. The next mayor must have leadership skills to get diverse groups to participate in tackling crime.
“We’ve got to figure out this crime situation,” McKinley said. “If you’re a small business, nobody’s going to come to your location if they don’t feel safe. Look at Lenox Square — if shoppers don’t feel safe, we’re all out of business.”
McKinley, who supports Reed, said Atlanta should boost its police presence. Atlanta’s police force was more than 400 officers below its authorized level as of June.
“Common sense tells us when criminals see police, they don’t engage in crime,” he said. “I never saw the crime that we have going on now when he was mayor.”
Some business leaders have more mundane issues in mind.
Billy Corey, whose company owns his namesake tower’s billboard and develops real estate, said public safety is the most important issue. But it takes the city too long to approve permits, which delays real estate development projects, said Corey, who gave $1,000 to Moore’s campaign. That slows down the city’s economy, he said.
“There’s not one developer who hasn’t had a problem getting permits and getting inspectors to come out to their sites,” Corey said. “It’s critical to the survival of Atlanta to get this fixed.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
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