Franklin: Thanks, local pols, for voting against the (not so) GREAT plan
March 6, 2008 at 6:16 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsMaybe you’ve heard, but state House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s GREAT Plan — his long-running pet project that promised to eliminate property taxes in the state — was shot down yesterday afternoon in the chamber over which he presides, 10 votes shy of the two-thirds majority necessary to pass. Cities and counties hated Richardson’s idea — they feared it would strip them of funding — and have been lobbying against it with force.
The independent and audacious Mayor Shirley Franklin took to the Interwebways and applauded the city’s Democratic representatives who voted against the plan:
The Atlanta Democratic representatives who voted to protect the state’s communities were: Reps. Sheila Jones, LaNett Stanley-Turner, “Able Mable†Thomas, Kathy Ashe, Robbin Shipp, Margaret Kaiser, Georganna Sinkfield, Joe Heckstall, Tyrone Brooks, Roger Bruce, Bob Holmes, Sharon Beasley-Teague, Stacy Abrams and Pat Gardner.
“By defeating this plan, our representatives have indicated they understand and respect the value of allowing local communities to govern themselves,†said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. “City officials, like all Georgians, want tax reform. But that reform must allow for flexibility and local control; not reform that restricts cities from finding a funding mix that meets local needs without over-burdening residents and businesses.â€
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