Franklin’s “policy director,” David Allen, in a letter derided CL as a “leading source of misinformation.” In fact, it was Allen’s attempt to get slithery with numbers that was the misinformation.

But now we have proof that I was correct: An article this week in the Atlanta Business Chronicle states:

“[W]ith Atlanta facing a projected $140 million budget shortfall, Mayor Shirley Franklin is determined to get the city’s payroll more in line with cities such as Charlotte, Cleveland and Seattle.

“We’re trying to keep our cost structure similar to our competition,” the mayor said.

That deserves a big “duh.”

Trimming the payroll wasn’t the mayor’s position a year ago. She and her aides adamantly defended the overstuffed payroll. Her attack on Creative Loafing was what I reference above, an attempt to obscure a truth by attacking the messenger.

And, if the mayor had acted a year ago — or in 2002 — to bring Atlanta in line with other cities, we might not have a crisis today.

But the reason for the huge workforce is political. Every city employee has family and friends; added together they form a political machine that’s far more important to politicians than safeguarding the interests of taxpayers.

No one wants tax increases! No one wants people laid off from their jobs! These are always tough options for a leader to consider, however, toughness is just what the city needs right now. I believe Mayor Franklin is performing well in dealing with these issues and those who have chosen to criticize those efforts truly have not thought about the consequences of inaction.

For some reason, it seems that you have forgotten that Atlanta is not the only city in the country facing tough financial times. Many of America’s cities are also experiencing similar problems. One difference it seems is that we have someone in charge that is willing to make the hard decisions that will allow us to continue to grow after the economy rights itself. It would be much easier for her to “look the other way” and point fingers while waiting for her final term to end without any substantial action. She has decided that, even though it will be unpopular now, it is better to invest in our city’s future through replacing our long outdated sewer system, ensuring public safety by maintaining police and fire protection and putting our city in a better financial place – investments that will long outlast her mayoral term. It actually seems selfless, something you don’t often see in today’s political world, which also may help explain why it may be difficult for some to understand.

In other cities across the country, leaders are facing tough financial times, but how many of them will do the right thing by making the tough decisions now? How many of them will choose to instead do what sounds good and may make them popular for the moment without regard to how their actions will affect their cities in the future? Fortunately, we do not have to ask that question. We have a leader that has decided to make a tough stand and I applaud her for it.

Finally, it also seems that you are equating the institution of a new era of efficiency with something seen as bad. Even if you unfairly blame Mayor Franklin for the growth in city jobs, you certainly can’t blame her for correcting it. Unlike some, I don’t expect government to be perfect; I expect it to work hard at doing what is right for the people it serves. I know that will mean sacrifice at times. I accept that and understand that now is one of those times. In the future, I will be able to look back on the actions taken today, when our city sits on a better foundation than it does now, and be able to understand that our sacrifices were well worth it.

Sure, Mayor Franklin will get blamed for many of the city’s problems, unfairly I believe, but our city will be much better off with the courageous actions she is taking. Every elected official wants to leave a legacy, most by some visual monument of sorts, but Mayor Franklin has chosen to do the dirty work – by replacing our aging sewers and putting us on track for a more stable financial future.

Thank you, Mayor Franklin.