Fresh Loaf

Ivory Young

One says she’s had trouble sleeping because of anonymous threats. Another received a nasty phone message described as “the most disgusting, vulgar thing I’ve ever heard.” Others have gotten e-mails labeling them the “Hate Eight.”

Yes, the eight Atlanta City Council members who voted Monday to approve a 3-mill property tax increase have been reminded over the past few days that, no matter how sincere your intentions, you can’t please everybody.

For weeks now, most of the folks who voted for the tax hike — Carla Smith, Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Natalyn Archibong, Anne Fauver, Felicia Moore, C.T. Martin, Joyce Sheperd and Ceasar Mitchell — have said most constituents indicated a willingness to pay more in taxes in return for an end to police furloughs.

With the city bean-counters expecting only $490 million in annual revenues — down from nearly $650 million a couple years back — the alternatives to a tax increase, according to Mitchell, would’ve been cutting back on weekly trash pick-up, eliminating the recycling program, closing more rec centers and parks or, perhaps, additional employee furloughs.

But now the Eight are catching hell from people whose top concern was higher taxes.

Once the dust settles on the vote and the hate mail subsides, Council members agree, the newly un-furloughed city workers are going to need to step up their game in order to meet heightened taxpayer expectations.

“There can be no excuses now for poor service delivery,” says Young. “From here on, it’s zero tolerance for mediocrity.”

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The race to represent Morningside, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland and Midtown residents at City Hall gets bigger by the week.

The Southern Voice reports that Miguel Gallegos has officially entered the contest, joining Liz Coyle, Alex Wan and Steve Brodie. Councilwoman Anne Fauver has said she would not seek a third term in office.

We’re hearing another potential candidate has been seen handing out campaign information in Piedmont Park. That mystery person hasn’t officially filed their papers yet. When she does, however, be prepared for this race — which is already spinning with political dynamics — to get even more interesting.

Gallegos, who the Voice reports is openly gay, doesn’t have a website just yet. Hey, Miguel! Send us a line sometime!

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Jim Maddox, caught between naps

The Atlanta City Council voted today to raise property taxes by 3 mills, an outcome we’d been predicting for weeks. But the actual vote count — 8 to 7 — was closer than anyone expected it to be. Not because Council members believed the tax hike was a bad idea. Hell, with only one or two possible exceptions, even those who voted against it were privately praying it would pass.

No, the vote was so close because several of our Council members possess, as Teddy Roosevelt once said, “the backbone of a chocolate eclair.”

Exhibit A is Jim “40 Winks” Maddox, the self-proclaimed “Dean of the Council” because he’s warmed a chair in City Hall for more than three long decades. Today, Maddox shocked his colleagues by voting against the tax hike and the $541 million budget. This is a guy who, two months ago, said publicaly that he didn’t think Mayor Franklin’s proposed 3-mill increase was big enough!

“I’m prepared to approve a tax increase to end the furloughs for all employees,” he announced at a budget hearing at the end of April.

But that was before he picked up three challengers for his beloved Council seat. So, today, without giving anyone a heads up, the lily-livered Maddox cravenly hung his colleagues out to dry.

Here’s guessing the next Council retreat is going to be awwwkward.

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UPDATE: Word comes in that City Council might make a motion to reconsider the property-tax vote. More details to come. The move to reconsider failed. The final budget adoption will most likely take place around 1:30 p.m.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports the Atlanta City Council this morning narrowly approved a three mill property-tax increase that will plug a $56 million budget shortfall. The average homeowner will see his or her property tax bill increase by $240.

The 8-7 vote Monday morning to raise property taxes by 3 mills was still considered preliminary. It is contingent upon council members adopting the mayor’s $541 million fiscal 2010 budget, a vote expected to take place on Monday afternoon.

The closeness of the tax vote reflected criticism aimed at the council during several public hearings for considering a tax hike in the midst of a severe recession.

…

If the budget passes, the tax increase would allow the city to end employee furloughs during the fiscal year that starts on Wednesday. Furloughs of police officers and firefighters, and the subsequent impact on public safety, emerged as major concerns during the council’s review of Franklin’s budget.

The vote’s roll call:

Yeas: Carla Smith, Ivory Lee Young, Jr., Natalyn Archibong, Anne Fauver, Felicia Moore, C.T. Martin, Joyce Sheperd and Ceasar Mitchell.

Nays: Kwanza Hall, Cleta Winslow, Howard Shook, Clair Muller, Jim Maddox, Mary Norwood and H. Lamar Willis.

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The Atlanta City Council’s Finance Committee voted unanimously today to send Mayor Shirley Franklin’s budget proposal — which includes a 3-mill tax hike — on to the full Council for a vote later this month. This was a formal necessity; the Council must approve an annual budget before the beginning of the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Last year, the final vote didn’t take place until late on June 27, which, because it was a Friday, represented the last possible moment the Council could act without being in violation of the city charter. This year, the vote is scheduled for June 29, a Monday, which gives them one more day to find a consensus if they reach a stalemate.

But chances are, they won’t.

As of this writing, I count at least nine likely votes in support of the mayor’s budget. Franklin only needs eight to win. The Finance Committee sent the budget forward without a recommendation, so no members would need to tip their hands in advance, but the chatter at City Hall is that the budget will pass.

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Grayson Daughters spoke with Atlanta Police Union President Scott Kreher at the most recent Atlantans Together Against Crime rally in Midtown. Topics included how the organization will endorse a candidate in the Atlanta mayor’s race, what role the community plays in fighting crime, and what’s needed to end police furloughs. 

In March, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging Mayor Shirley Franklin to introduce a budget that ended police and firefighter furloughs. Last week, the mayor granted its request. Council is expected to vote on the budget in June.

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Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s unexpected exit from the District 6 race yesterday took nearly everyone in the politically active and tight-knit neighborhoods she serves by surprise.

In a Tuesday interview with CL, Fauver said the decision, which she’s wrestled with for the last two months, largely came down to two things: frustration with city politics and the desire to try something new.

“[Atlanta] once had a strong council and a weak mayor,” Fauver said. “That’s been reversed. That can be very frustrating because council is supposed to determine policy…As of now, we don’t.”

Fauver added that it’s difficult to juggle a career and serve in City Hall. The job of a councilmember, which pays $39,000 a year and is supposed to be a part-time gig, is more like a round-the-clock position.

“It’s four years,” she said, referring to another term. “Four years on top of eight years is a little bit longer than I want to do it. I’m frankly looking forward to a new challenge and I don’t know what that will be.”

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Atlanta City Councilmember Anne Fauver says she won’t seek a third term.

Fauver represents the Morningside, Midtown, Virginia-Highland and Druid Hills neighborhoods, among others.

In an unexpected email blast to constituents and supporters she says:

After eight years you begin to be part of the system, and you find yourself with less energy to pursue better ideas and, frankly, with less faith in the ability of the system to be responsive to them. It’s time for me to pass the baton to a successor; to someone with the energy and vision I had eight years ago.

As of this writing, Midtown business consultant Steve Brodie is the only candidate running for her seat. In 2005, he narrowly lost to Fauver by five votes.

Fauver’s full letter, in which she outlines her proudest accomplishments on council, is after the jump. We placed a call to Fauver’s office and will update when we hear back.

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State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta

State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, is leaning against running for Atlanta City Council President, a source very close to the lawmaker tells CL. He’s expected to make a decision tomorrow.

If Fort opts not to run, that leaves Atlanta City Councilmembers Clair Muller and Ceasar Mitchell vying for the top spot. As of right now, at least.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Steve Brodie’s in the race to represent Midtown on the Atlanta City Council.

According to press release from his campaign, the Midtown business consultant this morning filed his paperwork to run for the District 6 seat currently held by Councilmember Anne Fauver.

“Over the past eight years, City Council has not shown the skills, or delivered the measurable results, that we so desperately need,” Brodie said in the press release. “I intend to introduce progressive ideas and build coalitions to give serious consideration to all the change that needs to come.”

The race will be the second time Brodie’s faced off against Fauver. In 2005, she won a hotly contested race against Brodie by five votes. As it looks right now, it’s just the two of them again — the Southern Voice reports Charlie Stadtlander, who announced his candidacy late last year, has dropped out of the race and endorsed Brodie.

Brodie, who is openly gay, is a decorated Vietnam veteran and business consultant. He’s served on numerous public organizations including NPU E, the Midtown Neighbors’ Association and the Beltline Subarea 6 Steering Committee. His full bio is available here. His campaign website is here.

(Courtesy Steve Brodie Campaign)

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Lovers of gourmet food and booze rejoice: That quaint store where you could buy luxurious-sounding grub — but not wine — may soon be able to legally stock booze.

Yesterday, the Atlanta City Council passed legislation that would allow such gourmet food shops as the Cabbagetown Market and the Mercantile on DeKalb Avenue to stock beer, wine and malt beverages. The legislation, which essentially now gives those and similar stores a legal classification in the city’s code, was penned by Councilmember Natalyn Archibong and passed 8-2. Such stores won’t be allowed to sell lotto tickets or “other games of chance,” gasoline or tobacco. They also can’t operate drive-thru windows or cash checks. But bring on the booze!

If she chooses, Mayor Shirley Franklin has eight days to veto the bill.

To peruse Archibong’s bill, laden with good ole fashioned legalese and multiple uses of “whereas,” click here. Keep in mind that an amendment — supposedly a minor tweak — was added to the legislation. I’m waiting on Archibong’s staff to return a call and clarify what in entails.

UPDATE: Here’s the “specialty food store” legislation as passed in Monday’s council meeting. I received some emails from folks who said they had problems opening the file I posted yesterday. If this one fails to open, shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you directly.

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Beltline, Georgia Department of Transportation and Amtrak officials have until tomorrow afternoon to update the U.S. Surface Transportation Board about the fate of the Decatur Belt, a strip of abandoned rail in Northeast Atlanta which all sides say they need to control for very different rail projects. (Here are some maps of the project and area in question.)

Late last week, residents of several at-risk neighborhood organizations — including Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward — asked Amtrak and GDOT to scrap their plans for commuter or intercity rail running along the Decatur Belt. (Click here to read their Word Document press release.) While all the agencies promised to work together to try and resolve the issue, they’re keeping mum on how things have progressed. On Tuesday, Mayor Shirley Franklin told U.S. Congressman John Lewis the sides are still negotiating. Nonetheless, keep checking back for updates about the story.

In other Beltline news, some areas of the 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit that would require rezoning are scheduled to be discussed — and possibly voted on — by the Atlanta City Council’s Community Development and Human Resources Committee on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m.. Included are project areas near Old Fourth Ward, Grant Park, Northwest Atlanta, and others.

A full list of the areas follows after the jump. If you want to get involved, stop by City Hall or contact your councilmember.

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First come the slots. Then come the men cavorting with white tigers and the true artistes! But until then…baby steps.

And today, the Atlanta City Council voiced its support  for a plan that could drastically change Underground Atlanta and bring gambling — well, video lottery terminals — to the long suffering downtown attraction. Council voted 11-0 to approve a resolution supporting the proposal and form a committee to study the project.

Underground Atlanta leaseholders Dan O’Leary and John Aderhold say a remake of the area could bring jobs and much-needed revenue to the city. The two recently proposed a $500 million redevelopment plan that would convert Underground Atlanta’s 12 acres into a complex featuring a 29-story hotel, restaurants, shops and lottery terminals.

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The killing of John Henderson sparked Atlanta resident awareness about crime.

Kyle Keyser is a founder of Atlantans Together Against Crime, a grassroots citizen group that raises awareness about the city’s growing crime problem. In an open letter to Mayor Shirley Franklin and City Council that Keyser asked CL to publish, he says the community is fully engaged, but residents’ trust in their elected officials is slipping. On Feb. 23 from 5 to 7 p.m., ATAC will hold its second monthly rally at the corner of Martin Luther King and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevards.

An Open Letter to the Mayor and Council of Atlanta:

Lately, it seems, when you can’t fight crime with police officers you fight it with numbers.

“Things are better today,” you insist, and you reach back over the years to compare crime rates. Never mind the property crime increase here or another senseless murder there. You act as if this is all in our heads, perhaps being exacerbated by neighbors – and neighborhoods – too quick to react.

Madam Mayor & Council members – with all due respect – stop patronizing us. We are not children who are scared of the dark for no other reason than its darkness. Criminals are lurking in our streets and perpetrating horrible crimes on all sides of Atlanta. Maybe they are not killing or assaulting us as much as they did in your comparison years but they are breaking into our homes and our cars, they are robbing us of hard-earned possessions, and they are stealing our privacy, our peace, and our sense of safety with alarming frequency.

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If you’ve attended or watched an Atlanta City Council committee meeting, you’ve witnessed the blunt opinions and insight of Dave Walker, a 63-year-old Vietnam veteran and street vendor who says he’s attended nearly every meeting since 1984.

How did you end up in Atlanta?

I was hitchhiking around the country back in the ’70s and I went to Los Angeles. And then I went from LA to New York. And I was standing in my sister’s front yard in New York, and I asked the almighty God “Where do I go now?” And clearly he said to me, “Atlanta.” And that’s how I got here. I came hitchhiking with two pennies.

How does God manifest himself to you?

He can talk. God talks to man’s conscience.

Do you still hitchhike?

No, I am afraid now. And a little too old. (laughs).

Do you like Atlanta?

The thing that I used to like about Atlanta is that Atlanta was a wholesome town. But it’s no longer wholesome. If I left Atlanta, I would starve to death. So I stay here. No other city could I have gone to and become famous. I am famous now, so I like it.

When you say that you are famous, what do you think you are famous for?

I am famous for my quick wit. I am famous for my knowledge of world events, etc. I don’t think there is no council member, no government official, in this state or in this country, who is as qualified to talk about government as I am.

Why do you wear hospital scrubs? [Ed. Walker often wears scrubs to meetings.]

Every great man has to have their notch in history, their notch in the community; the scrubs are part of my notch, part of my identity. Most doctors, nurses, they have on scrubs and I view myself as somewhat of a doctor. And scrubs secondarily are very comfortable. They are versatile and you can wear them anywhere, anytime. And the reason I don’t have them on now is it’s too damn cold. But I tell you, I miss them. (laughs)

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Tom Coffin, former Atlanta arborist

Tom Coffin, the Atlanta senior field arborist whose firing last summer sparked a firestorm of controversy, says he’s mulling legal options if the city doesn’t rehire him.

In mid-December, his attorney told the city — in the form of an ante litum notice — that he planned to sue to under the city’s “whistleblower” statute. Coffin has maintained he was fired because he alerted superiors about alleged lax enforcement by his colleagues of the tree ordinance — an eco-minded yet controversial law that forces homeowners or businesses to meet criteria before cutting down trees. Coffin, whom we cheekily referred to as a real-life Lorax, helped write the ordinance, and has earned both praise and scorn from residents and developers for keeping a watchful eye on its enforcement.

In an open letter last week to the city council and residents, Coffin said he’d prefer to be rehired and get back to enforcing the tree ordinance rather than head to court to argue a case he thinks he can win.

Coffin writes:

“…I seek reinstatement to the Sr. Arborist position that I won through merit and lost through deceit. I wish to continue my nearly 12 years of service to the city in formulating, implementing and enforcing one of its signature environmental laws. I seek my job back. I ask for compensation for lost salary and benefits, and for the legal costs incurred by me since my firing in July 2008. These demands are reasonable and minimal. I ask that the [city's Public Safety] Committee recommend this result to Council in the interest of justice, fairness and economy.”

Beth Chandler, the city’s attorney, says the law department is reviewing Coffin’s claim. There is no timeline for when a decision will be made, she says.

In an earlier open letter to city council and residents, Coffin said the city’s tree ordinance, in his absence, has become a “dead letter.” Coffin, who travels around the city on a recumbent bicycle, told CL on Friday that even months after he was sacked by the city he still finds himself surveying trees and reporting possible violations to the arborist’s office.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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This afternoon, the Atlanta City Council will take up three proposals dealing with police resources — two are fairly interesting, the third fairly pointless. All three are resolutions, so they can be ignored by Mayor Franklin if she sees fit — and in one case she will.

The two most promising measures call for the city to establish mini-precincts at Crawford Long Hospital and Greenbriar Mall. Greenbriar, in Southwest ATL, is a no-brainer, but why Crawford Long? Because it’s across the street from the Peachtree-Pine shelter operated by the Task Force for the Homeless. As I noted in a recent cover story, the shelter already sucks up a large chunk of police resources in the surrounding Zone 5, including a patrol car stationed on Pine Street for 16 hours a day.

In both cases, the property owners — the mall and the hospital — are apparently so desperate for additional security that they’ve offered to lease the APD the mini-precinct space for $1 a year.

The third resolution requests the termination of employee furloughs for police officers and firefighters. It’s a fine idea — to increase police man-hours to combat the apparent rise in violent crime — and the Council is expected to approve it unanimously, but it’s a non-starter.

With the city in a serious revenue slump, Franklin has argued the city can’t afford to keep police on the job every day without slashing other programs and services. Privately, many Council members agree, but they’re unwilling to suggest in an election year what else should go on the chopping block instead. So they’ve left the tough decisions to an outgoing mayor, who — for good or ill — hasn’t backed down from making them.

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A Jan. 7 killing and armed robbery at the Standard Food and Spirits sparked community outcry — and questions over who’s to blame for a rise in Atlanta crime.

“The idea that we have a city where this kind of violence can happen is completely unacceptable. … What we have seen is cuts [in police hours] made [by Mayor Shirley Franklin] without consultation and collaboration.”

— Atlanta Councilmember Mary Norwood, who attended a Thursday morning vigil for victim John Henderson, in a Jan. 8 AJC article.

“I proposed a modest tax increase [in early 2008] dedicated to public safety and the Council chose to roll back taxes in spite of our warnings. … [Norwood] has never sought to discuss the budget recommendations with me and I find her remarks today to be ludicrous and irresponsible.”

— Franklin’s response to Norwood, in a Jan. 8 press release.

“i would be happy to pay more taxes for a safer community. but our family can and will leave if the city doesn’t address this problem.”

— Adam Bartolett, in a post on the Atlantans Together Against Crime and Cutbacks’ Facebook page.

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CBS 46 (”We ask the tough questions! Eat that, liars!”) reports Atlanta City Council President Lisa Border’s Southwest Atlanta home  was burglarized a few hours after Mayor Shirley Franklin’s Monday speech in which she said crime in the city had gone down. The robbers, who kicked in Borders’ front door, made off with a 26″ flat-screen television. (Click the link above to view the report.)

Another tip of the hat to Grayson for sending the link.

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Mayor Shirley Franklin (CL file photo)

Shirley Franklin didn’t need to say a word before finding out how Atlanta’s business/civic leadership feel about her tenure as mayor. Even as she stepped to the podium in an Omni Hotel ballroom to deliver her State of the City address this morning, she was greeted with a long, enthusiastic standing ovation by the near-overflow crowd.

It may have helped that the audience had been primed by a slick, 15-minute video produced by Coke extolling Franklin’s accomplishments: the sewer overhaul, the purchase of the King papers, the completion of the fifth runway. But even some of Shirley’s detractors later told me they were surprised by how warmly she was received by the business community. It was not polite applause heard this morning; it was genuine affection for a mayor who – whether or not you appreciate her style or the results of her efforts – hasn’t backed away from tackling some very formidable challenges since coming into office.

Thankfully, Franklin didn’t give the same speech she delivered to the City Council on Monday, which was simply a disjointed litany of statistics and trivia designed to tout her accomplishments as mayor, with little real acknowledgment of the city’s recent setbacks

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Those who came to City Hall on Monday hoping to hear a revealing, or perhaps even forward-looking, State of the City address likely were disappointed. Firstly, the mayor read only a brief portion of her speech at the top of the Council meeting. But a full transcript of the speech, available online, isn’t much more satisfying or illuminating.

Watching Franklin over the past year has been interesting. At the beginning of her tenure, she seemed self-effacing and upbeat. But ever since the city budget troubles were revealed last January, she has used about half her time at the podium to defend her administration’s legacy.

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The Atlanta City Council may decide Monday whether to scrap the accounting devise known as the “cash carry-forward.” Readers of my May cover story about the city’s budget debacle will recall that the cash carry-forward was a practice by which city bean-counters would roll the previous year’s surplus into the following year’s budget, providing a reliable revenue cushion.

Or not. The problem was that the city’s outdated accounting methods did not provide an accurate picture of how much money was actually available.

According to an April report by city auditor Leslie Ward, the Franklin administration had consistently overestimated its annual cash carry-forward since the 2003 budget year. This meant the government started out each year thinking it had more money to spend – tens of millions more – than it actually did.

Oops. I blamed the cash carry-forward snafu as a big part of how a seemingly well-managed city had managed to dig itself into a financial hole. The council will consider an ordinance to repeal the section of city code that provides for the cash carry-forward. I don’t claim to be a whiz at accounting, but it seems like a good idea.

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Forget the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Atlanta’s cantankerous Councilman C.T. Martin wants to start the Brotherhood of the Unsaggy Britches.

Nearly a year after a citizens’ task force on droopy trousers (we only wish we were making this up) decided that his proposed city-wide ban on visible knickers was one bone-headed idea, Martin is bouncing back with a new resolution commending Morehouse College for discouraging the “wearing of exposed underwear.”

Here’s a bit of the language of Martin’s measure:

WHEREAS, the Atlanta City Council established a task force to recommend whether the City of Atlanta, Georgia should amend its indecency code to make it illegal for exposure of one’s undergarments in a public place; and

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Consider, for instance, recent negotiations to purchase the northeast quadrant of the Beltline, a 22-mile loop of transit and trails that will one day circle the city.

That deal — and the history of the controversial plot of land — has resulted in the city parting ways with two developers and paying millions of dollars that critics say was squandered.

Mike Dobbins, a Georgia Tech professor and Atlanta’s former planning commissioner, says the city rushed to pay Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason and his son Keith $65 million for land that could have been had for much, much less.

“Buying out Mason was a flawed proposition,” Dobbins says. “I mean, name me anyone who wouldn’t love to make a 300 percent profit in three years on a $25 million investment. It’s crazy.”

Says Keith Mason: “I’m pleased with the outcome.”

Read the rest of this story.

(Photo by Jim Stawniak)

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If you’ve been wondering what you could give the Atlanta City Council to make them happy, wonder no more – they’ve issued a list. Unfortunately, unless you’re a state lawmaker, you won’t be able to provide any of the items on the list.

Here’s a selection of wish-list items:

• Amend State law to allow local governments the ability to restrict guns in city parks.
• Amend State law to allow local governments the ability to restrict ownership of assault weapons within the city limits.
• Amend State law to allow municipal courts the ability to suspend drivers’ licenses for failure to pay fines.
• Amend State law to authorize municipalities to require vacant property registration.
• Amend State law to permit photo speed detection devices in school zones.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to impose a wholesale alcohol tax increase.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to increase the tax-by-the-drink tax on alcohol.
• Amend the City of Atlanta charter to allow the City to impose a by-the-glass tax for beer and wine.
• Amend State law to permit a local option real estate transfer tax to fund greenspace acquisition and  maintenance.
• Amend State election code to require independent school districts to compensate municipalities for the costs of conducting their elections.
• Amend State law to allow cities with a development authority to negotiate for the sale of city surplus  property, as an additional tool in marketing property.
• Amend the City charter to allow the municipal court to add a 10% surcharge to any criminal or traffic fine imposed to fund court programs.
• Amend State law to permit the use of liens to collect water/sewer bills.

As for the first two, it ain’t gonna happen; we’ve got us one gun-lovin’ Legislature.

As for raising local liquor taxes: Drunks, unite! We need to fight back this latest assault on intemperance!

And the rest of the suggestions seem to be focused on squeezing a few more shekels out of us, the public – through speeding fines, a court surcharge, a real estate transfer taxes and added leverage on drivers and water-users to pay our bills and fines.

Fellow turnips, prepare to be squeezed.

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