Franklin on the reports of anti-gay slurs and excessive force used by APD officers during the raid:
If there are any allegations about misconduct it’s our intention to investigate them and take the appropriate action. I believe that every person who lives or visits Atlanta should be treated fairly and justly.
But that wasn’t my first reaction when I read the instantly notorious memo by longtime political operative Aaron Turpeau, which calls for black leaders in Atlanta to rally behind a single black mayoral candidate in order to avoid seeing the election of Mary Norwood.
To me, the memo wasn’t racist so much as it was a plea for naked self-interest — although arguably wrong-headed, outdated and certainly politically incorrect.
Let me explain. I’ve always defined racism as the belief that there are inherent differences — character, intellect, ability, etc. — between people that directly result from race. Racism can be in the form of conscious prejudice — Jews are greedy, blacks are lazy, white men can’t jump, etc. — or the vague sense that one person is in some way inferior to another simply because of the color of his skin.
But I don’t think Turpeau was motivated by the kind of racism defined above. In fact, he was quite clear in explaining his goal:
There is an unstated assumption that having a black mayor in Atlanta is equal to having a black social, economic and political agenda or at least someone in office who would be sensitive to that agenda if not a full promoter of that agenda
In other words, having an African American mayor is a benefit to black Atlantans and their “agenda”; therefore, blacks should take steps to ensure that City Hall stays black.
Mayor Shirley Franklin called a press conference today to discuss city finances, then, as soon as it began, told reporters, “There won’t be any big news here.”
As it was, the mayor and Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim “I Don’t Need This Job” Glass discussed a range of topics in the service of, as Shirley said, “fiscal transparency.” Here’s a short list:
The Fulton County Tax Assessors’ office is running late in sending out tax bills this year because of an unprecedented deluge of property appraisal appeals. The later the process lags, the later the city gets its tax revenue, which raises the danger of a short-term shortfall.
The city is seeking a crazy half-billion dollars in federal stimulus funds. So far, a more reasonable $42 million has been approved. Among the city’s wish-list items is $13 million to install 400 CCTV cameras on public streets across the city in an effort to combat crime. While public video surveillance is commonplace in the UK, Americans typically don’t take kindly to being watched in that manner.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington’s press conference yesterday was a long and quizzical event filled mostly with testy questions about the chief’s recent whereabouts.
But in addition to those questions about Atlanta’s Houdini, the mayor said she wanted to talk about “solutions” and the city’s strategy to improve its piss-poor public safety. That strategy involves more cops on the street, a crackdown on gang activity, and an engaged community.
In the interest of public engagement and transparency, we’ve decided to post Franklin’s statement in full.
After the jump, what Franklin’s administration plans to do in her remaining months in office to prevent the killings, carjackings, burglaries and other ills.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington today faced heated questions from reporters on how the city plans to address residents’ growing concerns about public safety.
The focus this morning was on Pennington, who spoke only briefly and appeared downtrodden throughout the press conference. The chief’s been criticized for maintaining a low profile, especially after a recent spurt of crimes in the city that included the killing of a pro boxer, the carjacking of a councilman, and the shooting of a man walking into his girlfriend’s house with groceries. Today was the first anyone’s heard from him on the recent rash of crimes. (He said he was attending mandatory “police leadership training” in Virginia over the weekend.)
Reporters asked the chief — who will be looking for a new job once the mayor’s term ends in January — if he has the wherewithal to address the crime issue.
“I have not ‘checked out,’” Pennington said. “I will continue to work hard until [Franklin] leaves.”
Franklin — who got testy with the press many times throughout the conference — voiced unwavering support for Pennington, whom she said has helped “reform” the Atlanta department and the New Orleans Police Department, where he formerly worked.
“I’m proud of his leadership,” she said. “I’m proud of his integrity.”
She added, however, that one crime is “one crime too many” — and that the city could do more.
Mayor Shirley Franklin just released this statement on U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson’s ruling that metro Atlanta can’t tap Lake Lanier for its drinking water:
“Water is a critical resource. The City of Atlanta is spending billions of dollars rebuilding its water infrastructure under federal consent decrees. As mayor, I recognize the seriousness of the ruling and also the value of proper resource stewardship. Clean water is needed for public health, fire protection and economic development for every person and community in Georgia. The Governor and the State have the lead in this case and we and the other Metro Area water providers are following their lead. This is not only a local or regional issue, but a national issue. We welcome the opportunity to resolve it fairly and amicably.”
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today named Mayor Shirley Franklin to serve on an advisory task force that will review the federal agency’s effectiveness in informing the public about terrorist threats.
“I have assembled a task force, made up of Democrats and Republicans, elected officials at the state and local level, security experts, law enforcement officials and other professionals to assess our current threat level system and provide options for any improvements that are needed,” Napolitano said in a statement. “My goal is simple: to have the most effective system in place to inform the American people about threats to our country.”
The task force, which includes mayors, governors, private-sector bigwigs and former intelligence honchos, will review the current advisory system and its impacts on local, state, federal, tribal law enforcement agencies, the private sector and the general public. It will then issue recommendations to Napolitano, who will forward the task force’s report to President Barack Obama.
Says Franklin: “As the home of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is the busiest airport in the world, it is very important to me in this post 9/11 environment that we review the Homeland Advisory System to measure its current effectiveness.”
Are you sitting on a bunch of unpaid parking tickets? Do you hate being a meter-feeder? Have you gotten used to being able to park illegally with virtual impunity?
Well, soon it’s gonna suck to be you.
For more than a year now, there’s been almost no parking enforcement in Atlanta. There were only three meter maids patrolling the entire city.
How did that happen? As has become typical with Atlanta, it seems to have been a case of bad timing, poor planning and bureaucratic fumbling.
Last spring, when city officials realized thay were looking at a serious budget shortfall, they decided to privatize parking enforcement as a way to trim payroll. So, in May, during the first round of city layoffs, Mayor Franklin sacked the staff of meter-readers.
Soon after, however, new Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista broke it to the administration that the city couldn’t afford to replace its existing coin-operated meters with new-fangled multi-space meters that accept credit cards, as had been planned. Next, someone realized that the request for proposals that had been drawn up to solicit bids from contractors was flawed and needed to be rewritten. Apparently, each of these setbacks took months to iron out.
State senator and mayoral candidate Kasim Reed held a hastily called press conference today at the shuttered Fire Station No. 7 in the West End to make two proposals:
The city should reopen No. 7 and keep all existing fire stations open.
The city should raise taxes by 1 mill — and no more — in order to end police and fire department furloughs.
“There’s a crisis in Atlanta,” he said at the start of the press event. “Public safety is critical to Atlanta’s future and we need to do what it takes to end the furloughs.”
Mayor Franklin has proposed, in a budget now on its way to the full Council, that the city raise property taxes by 3 mills — an increase that will allow one-day-a-week furloughs to be ended for all city workers. But Reed advocated for a 1-mill increase, saying that’s enough to put police and fireman back on the job.
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.
Mayor Shirley Franklin took an Atlanta City Councilmember to task last night for his noble efforts to reach residents through Twitter.
At last night’s Young Democrats of Atlanta fundraiser at Sweetwater Brewery, Franklin — the night’s honoree — addressed the crowd and took questions.
Attendees noticed the flames of Hades rise, however, as Franklin directed her hatred for new technology at Councilman Kwanza Hall, who was also at the event.
As expected, Mayor Shirley Franklin took issue with today’s AJCarticle that cited a Real Clear Politics’ blog post in which Atlanta was tagged as the second most dangerous city in the United States. The mayor says the blog erred in its calculations and failed to take into account the city’s seven-year record for reducing crime, which is roughly the same amount of time Franklin’s been in office.
So sayeth Franklin in a press release:
Real Clear Politics claims that the City of Atlanta’s crime rate is over 16%. According to the actual FBI data, the crime rate in Atlanta is only 8.7%. (The FBI shows total crimes in 2008 of 46,381 and a population of 533,016. This translates to a crime rate of 8.7%.) In other words, the political blog’s Atlanta crime rate is double the actual rate. Also, in the most recent issue of CQ Press’s crime rankings – which is considered the authoritative source for comparative crime data – the City of Atlanta ranked 16th in overall crime rate. Just last week Forbes magazine issued a list of the 15th most dangerous cities in the country. Atlanta was not on it.
Don’t trust Forbes’ list-icles, as they are mined from a bottomless pit of census data to generate pageviews.
Alright, that’s not exactly true. OK, OK, so it’s not even remotely true. But it is true that Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts sent out a press release announcing that on July 3 he would announce to the world his decision on whether to run for Atlanta mayor. He says he’s been urged to run “by a cross-section of citizens”:
“I am flattered by the encouragement and must agree that the city needs an experienced hand. It’s not the time for on-the-job training. The city needs a mayor who can hit the ground running and build on Mayor Franklin’s positive initiatives.”
Actually, Pitts released that nugget on May 26 — nearly a week ago and while I was on vacation — yet I haven’t been able to Google up any evidence that his missive has been reported by so much as a neighborhood e-newsletter. I take this as confirmation that nobody, with the possible exception of Pitts’ immediate family, gives a cold shit whether or not he runs for mayor.
3. Perception of Crime watch (According to the mayor and police chief, Atlanta isn’t experiencing a crime wave — it’s experiencing a perception of crime wave. Have you been a victim of a perception of crime? If so, please fill out this form.)
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is once again the target of angry, metaphorical hunks of wood.
Southern Voice reports the gay G.O.P. group Georgia Log Cabin Republicans has called for Franklin’s resignation.
The latest rash of murders, robberies, hate crimes, and lawlessness are a direct result of her failure to provide proper protection by an effective police force . . [w]e are also urging Governor Sonny Perdue to take control of the situation, and requesting that he order in the Georgia National Guard or Georgia State Patrol into Atlanta to help stabilize the current crime mayhem in the city.”
Asked earlier this year about residents who are worried about crime in their neighborhoods, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said residents are feeling edgy and disturbed not because of crime itself, but because scary news about crime spreads fast and far over e-mail.
Mayor Shirley Franklin seems to agree with Pennington. She insists Atlanta is safer today than it’s been for decades.
According to Pennington and Franklin, Atlanta isn’t experiencing a crime wave. It’s experiencing a perception of crime wave.
I agree.
I also believe we must band together as a community to put a stop to this emotional menace.
So I’m starting a new project here: Perception of Crime Watch®.
AJC Political Insider Jim Galloway posted a video this morning I suspect Mayor Shirley Franklin doesn’t want you to watch.
The video shows five men and women severely wounded while on duty as Atlanta police officers. Each claims the city is denying them medical benefits they need, and to which they are entitled.
Why do I assume Mayor Franklin doesn’t want you to watch it?
Simple.
Because she’s spent the last week dodging questions about the video’s subject matter.
During the same week, however, Franklin has somehow found the time to launch an administrative, legal and public relations assault against APD union leader Sgt. Scott Kreher, the man who presented the video the city council.
Admittedly, Kreher made himself an easy target.
While speaking to city council last week about Atlanta’s alleged poor treatment of police officers severely wounded while on duty, Kreher said he’s so frustrated with Mayor Franklin’s intransigence that he feels like hitting her on the head with a baseball bat.
It was an ugly figure of speech for which Kreher apologized. But Franklin won’t move on.
She has evidently decided to use Kreher’s slip-up to once-and-for-all silence Kreher; one of her most persistent and (until last week) effective critics.
First, Franklin told Fox 5 she interprets Kreher’s statement as a literal physical threat meant to intimidate her and her family, even though it clearly an ugly metaphor for extreme frustration. Franklin says she wants a local, state and, FEDERAL investigation into Kreher’s comment.
Strange. When Atlanta residents express their fear of actual crimes, the mayor mocks them with cherry-picked stats. Hurt Franklin’s feelings, however, and she’ll summon federal help.
But wait. There’s more.
On Saturday, Franklin’s APD toady Chief Richard Pennington suspended Kreher from active-duty pending a psychological examination. Using a mental health bureaucracy and the stigma of mental illness to destroy a political opponent is a time-honored political tactic — in Russia.
Why is Franklin bending over backward to destroy Kreher? My guess is that she’s desperately hoping you won’t pay attention to his message.
So watch the video.
And if you still feel like blaming someone for drawing attention away from the important issue of benefits for wounded cops, go ahead and blame Kreher or Franklin if you’d like.
But remember, Kreher distracted us by accident. Franklin is doing it on purpose.
You can spend all day wagging your finger at Atlanta Police Union chief Sgt. Scott Kreher for his inappropriate comment last week. You know, the one he said at City Hall about wanting to hit Mayor Shirley Franklin in the head with a baseball bat?
You can debate whether Kreher’s frustration over delayed compensation claims to five injured Atlanta police officers forgives such an outburst by a 17-year veteran of the force.
But to do all that does nothing to address the problem that Kreher says has festered in City Hall, one that’s reportedly led to back-and-forth legal challenges and injured officers allegedly being stonewalled for medical treatment.
What this issue needs is a little bit of sunlight. Let’s take a quick look at the contracts the city’s signed — and re-signed — with NovaPro Risk Solutions, the San Diego-based company that’s handled employees’ compensation claims since 2004, back when it was known as Ward North America Inc.
Just so, you know, we’re up to speed when this issue comes back up for discussion.
Sgt. Scott Kreher, one of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s most persistent and effective critics, stepped in a big pile of poop this week when he told the city council he’s so frustrated with Franklin’s unresponsiveness that he’d like to hit her in the head with the baseball bat.
Given the context of the original statement and the wording of Kreher’s quick apology, it was clearly an ugly metaphor. It stretches credulity to say Kreher’s comment was a threat.
“I think it’s intended to intimidate me, my family and city officials. I think it’s very dangerous language and when someone says they want to take a bat and hit you in the head, from my experience, they want to kill you,” said Mayor Franklin.
The mayor apparently had nothing to say about the source of Kreher’s frustration, her administration’s poor treatment of wounded police officers.
And that’s why Kreher’s comment was so infuriating. He handed Franklin a stack of victim cards. Now she’s playing them.
Former Gov. Roy Barnes at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner
Last night’s installment of the annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner was a sell-out despite the absence of a headliner. No Hillary, like last year, or John “Pretty-Boy Pariah” Edwards, like two years ago. Nor was it the cigar-chomping, wine-sloshing bacchanal I’d hoped it would be, following the Obama election. Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond didn’t even break out his James Brown dance moves.
Not that anyone expected those things. Most folks came simply to bask in the good feeling of the successful national elections — and to see if former Gov. Roy Barnes would tip his hand regarding a possible bid for his old job. Roy was there, of course, and he made the rounds, but the best he could offer his well-wishers was that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll run.
The official gubernatorial candidates — Attorney General Thurbert Baker, House Minority Leader DuBose Porter and former state labor commissioner David Poythress — all took a turn onstage, but most folks in the Hyatt ballroom likely are waiting to see what Barnes will do.
