Fresh Loaf

Governing Magazine, a great policy mag whose recent article about Atlanta’s gentrification craze we already linked to yesterday, published a mini-profile on its website about Mayor Shirley Franklin and her mos def of deft skills: “indirect leadership.” The profile’s author, Stephen Goldsmith, is a former mayor of Indianapolis, and by golly, he knows good leadership when he sees it.

The gist of the story: When Franklin took office, the city had two separate courts — one for traffic and moving violations, one for all other city-code violations. Franklin saw low-hanging fruit and reached out to pluck it. Since she had no direct control over the city’s justice department, she gathered support in the legal community and was open with the judges involved. With the help of a pro bono analysis conducted by a consulting group, Franklin was able to consolidate the court operations and personnel. The move saved $7 million. Additional reforms created the “single, technology-driven paperless court” Goldsmith discusses in his article. The city’s court budget has been trimmed a total of $19 million, he says.

What are some examples of Franklin’s “direct leadership” skills?

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THIS TIME IT’S PERSONNEL: City Council unanimously passes an ordinance requiring the mayor to get its approval before making additions or reductions to the city’s personnel, the latest in an ongoing melodrama between the council and mayor.

DEER IN HEADLINES: A six-legged deer found in Rome, Ga., is understandably popular.

BUSH: Went down to Georgia.

CHILDRESS: Hawks’ restricted free agent is considering an offer to play in Greece.

RIGHT TO AIR ARMS? U.S. House Homeland Security Committee chairman doesn’t think we should have guns at the airport.

ROCK DRUMMERS: Require at least as much physical endurance as soccer players, according to a recent British study that used Blondie drummer Clem Burke as its test subject.

LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER: Researchers and companies like Xerox are backing away from utopian visions of a paperless society that became popular in the late 20th century, using the phrase “paper-less” instead to focus on the more pragmatic, but less glamorous, goal of simply not wasting as much paper as we do now.

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— Griftdrift returns from a snorkeling adventure in the Gulf of Mexico to weigh in with a spot-on analysis of Secretary of State Karen Handel’s decision to remove PSC Commission candidate Jim Powell from the ballot, and a judge’s subsequent decision to put him back on the ballot.

—Lori posts a pictorial tribute to Fire Station No. 7, which was closed yesterday due to the city’s budget crisis, on Mingaling. There’s nothing there about Shirley Franklin going “Philadelphia” on the protesters who don’t want to lose their fire station — and almost needing her own fire put out — but there’s some pretty pictures.

— Over at Jason Pye’s blog, he passes along info that Bob Barr, former CL columnist and now presidential candidate, has opened up an on-line store where you can pick up campaign t-shirts and hats. They’re spiffy.

— In a campaign of a different sort, there’s a long back and forth on ATLmalcontent regarding a fellow blogger’s tome on the requirements for a male to be a feminist ally. Which is something we should all aspire towards, no?

— A new trend in Atlanta television news is called “backpacking.” No camping involved. Just news reporters doubling as camerapersons. Doug Richards at Live Apartment Fire explains how WXIA is trying to get a bigger bang for the buck. And essentially telling viewers: Expect less.

— Over at the Wren’s Nest, someone has discovered that the family of Joel Chandler Harris sued Coca-Cola for copyright infringement in 1932. Br’er Rabbit didn’t win because Br’er Coca-Cola out-foxed him.

— I’m still trying to figure this one out, but the ladies at Pecanne Log seem to have this inexplicable crush on our own Thomas Wheatley, to the point they appear to gush over him with every post. Today, there’s no Thomas-gushing going on, but there is a nice sigh of relief that the Crum and Forster building has been saved from the clutches of demolition by those ramblin’ wrecks over at Georgia Tech.

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Where my colleague Andi sees the mayor’s office as half-empty, InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery sees it as half-full…or something like that.

On Monday, Shirley Franklin got all up in the grill of a group of folks loudly protesting the closing of a city fire station. That much is not in dispute. But Andi saw the incident as evidence of a mayor too lately given to confrontation:

What’s with Franklin’s defiant attitude? It was her administration’s mismanagement of the budget that precipitated the city’s budget crisis and the fire station’s closing. A little contrition would go a long way, but Franklin seems incapable of it at the moment.

Towery, on the other hand, perceived an embattled leader showing her mettle:

At one point, Franklin, who originally hailed from Philadelphia, said that if the boisterous crowd pushed her, they would see her Philadelphia side come out. What, in fact, we saw was her Atlanta grit.

Hard decisions made by good leaders and backed up by a willingness to be right at the center of the action. It’s the stuff that future leaders need, and Shirley Franklin’s got in abundance. We think she is one tough, strong, and good mayor. We are proud of Mayor Shirley Franklin.

If we may be allowed a psychological musing, the difference in perspective may come from Towery’s own political past as a state legislator, when he must’ve confronted his share of hostile crowds. And while Andi ran for president in 2000, sadly he did not receive a plurality of the vote. If he had, much misery and bloodshed could have been avoided – although the administration would undoubtedly be in the thrall of big bio-diesel.

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Long-time readers of Fresh Loaf are already aware that Mayor Shirley Franklin does not always handle criticism or opposition with, um, grace (Two examples: 1, 2).

Tonight the rest of Atlanta will get a look at Franklin’s temper, thanks to TV footage of Her Excellency speaking at the ceremony to mark the closing of West End’s Fire Station 7.

In response to jeers from city residents protesting the station’s closure, the Mayor halted her speech and announced to protestors:

“Now you know what’s gonna happen, these gentlemen and ladies have never seen this Philadelphia side of me, but I’m gonna come over there, okay.”

She didn’t explain what she meant by “this Philadelphia side of me” but her tone of voice and body language suggested she didn’t have brotherly love in mind.

Franklin then stepped away from the podium and into the audience.

“Let’s have the conversation. Let’s have it,” she yelled.

What’s with Franklin’s defiant attitude?

It was her administration’s mismanagement of the budget that precipitated the city’s budget crisis and the fire station’s closing. A little contrition would go a long way, but Franklin seems incapable of it at the moment.

The Franklin on TV tonight is smug and bratty; nothing like the earnest public servant twice elected by Atlantans to fix their city’s government.

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The Number 7 fire station at 535 W. Whitehall St. between Castleberry Hills and the West End, next to the I-20 overpass, was closed today as the most visible element of a cost-cutting plan by Mayor Shirley Franklin to shave $21.6 million off the city budget.

According to the AJC and local TV stations, about 30 local residents showed up to protest the shuttering of the station. Dating to 1910, it’s the city’s oldest, and definitely one of the most picturesque, stations. There’s been no word on what would be done with the building, but if the city decides to sell it, Station 7 could be a hot property.

The Net is ablaze, ahem, with commentary about the mayor’s decision. Kwabena Nkromo, chairman of the surrounding Neighborhood Planning Unit T, sent us an op-ed on the issue:

It is not too late for Mayor Franklin to show the courage and integrity to admit that, in this case, she is dead wrong. No matter what pressure she may be under, she has no moral or political right to tell my neighbors that we alone must bear the sacrifice of greater exposure to the risk catastrophic harm that a poorer fire response time will pose. It doesn’t take a competent fire chief to understand when a station handles an average of 20 calls per day, it is not arbitrarily dispensable. We demand that the city not close historic Fire Station #7 in favor of a budget plan that does not disproportionately impact public safety for the residents of only certain parts of the city.

We also enjoyed a posting by Firegeezer, who claims to have “The hottest fire blog on the Web!”

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If you hadn’t noticed, the Atlanta budget crisis has resulted in some raw nerves and strained relations down at City Hall. The process has gone something like this: Mayor Shirley Franklin announces budget cuts. The City Council criticizes her cuts, but asks her to make some more. Franklin makes more cuts. The Council criticizes the new cuts. And so on.

On Friday, Council President Lisa Borders released a formal response to the Mayor’s announcement of $21.6 million in cuts, which include closing a fire station and laying off several dozen firefighters:

I am disappointed that additional personnel are being laid off by the Mayor as a way of achieving the City Council’s mandated 2.5 percent cut in the General Fund budget. Instead of reducing costs by eliminating jobs first, we should be more innovative in the way we do business and deliver services to residents.

A few hours later, Franklin sent this e-mail response directly to Borders:

You will have your chance as Mayor should you be successful in your election.

Snap! And minutes later, Franklin added:

The Council added costs to the budget and then gave me the authority to make the cuts after refusing to do so themselves. The Council and Chairman [Howard] Shook punted with your concurrence and instigation. I made the decisions for cuts the Council didn’t. I’m OK with that because that’s what Mayors have done all over America for years.

The ball’s in Border’s court:

I have great respect for you and the job you have done as Mayor of our beloved city. But let’s be clear: the Council is a 15-armed octopus and to suggest that I could “instigate” a unanimous vote – especially on something as complicated and critical as this monumental budget gap – is a stretch, to put it mildly. I certainly don’t have to tell someone with your experience that disagreements over policy choices are part of a healthy, natural tension between our branches of government.

Now, we should point out that we abbreviated the discourse slightly. Both Franklin and Borders acknowledged that the city is better off when the Mayor and Council work together and they expressed a desire to do so in the future.

But while it’s easy to imagine those two women settling their differences cordially and professionally, there are several members of the Council – C.T. Martin, for starters – who make collaboration between the administration and the Council all but impossible. Which means we’re probably stuck with the current back-and-forth.

Unfortunately, we’re probably not in the home stretch. Later this week, Atlanta officials expect to learn from Fulton County how much the city will be able to collect in property taxes in coming months. Because of assessment appeals, the figure could be much lower than the one the Council used when it approved the city budget last month. If so, there could be more budget cuts – and more bickering – in the city’s future.

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The budgetary back-and-forth between Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta City Council took on the feel of a cut-throat, high-stakes poker match this past Friday, with the mayor effectively calling their bet – and raising.

When the Council adopted a $571 million city budget for 2009 at the end of June, it sidestepped a proposed tax increase by tasking Franklin to trim $14.6 million from city expenses – on top of more than $57 million in cuts she’d already undertaken to avoid a projected budget shortfall.

On Friday, the mayor upped the ante, instead slashing $21.6 million – nearly 50 percent more than requested – from the budget, at the cost of a West End fire station, a streetlight maintenance contract, vacant police jobs and 78 city employees, including 34 firefighters. That’s in addition to the more than 400 staffers laid off in May.

Franklin didn’t maintain a good poker face; clearly angry, she blamed the Council for forcing her hand. “Their actions will affect the city for a long time to come,” she said.

Minutes later, Council President Lisa Borders countered that the choices were Franklin’s and would be reviewed – and possibly reversed – by the Council. “To indicate that the Council mandated cuts to police and fire is disingenuous,” she said. “We’re not done yet with these cuts.”

Unfortunately, that isn’t all they’re not done with.

On Monday, a judge ordered that, for now, Atlanta and other municipalities within Fulton County could only collect taxes based on 2007 values for most commercial properties – not the 2008 reassessments, which were about 20 percent higher.

No one at City Hall yet knows the full impact of the ruling, but it could mean city revenue would be tens of millions less than anticipated in coming months. Under the judge’s decision, additional taxes cannot be collected on assessments under appeal until more than half of the 15,000 appeals are resolved by the county, a process that likely will take months.

In fact, Robert Proctor, the attorney challenging the county’s assessments, has filed a new lawsuit challenging the certification of tax officials hearing appeals. If his suit succeeds, the appeals process would grind to a halt, adding more months to the delay in tax collections.

Borders said she hopes to learn the scope of the damage by early next week. She also is waiting to hear from city attorneys on the legality of re-opening the budget process, if that step becomes necessary. When it approved the city budget in June, the Council likewise set the tax rate for the coming year. It’s unknown whether the city can revisit that decision so soon.

Said Borders: “This situation is unprecedented.”

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JEKYLL: The first new development in three decades on the island, a Hampton Inn, breaks ground Monday.

AERO HEADS: Jacoby Development’s large-scale “aerotropolis” redevelopment of the Hapeville Ford plant could be the southside city’s big break, but commercial real-estate experts say it’s also a big risk.

REVIVAL: State gives $10,000 to proposed new Allman Brothers museum in Macon.

CEASAR MITCHELL: Running for mayor.

TRIALS OF JOB: Mayor Franklin announces she’ll cut another 165 jobs to deal with the budget shortfall.

THE LONG RUN: USA Today profiles the Braves’ baffling inability to win one-run games.

CLASSICAL GAS: Norcross gas station took part in a $1.99/gallon marketing gimmick that had a line of cars waiting 30 minutes or more to fill up.

NICHOLS TRIAL: Judge says it needs to be moved.

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Atlanta entrusted one of mankind’s most vital resources to a private French company called United Water way back during the glorious days of Mayor Bill Campbell. It didn’t work out too well.

The rabble rousers at the Fulton County Taxpayers Association have been pushing Mayor Shirley Franklin to take a walk down memory lane and reconsider doing business with the company. They say it would save taxpayers $20 million annually.

If ever there were an example of peace of mind being worth paying for, this is it.

Franklin politely told them no:

In the past several weeks I have received a series of letters requesting that the city renew a relationship with United Water, a private French company that ran the City’s water operations in the late 1990’s through 2002. This request first appeared in a mailing from the Fulton County Taxpayers Association. I write now to explain we are not interested in pursuing your recommendation.

Whew. View the organization’s response to Franklin here.

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WITHDRAWAL METHOD: Third of three candidates for president of Georgia State withdraws his name from consideration, leaving no active candidates.

STORK LIFT: South Georgia’s endangered wood stork is making a comeback, having doubled the number of nests found last year, according to the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division.

DOT: Settles sexual harassment charges against two former board members for nearly $150,000.

PACK LIGHT, PACK HEAT: State Rep. Tim Bearden thinks better of bringing a gun to pick up his family, but Georgia Carry continues his crusade, suing the city, Mayor Shirley Franklin and Hartsfield-Jackson GM Ben DeCosta for the right to bear arms at the airport. Also, giddy gun carriers congregated Tuesday at a Cobb County restaurant to mark the first day they could do so.

STUDY: Finds Georgia needs to raise college graduation rates.

T.I.: Andrew Young is working to mold the rapper into a different kind of King.

VOTER REGISTRATION: Continues to grow in Georgia. But don’t take my word for it — this AccessNorthGa news graphic answers all your questions.

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The pro-gun group GeorgiaCarry.org filed suit in federal court yesterday claiming the city of Atlanta cannot ban state firearms license holders from carrying weapons in the Hartsfield-Jackson terminal.

Last night I spoke to the group’s president, attorney Edward Stone, who revealed one of the group’s possible legal strategies against the city.

As you might (not) have read, yesterday Mayor Shirley Franklin and Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager Ben DeCosta said Atlanta is entitled to ban guns from the airport terminal, despite a new state law allowing firearms license holders to carry weapons while on public transportation.

Franklin and DeCosta say the new law does not apply to the airport because the airport is covered by state code 16-11-127 which restricts possession of weapons in public buildings and at public gatherings. (more…)

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Mayor Shirley Franklin and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport General Manger Ben DeCosta held a press conference at the airport’s atrium this morning to say that Georgia’s new gun law, which as of today allows state firearms license holders to carry weapons on public transit, in restaurants that serve alcohol, and in city and state parks, does not apply to the airport.

“There is no change at this airport,” said DeCosta, who explained that the airport is a city building and thus covered by state law 16-11-127 prohibiting people from carrying weapons in public buildings. “Hartsfield-Jackson is a gun-free zone” said DeCosta.

DeCosta’s statements were reiterated by City of Atlanta attorney Elizabeth Chandler and by Mayor Franklin, who added that no one needs to bring a gun to the airport for protection.

“You can come to the airport and be safe because there is law enforcement here,” said Franklin.

As for the rest of Atlanta, with its soaring crime rate and chronic police shortage, it’s every man for himself!

She didn’t actually say that last sentence. I’m inferring.