Fresh Loaf

There’s a parlor game going on these days down at Atlanta City Hall. Here’s how you play: Imagine that President-elect Obama invites Mayor Shirley Franklin to join his administration; then figure out who might move over to take her place, and who’d take that person’s place, and who’d take that person’s place, and so on.

I’d heard about this swirl of speculation a couple weeks back, but decided it would be irresponsible to write about because it’s so, well, speculative. But I’ve changed my mind because: 1) polls are predicting an Obama victory; 2) City Hall is still buzzing with this talk; and 3) the AJC has already jumped on board the speculation train.

So here goes: If Shirley heads to Washington next spring, then a special election would have to be called to replace her. The collective assumption is that City Council President Lisa Borders – who abandoned her campaign for mayor for personal reasons in mid-August – would get back into the race. In a campaign cycle lasting only a few weeks, Borders would have to be considered the front-runner due to high name recognition.

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Being a Superior Court judge is a pretty sweet gig. You set your own hours. Everyone calls you “Your Honor.” And when you hold people in contempt, they go to jail. It’s not just the job of a lifetime – it’s the job for a lifetime.

So what would induce someone to voluntarily leave these perks behind and jump back into the job market? Well, in one case we can think of, the goal would be to trade a seat on the bench for the throne in City Hall.

Yes, it seems that Marvin Arrington, former City Council president and current Fulton Superior Court judge, is planning to make his second bid for the city’s top office.

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Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders is expected to announce shortly that she will discontinue her campaign for mayor. Borders, one of the favorites in an already-crowded field of hopeful successors to Shirley Franklin, became the first declared candidate in April 2007.

No, her decision has nothing to do with the Atlanta Dream’s terrible WNBA record (she’s a team advisor), or her rumored fling with ex-presidential candidate John “Loverboy” Edwards (OK, we made that part up).

Actually, if we may be serious for a moment, we’re told Borders is stepping aside to spend more time with her ailing parents, Dr. William H. and Gloria T. Borders.

Last December, Borders left her position as senior vice president of marketing and communications at real-estate giant Cousins Properties to head her own consulting firm, LMB LLC and concentrate on her mayoral campaign. She will continue her term as Council president. No word yet on whether she plans to run for re-election or rejoin Cousins.

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Just got off the phone with state Sen. Kasim Reed, who himself just walked out of a meeting about yesterday’s state Supreme Court ruling and its impact on the Beltline. He said the Office of Legislative Counsel is poring over Monday’s ruling and is at work “in real time” examining how the General Assembly could return funding to the Beltline and other projects that would stand to be affected in the future. While it’s early in the process and he couldn’t offer more specific details, Reed said citizens should expect to see “something substantive” in the next 72 hours.

The two options would be either a state constitutional amendment or a bill. The former is the strongest of the two because it could not be invalidated by the Supreme Court, Reed said. If the General Assembly passed it, Georgia voters would ultimately decide the issue in November.

Reed said he would discuss the issue tomorrow in Democratic caucus as well.

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Atlanta’s African-American leaders are impressed by Sen. Barack Obama’s ability to energize and inspire presidential primary voters.

“What I like about Barack Obama is that he’s energizing a population that is not typically energized. And that he is providing inspiration.”

— Mayor Shirley Franklin, endorsing Obama on V-103’s (WVEE-FM) “Frank and Wanda in the Morning” on Jan. 9.

“. . . I believe he gives Georgia Democrats our best chance of retaking the White House in 2008 and building the coalition necessary to bring change as President.”

— Rumored Atlanta mayoral candidate and state Sen. Kasim Reed, endorsing Obama on Jan. 7.

“Thank goodness for what Obama has been doing in Iowa and New Hampshire. It’s historic. He’s tapped into a part of the electorate looking for something different, something new.”

— Rep. John Lewis, speaking to the AJC on Jan. 8. Lewis has endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton.

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