Franklin: ‘Black mayor first’ memo is ‘bigoted’
Shirley Franklin called Friday afternoon with a stark description of the memo you’ve heard about — the one that frets over the possibility that Atlanta might choose a white mayor to succeed her in November.
“I think it was bigoted,” Franklin said. It was not a slip of the tongue. The mayor used multiple variations of the word.
But what seemed to offend Franklin just as much was what she called the “lopsided history of Atlanta and Atlanta politics” contained in the document.
The mayor said more, but we need to back up a bit.
The lengthy analysis that careened through e-mail accounts last week was distributed by Aaron Turpeau, a long-time City Hall veteran whose political career was capped by service as chief of staff to Maynard Jackson.
In an interview, Turpeau said the analysis was written by two academics associated with Clark Atlanta University on behalf of an “ad hoc” group called the Black Leadership Forum.
The memo was an attempt to form an agenda for Atlanta’s black community, Turpeau said. “Everybody has an agenda,” he said. “The developers have an agenda, downtown business has an agenda, the gays have an agenda, the Hispanics have an agenda.”
What would be the substance of a black agenda? Economic equality, access to City Hall, and respect for those displaced by development, Turpeau said.
If the analysis had actually said those things and stopped, much underwear in Atlanta would have remained untwisted. But the memo used the phrase “black mayor at all cost” and spoke of a “black mayor first” approach.
According to the BLF memo, the election of tiny Mary Norwood, the white councilwoman, “would be just as significant in political terms as Maynard Jackson’s victory in 1973.”
The political aims of the analysis are none too subtle. The memo assumes that black voters won’t turn out in any runoff, and so — in order to knock out Norwood in the Nov. 3 general election — suggests an effort to rally African-Americans behind City Council President Lisa Borders.
Borders quickly disassociated herself from the memo and its strategy.
According to the get-behind-Borders approach, other black mayoral candidates, including state Sen. Kasim Reed, would simply be out of luck. The memo pointed to a recent InsiderAdvantage poll that showed Reed lagging well behind both Norwood and Borders.
That logic prompted the Reed campaign, over the weekend, to release fresh internal polling that concedes the top spot to Norwood, at 33 percent. (The Brilliant Corners Research poll surveyed 580 voters; margin of error was put at 4 percentage points.)
Norwood aside, Reed says his survey puts him in a statistical tie with Borders, 19 to 16 percent, and shows the two African-American candidates with near-equal shares of the black vote.
But there is more to this “black mayor first” memo than nervousness over a few polls, or worry over Atlanta’s shifting demographics.
Reed, the candidate placed most in peril by the memo, twice acted as campaign manager for Franklin. The two are close, but the current mayor has made no formal endorsement. Even so, the authors of the memo go out of their way to cast doubt on Franklin’s ability to put her imprint on the race.
“To ignore the alienation that exists among black voters towards the Franklin administration’s performance is naive at best and dishonest at worse,” the analysis says.
This brings us back to that Friday phone call from the mayor. Franklin wouldn’t talk about an endorsement in the ‘09 race. Nor would she discuss the portions of the memo directed at her.
What Franklin wanted to talk about was the effort by a group of African-Americans — size and membership remains ill-defined — to define Atlanta’s first black mayor, who has been dead these six years.
“The memo clearly characterizes the historic election of Maynard Jackson as if it was an election of blacks over whites,” Franklin said. Yes, the mayor said, Jackson understood the importance of his achievement.
But to treat him as a “black Messiah,” Franklin emphasized, is to ignore Jackson’s belief “that every segment of this community ought to participate in the development of public policy.” Jackson was about inclusion, not exclusion, she said.
“To reduce Maynard’s legacy to a political machine is to not know Maynard Jackson. That’s trite,” she said. And “crazy, bigoted literature” that rises up from such a flawed assumption will be flawed throughout, the mayor noted.
As for the Black Leadership Forum’s concern over the outcome of a runoff for mayor of Atlanta, and the fear of multiple African-American candidates in this year’s mayoral race: Runoffs have been more the rule than the exception in Atlanta politics, Franklin said.
That’s the path that Jackson and Andrew Young followed to City Hall. Bill Campbell, too, was forced into a runoff to secure a second term, by Council President Marvin Arrington, an African-American.
History is one of the world’s most powerful forces. And at the very bottom of so many political contests is the matter of who will control the biographies of those who have gone before us.
It has come to that in the Atlanta mayoral race: What Would Maynard Do?
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435 comments Add your comment
Jay Jarrell
August 30th, 2009
3:53 pm
Brick your right on more than you know.Any one recognize my name?
Roger
August 30th, 2009
3:54 pm
Tim Tebow for mayor:)
chirper
August 30th, 2009
3:56 pm
Can you all think of where Atlanta would be now had we had good leadership the last 25 years?! Pause and think about it.
mike
August 30th, 2009
3:56 pm
To be honest this a step backwards in race relations. This is why Atlanta is so far behind the rest of the country, because we pull the race card way to often. Maybe we should hire people based on their ability to do their job and not the color of their skin.
Chris D'
August 30th, 2009
3:56 pm
Dan Deacon,
I believe this article is about Shirley Franklin’s response to a letter written by a few black people. She apparently disagrees with the letter and finds it to be bigotted as she mentioned multiple times to Jim.
I don’t think it is a criminal action to try and convince someone to vote for a certain candidate based on their race. I wouldn’t agree on that mode of voting but there is no law against it.
booger
August 30th, 2009
4:00 pm
Mayor Franklin, at a Mayor’s conference stated that her biggest fear would be to see a return of white leadership to Atlanta after all the work which had been done to diversfy the city. She also was part of the famous Eaves ad which claimed blacks would be subject to fire hoses and dogs if a white were elected head of the fulton commission.
How is the current memo any worse than that?
Roger
August 30th, 2009
4:04 pm
Booger, it’s not racism if a black person says something like Shirley has said. It is only using their birth right as a black person to use the Race Card when they feel appropriate.
jj
August 30th, 2009
4:17 pm
I am a black man and its time for a change. we have been running city hall for over 20 years and the city is in dire strats. We have high crime, no jobs, poor neighbor hoods and lack of services for the taxes we pay, Only a small group of black companies feed at city hall. Everyone else is locked out. Go figure
findog
August 30th, 2009
4:17 pm
Bring on Herman Cain!
See if Mary Norwood can beat a Black Candidate in November…
Larry
August 30th, 2009
4:21 pm
Vote Change! Vote Norwood!
Larry
August 30th, 2009
4:22 pm
It worked for Obama.
Jan
August 30th, 2009
4:29 pm
So much for the content of the character, not the color of the skin. MLK Jr. is rolling over in his grave. This is NOT what he fought for.
bill young
August 30th, 2009
4:30 pm
Maynard Jackson was athief made wealthy by outlandish insider bond deals and the looting of the airport. Everytime a child doesn’t get the city services they should get: everytime a budget is cut : everytime an employee is laid off remeber the money that lined Maynard Jackson’s and his cronies pockets. It is a shame that this type of patronage occurred ubder a mayor for all people.
bill young
August 30th, 2009
4:36 pm
The real mark has shared too many MD20-20’s with Teddy Kennedy his DT.s cause himmmmmmmmmto hit the send button over and over.
Dixie Normuss
August 30th, 2009
4:36 pm
Hmmmm…lets see. Maynard Jackson, Bill Campbell, Shirley Franklin. Atlanta has had its share of black mayors. Now its time to give Whitey a chance. Maynard and Bill were crooks. Shirley has been wonderful but she was stuck with cleaning up the crap of Jackson and Campbell. In general, blacks are much more racist than whites. And don’t give me that oppression crap. Yes blacks got the short end of the stick in America at one time and I am ashamed of some of the stories I have heard..but its over…let it go. Homey ain’t playing that anymore.
bill young
August 30th, 2009
4:39 pm
Name any city successfully run by a black adminstration over a 25 year period.
Sorry, no cute name
August 30th, 2009
4:42 pm
I agree with the notion that the Shirley memo is a distraction to some of the real political issues raised by the Turpeau Memo. What’s been interesting is the lack of follow-up on the issue of Council races.
So, I’ll start since the rest of you nitwits are hung up on skin color instead of following the money.
Aaron Turpeau is listed on the Secretary of State’s web site as the CEO of Keep Atlanta Beautiful, an organization that serves out of the Mayor’s office.
Along with Turpeau on the board of Keep Atlanta Beautiful are members of intown political activists.
These same activists are core members of the Campaign for Atlanta, which touts itself as non-partisan.
These same core members are throwing meet and greets for a candidate for District 6.
The current sitting Councilwoman for District 6 is busily writing legislation (Ordinance 09-0-1311) to go before Council to clean up ethical issues of Council candidates still holding City/Mayor-appointed paid positions – as two candidates for District 6 are on boards that serve at the pleasure of the Mayor/City.
So much for the Campaign for Atlanta being non-partisan: there are only two political parties in the City of Atlanta: those who are feeding from the City’s troughs, and those who are not.
I still firmly believe that the Turpeau memo is designed to figure out how to preserve the financial gravy trains for those at the trough, and his round-about connections to Council races with tight City financial connections only strengthens my convictions.
mike
August 30th, 2009
4:43 pm
Somalia
DirtyDawg
August 30th, 2009
4:45 pm
Some 35 years ago the then incumbent mayor, Sam Massell, running for re-election against the then incumbent vice-mayor, Maynard Jackson, introduced race into the run-off campaign in a ‘not so subtle’ campaign entitled ‘Atlanta, A City Too Young to Die’. The campaign was clearly a desperate attempt to rouse white voters to avoid Atlanta electing her first black mayor since re-construction (and maybe ever). At that time, the more forward-thinking, progressive, members of the white community dismissed it as racist and beneath the dignity of a forward-thinking, progressive city. Now it’s time for the black community to dismiss this campaign strategy once again.
This city, like so many others across the country, has hit upon hard times. Largely because of this disastrous economy, but more importantly because we have forgotten how both black and white members of this community have to come together to pull ourselves out of the ditch…one group can’t do it alone. There was a time when we all were walking members of the Chamber of Commerce…that when asked about our city by others from elsewhere, we couldn’t have been more supportive and complementary. Now all we seem to do is complain…that’s what selfishness and the failure to care for our fellow citizens as we once did can do.
I don’t know what it’s going to take to bring us together again, but it’s certain that when one group openly states that they want leadership that favors them – you can count on us, finally, fulfilling that campaign slogan all those decades ago.
Larry
August 30th, 2009
4:46 pm
Rwanda
Cynthia Tucker McKinney
August 30th, 2009
4:47 pm
Bill, it has nothing to do with race. They are all Democrats. Name one historically Democrat run city that is worth a darn. Try. I bet you can’t. It is the lib in them, not the blackness. Period.
atl123
August 30th, 2009
4:49 pm
the published memo and this discussion are sickening. our country is at a crossroads and so called intellectuals are publishing papers to keep a certain race in office and equally as dumb white posters making incendiary responses. either this city and country becomes one america, regardless of black or white….or, like Rome before us, we will fail.
wake up people! our military is sacrificing their lives daily and our economy is as fragile as ever and this is what Clark University and AJC readers come up with!?!?! reality can be very sobering at times.
What Inclusiveness?
August 30th, 2009
4:52 pm
What is economic equality? Let’s compare water bills for the same family & house size between downtown/south atl/east atl and buckhead!
Access to City Hall? Are you kidding? When was the last time anyone other than Norwood on the City Council has visited, campaigned, or met with citizens north of 10th Street?
Respect for those displaced by development? Who do you think are the City people giving out/selling development permits?
Atl Resident
August 30th, 2009
4:53 pm
Whoever says Blacks are more racist has got to be either naive, ignorant, or both cause there’s no way you can justify and prove with evidence in this southern city. And for all those with ignorant comments on here need to run for mayor or president since they can do a better job.
Fah Q
August 30th, 2009
4:54 pm
I think “The Real Mark” is upset becasue his Sister/Wife is doing a black man behind his back, but in all seriousness I hope the best person for the job wins the mayoral race regardless of color because all politicians talk a good game when they want your vote it’s after they get in office when you find out how they really are.
Parzival
August 30th, 2009
5:05 pm
DirtyDawg is the voice of reason here.
Each of us (black and white) have to deal with the ignorant minority of our race that pretends to represent all of us. Yes, I have dealt with reverse racism by blacks. Every race has that ignorant group in it that chooses to move back rather than forward.
When members of one race use racism in their political rhetoric, It works best when other members of the same race speak out against it.
tiger mom
August 30th, 2009
5:05 pm
What are we teaching our children here, in our households and schools? All that matters is skin color, nationality and economic class. How do we expect our children to grow up and work with one another to create a better world for everyone? I feel sad for what once was a great country.
Lee
August 30th, 2009
5:07 pm
This is for Mark who commented at 2:32 pm. Vanilla City, plllllleeease. Dont talk to much or you’ll get delt with, with the quickness. And I dont even live in Atlanta any more.
D.C. the original “Chocolate City”.
RaceCop
August 30th, 2009
5:10 pm
It is racist to call out black Democrat politcian. On anything. Period. It is whitey’s fault that 25 years of Black Democrat leadership has brought the city to its needs. You really want to stir the pot….advocate for the re-chartering of Milton County. By the way, I am black and a re-covering Democrat/Liberation Theologist.
Cynthia Tucker McKinney
August 30th, 2009
5:12 pm
I thoguht that Ray “School Bus” Nagin told us that New Orleans was the original chocolate city?
Doug Patterson
August 30th, 2009
5:12 pm
It is amazing that this is being so well tolerated and flying under the radar of the media. If this comment had been made towards electing a “white” mayor it would have been met with a whole host of protest and cries of racism. Can’t black people be racists?? I think this clearly proves they can be but they get a free pass on the issue! What if a white person wanted to talk about the white agenda. That would be racists.
Arthur Blank
August 30th, 2009
5:18 pm
Hey I am a rich Jew…how about I run for mayor? Did everyone see me on the Falcons game last night? I had my usual tan working and was wearing a $3000 Armani suit. I am thinking about ditching the pencil-thin moustache and going with a goatee. What do you all think? If elected, I would like to be known as “King Arthur”.
Ramzad
August 30th, 2009
5:20 pm
Some kind of way many blacks have developed the twisted view that the response to white racism is to “take over” and become racists to whites. This is childish and symptomic of what the non-healing sore on black mentality is. The good Old Testament ‘eye for an eye” method. Jesus came and discredited that way of thinking. It does not work, people.
Fact is that black people could not “take over” if their lives depend on it. To take over you have to be educated to run and manage what you take over. We have high school drop out rates hovering near 60%. Even black college graduates, with two and three graduate degrees can’t seem to liberate themselves from victimology and preoccupation with the now warped notion that it is white people’s fault.
You have to be “alive to run things” with the alarming homicide rate among young black men much of us will not be around, healthy or free to run anything. White people are not doing that. When I step out to meet my daughter off MARTA in DeKalb, my fear about her abduction and murder is not about the white man. It is about young black men toting nines and riding in mini vans or on twenty twos.
You have to be honest and ethical to get cooperation and trust and all that good stuff. At the rate of crookery and greed among black politicians we will not get elected to do anything in a few years. We won’t find an electorate to give us the time of day.
So, black people have to let go the white/black argument and turn to improving our personal lives and equipping our children to do the right thing to make a positive difference in the the world. Baby Momma and Baby Daddy living will continue to disgust every one who want a better life and a better country.
Take a page out of the books or the migrant Africans, West Indians,
southeast and far east Orientals and Indians. History does not suggest that white people like them any more than blacks, but you don’t hear them complaining and griping about white people don’t like them. They just go ahead and breath brain power and that takes care of everything.
get a grip Black people. We have had four black mayors since 1974 and the gun bullets are still flying. Get to the for real side.
Humored
August 30th, 2009
5:22 pm
I just have one question. Do the whites on this post really feel that black people are incapable of leadership, because of the current shape Atlanta’s in? Because if that’s your logic then we all need to support Thurbert Baker for governor because white governors have screwed Georgia to hell. Or do we blame their failure on the economy.
The above paragragh is meant to provoke thought. This memo and the attention it is getting is ignorant and distracting. Mary Norwood is a weak candidate, people. Yes, Lisa Borders is too and that’s why her team is stooping to such lows to get her in office. There are many white women that could probably run Atlanta well. I think Kathy Ashe, Nan Orrock, Carla Smith, Clair Muller and several others are highly capable in their leadersip abilities, but not Mary she’s just not a leader and quite frankly she’s not all that smart. I would gladly support Art Blank, Sam Massell, Sam Williams, Bernie Marcus and a host of other white men for mayor but their not running.
Kasim Reed is, by far, the most qualified candidate in this race. CHECK HIS RECORD! He actually has one. He also has the most diverse coalition of supporters from not only Atlanta, but across the state and yes statewide (republican) supporters matter. He’s the only person in this race that actually has made real decisions and I don’t think its fair to typecast him just because he’s a black man.
TELL ME ONE THING NORWOOD OR BORDERS HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR ALL ATLANTANS?
Rarl Kove
August 30th, 2009
5:24 pm
If you think about, it its always the libs and their wh@res in the media that stir the racism pot. I am sick of it.
Steve
August 30th, 2009
5:33 pm
The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus says on it’s website that they want to boldly assert the power of the black vote and the power of the black voice.
If the White Caucus said that, they’d be run out of town . . .
Oh That’s Right . . . I forgot . . .
There isn’t a White Caucus … That’d be Racist . . .
.
Cynthia Tucker McKinney
August 30th, 2009
5:33 pm
I am still waiting on that list of thriving Democrat-run cities……
Humored
August 30th, 2009
5:38 pm
I’m waiting on a response people. If your logic says that Atlanta’s problems rest soley at the feet of blacks in leadership, should the state get behing Thurbert Baker because Georgia still has a major traffic problem, education SAT/ACT score among the lowest in the country, rising taxes (yes the cutting of homestead exemption is republican code for a tax increase).
The truth of the matter is that racism, prejudice and bigotry are ignorant. May the best MAN win this race. Run hard Kasim, you’re qualified, honest and a real leader and I believe you’ve got what it takes to lead Atlanta forward.
Humored
August 30th, 2009
5:41 pm
Steve, there is a such thing as the white caucus. It’s called the republican caucus, silly rabbit!
Cynthia Tucker McKinney
August 30th, 2009
5:45 pm
It is lib/Democrat leadership that has gotten ATL in the shape it is in, they leaders just happened to be black. With all the growth in the metro area, ATL should be shining city. As far as the schools are concerned, Republican led Schools systems are head and shoulders above the democrat led boards. It is the lib victum mentality that paralyzes progress.
booger
August 30th, 2009
5:48 pm
Lest we forget, the AJC infered that people should vote for race, and or gender last year with the headline asking the question: Should black females vote for Hillary because she is a woman, or Obama because he is Black. Apparently it was assumed that no one would stray from these two candidates.
JDE
August 30th, 2009
5:51 pm
Humored, regarding Lisa Borders, she is a proven, successful businesswoman, period. The city needs to be run like a business with profit/loss statements, accountability, goals with results,etc…just like Cousins Properties, her former employer. I think she worked for Cousins. Either way, a proven businessperson(male or female, black or white) is what the city needs. You mentioned you’d vote for the most qualified candidate? Qualified in what? Nothing against Reed but his resume is all about politics; he has never had to hire, train, fire, manage a budget (not a city budget where when you run out of money you raise taxes). Shirley Franklin has been a pretty good mayor in my opinion, but she came from a govt background. Same with Bill Campbell, and his predecessors before him. If the city is run like a for profit business, there would be no need to raise taxes because the bottom line would be protected, people wouldn’t have jobs for life, and they’d have to compete for them, rather than get by with being complacent. Don’t believe me? Next time you’re down at City Hall stop by: the Tax Commissioners office, the Water Dept, the list goes on and on. If you dont feel like being ignored in person, then spend a couple hours on the phone trying to get your questions answered. I believe Lisa Borders is the best person for the job based on my reasoning and I’m a middle class white guy living in East Cobb who does a lot of business in ATL. Either way people, vote for the most qualified candidate regardless of their pigment.
Madison
August 30th, 2009
5:51 pm
Humored, You are very stupid. The head of the Republican party is a black man!
c.j.
August 30th, 2009
5:53 pm
Sorry people, but this reeks of the corruption that Chicago, Detroit and Washington D.C. share in. I don’t care what race politicians are, they’re all a bunch of crooks.
Parzival
August 30th, 2009
6:00 pm
Humored, Georgia does not Have a major traffic problem…Atlanta does.
* As far as Test scores, Teachers can’t force kids to learn. There has to be desire and some ambition.
That starts at home with the parents. Not politicians.
* There are rising taxes because the City of Atlanta Leadership cannot manage money properly.
That is why Milton, Johns Creek, and Sandy Springs Got out. City Of Atlanta is a joke.
* Whoever gets elected, look for politics as usual.
Humored
August 30th, 2009
6:01 pm
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have Democratic mayors and all or nearly all Democratic city councils (where the real power is) and are both doing quite well considering the economy.
How many republicn-run small towns and counties are being choked to death by so-called conservatism?
Sandy
August 30th, 2009
6:01 pm
BLF sounds as if it is following in the footsteps of ACORN, etc. led by the Organizer-in-Chief Obama.
Jeny
August 30th, 2009
6:05 pm
I have lived in Atlanta since 1968. This used to be a truly *great* city to live in and I was proud to call myself an Atlantan. However, over the years, it has gone to hell in an handbasket. Black “leadership” is at fault for the destruction of this once great city. That blacks continue to wring their hands, gnash their teeth and complain about lack of access to city leadership has NOTHING to do with the white folks. Whites haven’t had control of the city since 1973. I remember….I was here the day Maynard took over the city. If blacks don’t have access after 36 years of control of this city, they never will (yes THIRTY SIX YEARS since Maynard was elected).
I hope and pray Mary Norwood is elected Mayor. Maybe, just maybe, she can clean this cesspool and retore confidence in Atlanta government. Then and only then, will Atlanta be able to draw new businesses and *good* jobs to this city. There is NO need for the likes of Mayor Franklin, Bill Campbell, Andy Young and so many other black “leaders” being on the take, lining their personal pockets and checkbooks at the expense of all Atlantans. They should all be in jail right alongside Bill.
My kids are in high school. As soon as they graduste in 4 years, I am SO out of here. I’ve already sold the house. We’ll be renters until they graduate, so that we’ll be free of this hell hole city. If you’re white in Atlanta, you sure as hell don’t count (at least not since 1973). And in case you forget it, blacks make sure you know your place….
Humored
August 30th, 2009
6:06 pm
Madison,
Firstly, I clearly wrote republican CAUCUS!! Its in congress and it totally seperate from the republican party. Us intelligent posters were speaking in context of CONGRESS!! The black caucus, blue dog coaltition, republican caucus, hispanic caucus etc. Are all in CONGRESS.
Plus, we all know Steele is a token!! Sorry Madison, try again. The repubs and dems have traded histories and its sad that your (seemingly party) has been hi-jacked by ignorant southerners that want their country back and don’t understand what America was founded on.
Amazed
August 30th, 2009
6:13 pm
Hey