A clarification on taxes from Lisa Borders
In politics, a clarification is an attempt to repair the damage caused by a candidate’s previous statement – before the latter takes hold.
So eyebrows jumped when the Atlanta mayoral campaign of Lisa Borders put out a morning press release today: “Borders Clarifies Statement on Taxes.”
On Tuesday night, the four major candidates for mayor of Atlanta engaged in a debate at Trinity Presbyterian Church at Buckhead. Here’s the YouTube clip of the part that matters:
In the clip, the questioner — Dick Williams, of “Georgia Gang” fame — notes that the Atlanta City Council passed a property tax increase as an emergency measure aimed at ending police and fire furloughs. Williams asks the candidates: Would you like to end your first term as mayor by rolling back that tax increase?
Each candidate rose and responded in turn:
“Yes,” said Councilwoman Mary Norwood.
“Yes, I would pledge to roll back, but after we [fill] reserves,” said Borders.
“I would not commit to a roll back until we had hired enough police officers to secure this city,” former state senator Kasim Reed said.
No, said Jesse Spikes. “Atlanta will be lucky to maintain the service level it has today,” he said.
Norwood’s position was consistent. In June, she voted against the three-mill property tax to begin with. Borders supported the tax hike this summer – but at the church appeared to disown the increase. Or at least its purpose.
This from the release from the Borders campaign, quoting the candidate:
“To clarify,” Borders said this morning, “any property tax rollback could only occur after public safety is fully funded and when our finances at the city are stabilized. This has been my stance since the campaign began and will remain my guiding principle.”
When asked about her response at the debate, Borders explained that she understood the question to ask whether she would rollback taxes after public safety was adequately funded. The question came during a series of inquiries in which the moderators had condensed a number of individual prepared questions.
Borders also said she would only consider a tax rollback if additional funds were placed in city reserves.
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30 comments Add your comment
Lisa
September 23rd, 2009
3:55 pm
Clarification? LOL Borders knew exactly what she was being asked. She just goes around pandering to each group. Politics as usual for Ms. Borders.
Trustworthy
September 23rd, 2009
3:57 pm
Lisa Borders can’t be trusted. Fickle people always “misunderstand”, “clarify” and then beg for forgiveness once they’re caught. Shame on you Lisa!
Silent Majority
September 23rd, 2009
3:58 pm
Disappointing!
Betsy
September 23rd, 2009
4:00 pm
How can you take credit for the increase and then say you’ll roll it back? Norwood ‘09. Atlanta can’t survive another mayor who’s always clarifying after the fact.
Ron
September 23rd, 2009
4:01 pm
Question seemed clear to me.
Yvonne
September 23rd, 2009
4:05 pm
Who is Lisa Borders? She’s in the race…she’s out the race. She supports the increase…she supports rollbacks. She’s a republican….she’s a democrat. She’s Turpeau’s friend…she’s kicking Turpeau off her campaign. Before anyone can consider voting for her, she needs to “clarify” who she really is.
Borders '09
September 23rd, 2009
4:07 pm
Give her a break she made a mistake. What’s Kasim Reed’s excuse for being so black and Norwood’s excuse for being so stupid?
VHighlands Hank
September 23rd, 2009
4:13 pm
I think we’ve all just witnessed the end of Lisa Borders mayoral campaign. No one can survive being exposed by such blatant dishonesty. Ms. Borders, you’re a politician throughout…this is why people lose faith in our system of government.
Daedalus
September 23rd, 2009
4:15 pm
I’d like to clarify that I won’t vote for Lisa Borders or Mary Norwood, and I’m doubtful on Reed. (No more Maynard Jackson/Any Young clones…and Norwood doesn’t seem to briight.)
So what does that leave me? Jesse Spikes? Gotta think about it. But maybe.
Proverbs
September 23rd, 2009
4:21 pm
And we wonder why Atlanta is in such a hole today. I didn’t want to believe the ethics violations made against Lisa Borders, but after seeing her in the middle of so many dubious situations I can’t put anything past this lady. To say she didn’t understand the question is clearly dishonest. I’m glad Jim put the video up…she can’t run from that. The question was clear as day and now she’s doing damage control.
SMH
September 23rd, 2009
4:23 pm
Fear will always make people grasp for straws – Borders clearly said after reserves are filled.
Silent Majority
September 23rd, 2009
4:24 pm
@Daedalus LOL Jesse Spikes doesn’t have a chance in hell. He doesn’t understand the issues and this whole “vote for me because I don’t have experience” stuff is getting old. Jesse’s in lala land. I’m thinking Norwood or Reed.
Claire
September 23rd, 2009
4:26 pm
When was she a republican, Yvonne? When was Turpeau “on her campaign” Yvonne? How much is Kasim paying you, Yvonne?
This Aint Sh#t
September 23rd, 2009
4:33 pm
This is nothing of importance. She misspoke. That’s it. Kasim is corrupt and Mary is Sarah Palin.
Claire
September 23rd, 2009
4:38 pm
Borders is a fraud.
Garth
September 23rd, 2009
4:52 pm
I don’t see why this is such a big deal. Maybe she really didn’t hear the question. These candidates have participated in so many forums with the same questions being asked over and over again. It’s easy to understand how Borders could have misunderstood the question. Even if she didn’t misunderstand the question, she clearly said after the reserves are filled, which seems consistent with her message.
B
September 23rd, 2009
5:17 pm
Damn…comments on this post just got eerily quiet. Are the staffers stuck in traffic from leaving the campaign offices? LOL!
A Political Demographer
September 23rd, 2009
5:18 pm
Every candidate makes a gaffe now and then. No big deal. What’s disturbing here is that this goes beyond a gaffe to the inability of Ms. Borders to articulate a clear position because she does, in fact, want to have it both ways. She wants to have it both ways because the vested interests whom she serves – and indeed of whom she could reasonably be called a wholly owned subsidiary – are themselves in conflict. She’s looking for her script and getting directions from two sets of directors.
With respect to being a wholly owned subsidiary, readers might want to read, if they haven’t yet, the column by Stephanie Ramage at http://www.sundaypaper.com/Blogs/TheRamageReport/tabid/235/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4531/LISA-BORDERS-ETHICS-PROBLEM.aspx which begins “Neill Herring claims that Borders used her position as Atlanta City Council president to secretly lobby state legislators on behalf of her employer, Cousins Properties.” A wholly owned subsidiary indeed.
realdem
September 23rd, 2009
5:19 pm
Norwood saying she would repeal the increase regardless of the state of Atlanta’s finances is reckless, naive , and puts her true REPUBLICAN policy plans on full display. Why is the media not checking out her voting record?
Georgia Girl
September 23rd, 2009
5:25 pm
@Borders ‘09 Why are you referring to Kasim Reed’s skin color as a negative? That’s just sad…grow up.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
September 23rd, 2009
5:58 pm
As an independent Atlantan supporting Lisa Borders, I’m glad in reviewing this matter to see that our future mayor gave the most apt, succinct, and intelligent response to the question: “Yes, I would pledge to roll back, but after we [fill] reserves,” said Borders.
No pander, no baloney, just common sense awareness of the taxpayers’ interest.
realdem
September 23rd, 2009
8:30 pm
great Lisa has the psycho vote cornered.
newA
September 23rd, 2009
9:08 pm
Borders clearly has no clear position. She is always backtracking and re-engineering her statements. She always appears rehearsed.
AtlantaVoter
September 24th, 2009
7:00 am
I am surprised this became a story. Borders said yes, but only after we fill the reserves and the clarification said yes, but only after we fill the reserves and fully fund public safety? That is not much of a gaffe. I think in effect this means no rollback in taxes, but I don’t see why Borders put out a clarification the next day.
Logical
September 24th, 2009
7:45 am
Enter your comments here
The real story here is the Reed flip flop. Kasim has been critical of the 3 mil tax increase throughout the campaign, and now he says he would not roll it back??
Clarify that one, Mr. Reed. Sounds like he’s happy he didn’t have to make that awfully hard decision, and is very critical of it, but won’t do anything about it.
That’s a typical politician.
virginiathomas
September 28th, 2009
9:24 pm
nter your comments here It will be a cold day in hell if we allow Reed to become Mayor of ATL…it will be the same old thing as with Shirley…we all know that she endorses him…just has not stated it.
virginiathomas
September 28th, 2009
9:25 pm
Enter your comments here
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