What Shirley Franklin said about the mayor’s race
Shirley Franklin has much to say over the next 71 days. But she won’t be pushed. The mayor of Atlanta will say what she wants, when she wants, or not at all.
Last week, Franklin went before the Hungry Club for the eighth and final time as the beflowered ruler of City Hall.
For 64 years, the Hungry Club – a creation of the Butler Street YMCA – has served as the monthly venue where black and white Atlanta has discussed, and sometimes disarmed, the explosive issues of the day.
It was an audience attuned to the fact that Franklin holds one of the last shoes yet to drop in the race to replace her. (Another belongs to U.S. Rep. John Lewis.) A videographer for the Kasim Reed campaign trained a small camera on Franklin and waited.
But the mayor announced she had no intention of making an endorsement. “Today,” she added.
Instead, Franklin continued to build her case against front-runner Mary Norwood, whose chances of becoming Atlanta’s first white mayor in more than three decades remain steady.
Franklin did not mention Norwood by name, nor by race. The mayor’s entry point was Atlanta’s famous – and useful – talent for amnesia. “We look back just enough to understand what has gotten us into either our predicament or opportunity,” she said.
Atlanta’s past great leaders “did not dwell on the mistakes. And they sure didn’t do any paid advertising to tell folks about it,” Franklin said.
Laughter grew as the audience put two and two together. Norwood is the only candidate in the mayoral race with TV ads making serious attacks on the status quo at City Hall.
Norwood has repeatedly said her ability to make decisions during her two terms on the City Council has been restrained by her inability to get coherent and accurate financial data from city departments.
“An elected official who tells you they can only do good work when they are elected to a particular position and haven’t done it before, you’re going to get exactly what they’ve done before,” Franklin said. “Bad leadership continues in elected office.”
Conventional wisdom holds that the Atlanta mayoral race is headed for a post-Thanksgiving runoff. Norwood is a near-certain lock. The question is whether Reed, who twice served as Franklin’s campaign manager, or City Council President Lisa Borders will survive.
Yet Franklin even played coy about dipping into the runoff. “People are already calling me to ask if I will come to a luncheon or breakfast for healing on Nov. 6,” she said. The mayor conceded that her calendar was open. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to waste my time.”
You have to think that Shirley Franklin is feeling a bit wounded this season. Norwood isn’t alone. Borders and Reed also call for changes in her City Hall.
But eight years ago, as the woman who was not Bill Campbell, Franklin was the toast of Atlanta – the candidate who pledged to fix the sewers and banish corruption.
The sewers have been fixed, mostly. And despite any accusations of inefficiency or incompetence, Franklin’s administration has been largely free of backroom dealing.
To the Hungry Club, Franklin emphasized her legacy of a cleaner City Hall.
She told of the many gifts she’s been given as mayor. “Jewelry, scarves, handbags, all kinds of things. They are numbered and entered into a system, and they belong to the city of Atlanta,” she said. “Some folks say that I stretched it too far.”
But ethics are a foundation of good decision-making, she insisted. “You can’t get the kind of investment of resources and money and time from the private sector, the public sector, or any sector if there is a hint of favoritism, cronyism, [or] nepotism.”
At the end of her self-assessment, Franklin addressed the frustrations that came with being Atlanta’s first femalewoman mayor. Early on, her age was included in every article, it seemed. The mediapress treated her ex-husband, whom she divorced in 1986, as if the couple were still married, the mayor declared.
But most surprising was Franklin’s answer to her own implied question: Was the game worth the candle? The mayor said no.
In 2008, Franklin’s grown daughter was sentenced to three years probation, after pleading guilty to one count of illegally structuring a financial transaction. The charge grew out of a federal investigation into her ex-husband’s drug operation. But for her mother being mayor of Atlanta, the media would have ignored the marital debacle.
“I have said to close friends that, if I had known the exposure my family would have to the media, I would have never run,” Franklin said. “It’s the truth. It is the truth.”
The mayor wasn’t quite finished. “The media today is celebrity-driven, and anyone associated with a public figure is fair game,” Franklin said. “This won’t be the last time I have something to say. I’m waiting until Jan. 4 or 5.”
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76 comments Add your comment
Mary
October 24th, 2009
3:15 pm
Hopefully we don’t have Mary Norwood’s incompetence in office next:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0ekhf6PHM
Krooked Kasim
October 24th, 2009
3:16 pm
http://www.notkasim.blogspot.com
Sally
October 24th, 2009
3:17 pm
lol hilarious video, Mary. I see she’s paying off corrupt black politicians now – Glenn Thomas, Ralph Long, etc. It’s crazy what some will do for money.
Shin Jasher
October 24th, 2009
3:18 pm
Lisa Borders can’t win and this is why: http://therealtruthaboutborders.wordpress.com
Georgia Brown
October 24th, 2009
3:20 pm
Sally,
Don’t forget Able Mable. Mary’s buying up all the blacks! Lord help us Lincoln!
Year of the Rat
October 24th, 2009
3:22 pm
Glenn Thomas is a clown. The only thing he got out of running for mayor was debt. Hence, why he couldn’t qualify and why he’s now supporting Norwood $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Buzz
October 24th, 2009
3:28 pm
Shirley Franklin is only considered a good mayor because those that came before her in recent years were either crooks or even more incompetent.
And I find it hard to believe she won’t endorse her former campaign manager, Kasim Reed.
What has Shirley accomplished, other than staying out of jail?
All I'm Saying Is...
October 24th, 2009
3:43 pm
Wow! That youtube video of Norwood Unfiltered is scathingly hilarious—-she does not have a clue and comes across as an inarticulate air-head and not anyone I’d vote for mayor.
And Buzz you are right in that Bill Campbell makes Shirley look good but she had a solid first term well deserving and earning re-election. Not really aware of what her goals were going into her second term and, as a result, the perception of her changed. Not sure why she is so thin-skinned about prospective successors criticizing the term-limited incumbent: that’s how the game has always been played.
Georgia Brown
October 24th, 2009
3:46 pm
Shirley should be taking much bigger swings at Mary. The whole reason Mary is in contention and significantly leading is because she throws Shirley under the bus every chance she can. Her whole platform is “Trust me, because I haven’t had access to data, because Shirley wouldn’t look at me for the last 8 years, and because I don’t have the skills, I’m just going to bash the entire administration before me and blame them for everything that is wrong.” Dammit, it is working! Mary has taken ZERO responsibility for the mess Atlanta is in and that is wrong. The only good job she has done is distance herself from Shirley and Kasim (the Machine).
Sweet Mama!
October 24th, 2009
3:56 pm
This Just In! A New Norwood Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koAFMYEvzXc
These are coming out like hotcakes now that she has a chance of winning. Dang Mary, you have rustled sum feathers sista!
Tea 4 2
October 24th, 2009
4:04 pm
What has Shirley accomplished, other than staying out of jail?
so far
Midtowner
October 24th, 2009
4:06 pm
“In 2008, Franklin’s grown daughter was sentenced to three years probation, after pleading guilty to one count of illegally structuring a financial transaction. The charge grew out of a federal investigation into her ex-husband’s drug operation. But for her mother being mayor of Atlanta, the media would have ignored the marital debacle.”
WTF. This paragraph is a joke, right? Or are you, dear sir, that much in the pocket of the mayor’s machine?
The “financial transaction” was knowingly avoiding rules regarding wiring money – to her drug-dealer husband who was a kingpin in one of the city’s biggest cocaine rings (!) – her hubby, who WAS LIVING IN THE MAYOR’S HOUSE WHEN HE SKIPPED BOND AND FLED TO CALIFORNIA !! And the rumor was/is that the money was getting laundred thru Shirley’s husband’s business at the airport, via dear daughter… and wasn’t it convenient that dear father/husband upped and kicked the bucket when he did…
Black Family Mafia. Heard of ‘em? Even if he wasn’t married to the Mayor’s daughter, their huge presence and connection with the murder in Virginia Highlands would still have landed the business in the paper. Maybe not the AJC, but other news organizations would have carried it.
Oh, and how come every audit Shirley ordered was promptly buried as soon as the data should have come out?
Shirly ran the airport, learned at the feet of the master, and is as corrupt as they come.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
October 24th, 2009
4:13 pm
For a number of different reasons the Syndicate was slow to make inroads in Dixie/Atlanta.
Angela Gittens – Top Flight Airport Manager unwilling to play kickbacks, OUT – lighter-skinned manager of Mob-run (per multiple TV newsmagazine hidden camera expose pieces) Newark Airport, IN
Philly judge’s daughter’s campaign manager keeps getting money from Philly.
Hmmm.
Politico
October 24th, 2009
4:23 pm
I am now completely convinced that Shirley Franklin is indeed delusional.
For The People - ALL the people
October 24th, 2009
4:42 pm
Of all people I would never ever have thought Shirley Franklin to be racist – but she sure fooled me. Shirley – I had so much respect for you over the years but your comments have really taken alot of that respect away.
AH
October 24th, 2009
5:09 pm
So Obama can bash Bush as an election strategy and is a genius but when Norwood does the same to Franklin she is an idiot?
GetReal
October 24th, 2009
5:18 pm
@For the people – ALL the people
What was racist about Mayor Franklin’s comments? She just called Mary out for her blather. The problem with some of YOU people is you can’t stand a strong woman telling you like it is.
Come correct next time with a more substantive candidate and watch that candidate win. White or black. Atlanta voters are smart.
Shananeeeee Fananeeeeeee
October 24th, 2009
5:19 pm
She is corrupt just like Obama.
Chris Murphy, Atlanta, GA
October 24th, 2009
5:20 pm
Shirley did some good things, but Midtowner is absolutely right: her daughter’s dealings would have received MORE press had she not been the mayor’s daughter. That case and the tentacles that got hacked off in the investigation deserve their own Federal inquiry.
Even a busted clock is right twice a day, Shirley- maybe you ought to think some more before you decide you hold all the cards.
Politics At Its Finest
October 24th, 2009
5:25 pm
I think there is a reason Franklin has been mum on who she wants to fill her shoes…
An endorsement is not always a good thing when popularity is down and drama is up.
I am sure Reed or Borders would appreciate a vote…. but not a public one.
North Fulton
October 24th, 2009
6:50 pm
Franklins endorsement does not matter. She’s a cooked useless goose. She needs to keep her mouth shut and step aside. Kasim Reed will be the next mayor. Franklin had her chance to support him and she didn’t. See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya.
Burroughston Broch
October 24th, 2009
6:57 pm
Shirley’s not ruffling feathers (at least not black feathers) because she is looking for power after City Hall. Look for a spot in the Obama administration.
Truth be told
October 24th, 2009
7:38 pm
Franklin did withhold critical financial information from council and cooked the books to hide the corruption that has been going on at City Hall for decades. She continued to feed the bond lawyers and developers with connections to the Jackson machine. Most of city council went along quietly and nodded their acquiessence in order to stay in good favor with the controller of city services.
But Mary called it like it was and that’s why Franklin’s handmaiden Borders marginalized her committee appointments. In spite of that, Mary showed up at important committee meetings and participated as a non-voting member and pushed through some important legislation.
Reed and Borders are the guardians of the status quo that has drained city coffers of the resources needed to provide public safety and basic services. Mary is the change agent, and Lord do we need a change in Atlanta.
Base
October 24th, 2009
8:16 pm
Shirley is incompetent, the sooner she leaves the better.Maybe she can get a job with Obama.
Don't Be Mad !
October 24th, 2009
8:23 pm
Mary Norwood DID NOT pay Glenn Thomas anything for his endorsement. Check your facts, figures, ‘the’ disclosures and your sources. The city of Atlanta is ready to take back our government from the “Friends Club…Franklin, Reed, Borders, Maddox, Shepard, etc.” Glenn Thomas speaks loudly for a large group of voters…they are called community folk!
Keith
October 24th, 2009
8:25 pm
@Sally-
In what way is Ralph Long corrupt? I’ve only known him to be a hard working and sincere State Rep. What do you know?
Keith
October 24th, 2009
8:29 pm
Sally-
In what way is Ralph Long corrupt? Because he didn’t endorse your candidate? I’ve only known Long to be a hard-working and sincere state rep. What is this corruption you’re talking about?
Jasmine
October 24th, 2009
8:31 pm
Corrupt is installing your brother as the head of minority contract compliance. Corrupt is rewarding your political donors with airport contractors. Corrupt is serving on the transition team that appoints a police chief so inept that a man can be shot 31 TIMES IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.
Wow
October 24th, 2009
8:46 pm
Does it occur to Shirley that people might want a candidate who is not touting the status quo? Norwoods anti city hall speak is possibly what most people want. Amazing. It’s along the same lines that President Obama won the Democratic Primary because he WAS NOT a Clinton.
Piedmont
October 24th, 2009
8:52 pm
Here is a question “Dear Voters.”
Is it better to have a corrupt felon as your Mayor?
Or an incompetent with a cloth flower affixed to a dress who hasn’t been seen in local neighborhoods in years? Oh, did I mention she comes with a detached, hapless police cheif ? Lord Pennington makes Beverly Howard look like Dick Tracy.
Midtowner
October 24th, 2009
9:00 pm
I heard a wiff of rumor some months back that the Shirley was up for an Obama-admin position, but after the Feds started/did their vetting, things quitely did not come to pass. Let’s her it for the BFM and whatever else did NOT make the paper…If she was going to get a position, it would have happened back when…
What i really want to know is why is my favorite local nut case Able Mable backing Norwood… What on earth did Borders/Reed do to drive her over to the dark/white side? It must have been a lulu for her to grind her ax that much in public.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
October 24th, 2009
9:09 pm
Norwood obviously bought Ralph Long, cheap. No doubt Mable was also for sale.
drsoul
October 24th, 2009
9:17 pm
As to her daughter, the apple does not fall far from the tree..look at both parents.. Shirley and Obama, to use another phrase are ‘two peas in a pod’…to wind up in his administration will only serve to endorse all of the negatives of her own time spent in City Hall.. she had good former teachers; why would she be any different, only more devious in a quiet way.. this city has not progressed one inch under Franklin.. there are many financial issues not answered and manipulated… Norwood does not mind challenging the ’status quo’ and stirring up the embedded trickery of the books… they need a good ‘housecleaning’ at City Hall and to erase the names of the last few administrations to give Atlanta the respect it deserves..!!!!
Lewis
October 24th, 2009
9:18 pm
The above article quotes Shirley Franklin as saying:
“I have said to close friends that, if I had known the exposure my family would have to the media, I would have never run…. It’s the truth. It is the truth.”
Let’s all remember this quote when, for example, John Lewis decides to retire. Methinks it is just one more example of never being able to believe what Shirley Franklin is saying when her mouth is moving.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
October 24th, 2009
10:24 pm
Birds of Feather flock together: Andrew Young (and his brother); Jackson; Campbell and Franklin.
Maybe Shirley’s father was hooked up with the Mob in Philadelphia, one of Rome’s bastions in America: Read where he took it upon himself to save the lives of a number of convicted Mafia murderers http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/07/us/judge-bars-a-death-penalty-for-philadelphia-mob-leader.html
What kind of father could he have been as Shirley’s marriage to an “out” gay man only suffered, in her words, from “money problems.”
The sins of the parents…and her daughter winds up married to a murderous drug lord.
OTOH Mary Bush’s cousins killed John Kennedy and committed 9/11 and have been Rockefeller and papal vassals for over five generations, as key players in the Roman Anti-Christ’s treasonous “Fifth Column” in America.
Norwood’s part of it, as is Kasim Reed.
Borders is from a good and decent family and is blessed with a son out of Georgia State.
Let’s make Lisa Mayor of Atlanta and help her help us continue to keep Our Town the best place to live, work and raise children in the world.
Teela
October 24th, 2009
11:57 pm
Shirley’s family connections, corruption through the BFM, her daughter…and little was said by any media outfit except….”Creative Loafing”.
yes, I heard the same thing: Shirley was being considered for some position in Obama’s realm, but the money laundering of her daughter, the corruption of City Hall here, the ineffectiveness of her attempt to back off Campbell…well, she is far too corrupt to be in place for much…and yes, watch when Lewis retires….and why the hell does David Scott even exist ??? That is one black politician that takes his ‘entitlement’ far too seriously. He hasn’t…along with Shirley, dropped into the ‘hood in years.
Pennington is a joke….and Shirley was so foaming at the mouth to get him placed…and look what a dude he turned out to be. Go back to New Orleans, Richard. See what you haven’t done there nor here.
WTH is Mary doing with a politician like Mable? That woman is another Joyce Shepard, and probably as crooked. It’s another slum dynasty both of them are running out of the hood.
Mary? You lie down with dogs like this and you get up with fleas.
Shame on you. You slipped a lot in my estimation with that last trick.
And Ralph Long??? I don’t know about corruption, but the man is a hound dog. Another black politician who floundered around in life and decided to set his ass on a leather chair for as long as he could.
PolitOracle
October 24th, 2009
11:59 pm
Mary Norwood has not served Atlanta communities. She has pandered to and bought SOME neighborhood leadership, who can be as selfish as any politician. Any INSIDER watching Norwood’s Beautiful restaurant video can spot many of Atlanta’s neighborhood “leaders”, Most of these people are good people, but some are power-hungry folks that are disgruntled that the city, county and any other gov’t entity doesn’t bend over backwards for every demand they make, no matter how far-fetched they may be. I am a smart voter and will tell you that Mary WONT be our mayor. Not because she’s white, or a woman, but because she’s an ambulance chaser and reactor not a forward thinking or smart leader. Did I mention she’s a major panderer? She really doesn’t do well in the room with smart, independent people (white, black or other). FINAL THOUGHT: For every disgruntled, so-called neighborhood leader, there are 20 smart Atlantans that will vote for the best and brightest candidate. This person will have a proven record and they will be smart enough not to promise the world to folks when they haven’t delivered on much of anything. I am coming to know this person to be Kasim Reed. I was skeptical at first, but he has run a smart campaign and has stuck to the issues – all while challenging his opponents on substance. Nice try Norwood, but voters are smarter than you (think).
Teela
October 25th, 2009
12:04 am
We have such a wonderful choice here: Mary is an incompetent flibberygibbet .
Kasim Reed is already bound up in nepotism and is about as exciting as wet toast…shored up by Andrew Young who only attempts to continue the history of entitlement and little else here in Atlanta.
Lisa Borders is out of the pocket of the developers.
Hold on to your hats for the next four years. Or go indoors and read Gibbons/ something historical…
and try not to repeat with the same corruption. That will be hard to do.
At least we can say that Mary is rich enough not to have her fingers in the city coffers.
And she’s not known for money laundering, or corruption, or nepotism, or …
well, all those are pluses but the city is running into a wall.
DownToTheWire
October 25th, 2009
12:10 am
Looks like the race is now between Norwood and Reed…Borders faded to the back, like most people expected she would. Tjhe question is, why’d she ever get back in the race?
ReedSupporter
October 25th, 2009
12:23 am
@Teela
I hear Kasim pulls down close to a million a year as a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton, one of Atlanta’s most prestigious law firms. He will release his taxes soon, so we’ll all know. Also, another commenter shared that city code bars the relatives of elected officials from working for the city or being granted contracts, so the nepotism claim is growing moot.
Lisa Borders really hasn’t done much in her short career as city president, certainly anything that has been the entire city. She would probably have had a better chance at winning, had she not dropped out of the race for 6 months.
It’s a shame the way some people have tried to paint Reed. I don’t think this guy is perfect, but he has one of the cleaner records among his fellow opponents. As a white woman, I know if there was any dirt on him it wouldve been aired and his chances would be nilch. I think Reed will win this election and set Atlanta a trajectory not seen since the 1990’s.
Truth be told
October 25th, 2009
3:15 am
Here’s the campaign slogan for Kasim Reed supporters:
‘8 more years, 8 more years, 8 more years!’
Adam Jones
October 25th, 2009
10:10 am
This Ralph Long bashing is out of hand. Why would the first-place candidate need to pay for any endorsement, especially the endorsement of a respected elected official? Norwood was leading in the polls before and after her endorsement by Ralph.
@Teela-
How can you even call Rep. Long a “hounddog” with a straight face? Nearly every time I see Ralph, his wife and kid are with him. Can we say the same for Kasim? Oh, that’s right, he’s a successful attorney and Senator who can’t seem to find the right (wo)man to settle down with. Come one Kasim, take your pic. You have plenty of options in ATL, whichever your preference is.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
October 25th, 2009
10:56 am
Ralph Long is a “confused” person. Spend some time with him. Listen to him.
He is not right, just as the Roman Catholic carpetbagger he “endorses,” Mary Bush Norwood, is not right for Atlanta.
HIs twists and kinks are along the lines of Vernon Jones’ support for Mary’s cousin, the 9/11-committing closet-queen and draft-dodger, George W. Bush.
General Sherman
October 25th, 2009
11:06 am
What do New Orleans and Atlanta have in common? Do nothing,big mouth mayors that are racist!
booger
October 25th, 2009
11:10 am
Mayor Franklin said several years ago at a national Mayors conference that her biggest fear for Atlanta was that a White would be elected mayor, thus undoing all of the diversity gains of the last 40 years.
This, along with her statements in the Fulton commisioners race make it very clear why she will not support Norwood. It’s because of race.
shirley
October 25th, 2009
1:03 pm
I didn’t say I had any fear of white political leadership in Atlanta or anywhere. The vast majority of candidates I have voted for and supported with my time and money are white and I expect the same will be true into the future. I support candidates with vision, integrity and intelligence and I have voted for candidates with these 3 characteristics throughout my life. Mary Norwood has none of these. Therefore, I do not support her candidacy for mayor. Should she win I will wish her well and continue my activism in politics and civic affairs. Race nor gender are the issues for me. Competency is. Norwood has not demonstrated vision, competence or integrity in her public life as an elected offical. Rather she has spent her time building a political network to run for mayor. It looks like she’ll be successful. She’s provided no evidence in her service on the Council as to her competence to govern. She has not led on ethics or public policy. In fact she’s known for slips of the tongue about what she’ll do as mayor. Norwood has run against me as if she’s been a force for good in public debate on the issues for the last 8 years. A few weeks ago on the floor of Council she proposed holding up contracts because the new mayor might not agree with them as if the nine month procurement process had not been open, fair, competitive and comprehensive. Ultimately she voted for the contracts but after hours of debate because a new political leader might choose other firms. That is the type of decision making I’ve replaced having found subjective rather than objective and fair processes when I arrived at City Hall in 2002. I am astounded Norwood proposed returning to poltically driven procurement of city services. If you don’t beleive me check the City Council archives of recent Council meetings.
Betsy
October 25th, 2009
1:05 pm
Franklin will endorse Reed, which will end up taking a lot of wind out of his “momentum” (unless his Black Panther crew of party-promoting attorneys think everything in the city has been great for the past 8 years). Last thing we need is a hip-hop mayor to turn Atlanta into Detroit.
Norwood’s incompetency will show up in more and more debates. Unless that woman has a full lobotomy, she’ll only come off as more bumbling as the days grow long. And if you think she has what it takes to be the next Mayor, then you probably voted for that ditz Palin too.
Spikes, Brownlowe, and Keyser are all jokes. They should drop out of the race instead of trying to save their egos with all this political grandstanding. Lord knows none of them are fit to even serve a school’s PTA board, let alone the position for Mayor.
After giving it a lot of thought, and comparing the candidates on their background and the pros and cons, I can say without a doubt that I’m casting my vote for Borders. And if you’re smart, care about this city, and aren’t caught up in all the negative campaigning from the other camps, you’d do the same.
jconservative
October 25th, 2009
2:34 pm
So Franklin will endorse the candidate who criticizes her less?
I do not have a dog in this hunt. But typically endorsements from those being replaced at the end of a term turn into an ego trip for the departing office holder. Appears this will not be different.
Erin
October 25th, 2009
3:32 pm
@Shirley-
Would it kill you to give Mary Norwood credit for designing a platform and campaign operation that have spoken to so many voters? You make such an issue of Norwood “running against you,” but exactly when have you shown leadership? Where were you and your Police Chief when Kathryn Johnston was murdered? What exactly were you doing when the Black Mafia Family was allowed to terrorize our streets, from your own house? Why didn’t you do a better job of mentoring Kasim Reed so that he wouldn’t run such a piss poor campaign? The failures of Reed’s campaign are a mirror image of your failed leadership. You have no one to blame but yourself and your dying regime.
Our city should not be falling apart because we no longer have Maynard’s leadership. He was just one man. You, Andy and the entire machine forgot to use your power to make the city work. The new streetlights on Cascade are cute, but a man was shot 31 times in broad daylight YESTERDAY. Run your city and stay out the Mayor’s race.
It’s getting to the point where your body of work is not as valuable as the prospect and potential of change through Mary Norwood’s leadership. When you do come out to the community, you vent your frustration with the City and talk down to constituents, as if you have no responsiblity for what’s happened here.
You have accomplished exactly what people knew you would – turning the city over to white people because of your elitist attitude and inaccesibility. By the way, how is that Obama job search going? I guess you couldn’t pass the background check.
Ghetto Grandmothers Baby Daddy
October 25th, 2009
3:41 pm
Get real – you meant to write “A strong BLACK woman”, right? There is a difference between a strong woman and a strong BLACK woman, right?