Cty Of Atlanta Government (Cleveland, Franklin: crime, transfer, pre-k)

[noland123]

- How is the city of Atlanta government set up?I am from a city that has a consolidated government

[HowdyYall]

city limits are in two counties, fulton and dekalb which each have their own governments.

The former mayor is in federal prison now if that tells you anything.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by HowdyYall

city limits are in two counties, fulton and dekalb which each have their own governments.

The former mayor is in federal prison now if that tells you anything.

And the current is not much better.
Both Fulton and DeKalb County governments are poorly mismanaged.
North Fulton residents are so fed up that they are looking to break away and re-form Milton County. Of course, the Georgia constitution will have to be amended. DeKalb, ran by the "CEO" Vernon, is another which could stand improvement, though I would say it is much better off than Fulton.

[duff30329]

Don't even ask. Atlanta, in bygone years was run smoothly with little or no corruption. Not so in this day and time. Atlanta would be a 3rd world city if it were not for Fortune 500 businesses. Atlanta is growing by sheer momentum-not by its politcal leadership.
The city is not safe after dark..in fact, those who work downtown don't linger after work, they git!
And, downtown was once a wonderful place for fine dining and just strolling around. No more.
I am a rare breed, that is, a native Atlantan who has seen the best and now, its worst.

[atlantagreg30127]

I've been here a long time, and like others, have seen Atlanta's growth cause far more problems than good.

Unfortunately, when discussing leadership, many times the race issue comes up, but it's really just a matter of a combination of corruption, favors, and people who aren't qualified getting positions they do not have the experience for.

Many years ago Atlanta's government was all white. Many would consider it a "white good old boys" type of system, and it was rare that you saw anyone of any color or race other than white hold a key position in the city. White mayor, white police chief, white fire chief, city council, etc etc. "You rub Bubba Bob's back and he'll rup Billy Bob's back" would be a fair description. Then in the 70s the first black mayor was elected and since that time the city government has been majority black. Now in reverse, you have a black Mayor, police chief, fire chief, and majority black city council. It's rare that you see a white, latin/hispanic, or Asian-oriented person in any key position here at all, and the theme now is just a black version of the good old boy system. People hiring friends for positions they do not deserve or are qualified for.

In the past it was more a case of discrimination. Atlanta wasn't a huge metropolis and wasn't growing that fast in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Minorities were unfairly treated in the job pool, but the white bubbas couldn't do as much harm to a city that was basically the same size as Chattanooga and Birmingham at the same time period. Then when Atlanta built the airport, it started the launch that would propel them past the other cities and start the rapid growth that began in the 70s and to this day isn't showing any signs of letting up. Today, having an unqualified and preference-based city government does much more damage because you're not dealing with a sleepy southern town anymore... you're dealing with a city of over half a million, with a metro population of around 5 million. Even one small screw-up in terms of placing the wrong person in the wrong position, or one wrong decision, can have a ripple effect on a city this size, and the communities surrounding it as well.

Atlanta has actually been compared to a "third world city", before. Namely due to the amount of poverty, crime, and vagrants you see on the streets downtown. The city goes nuts when they hear it, and the media has a field day, but honestly, sometimes it's not that far off. It's just a larger version of pre-Katrina New Orleans (minus the French Quarter and character), with some of Houston's traffic mixed in.

If you need a job or want to shop until you drop, Atlanta is the place for you. If you're looking for a city that is a roll model in effective city leadership - this is the poster child of "what NOT to do".

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by duff30329

Don't even ask. Atlanta, in bygone years was run smoothly with little or no corruption. Not so in this day and time. Atlanta would be a 3rd world city if it were not for Fortune 500 businesses. Atlanta is growing by sheer momentum-not by its politcal leadership.
The city is not safe after dark..in fact, those who work downtown don't linger after work, they git!
And, downtown was once a wonderful place for fine dining and just strolling around. No more.
I am a rare breed, that is, a native Atlantan who has seen the best and now, its worst.

And let's not forget that Atlanta just about lost Coca Cola to Charlotte if not for the owner of the Georgia Aquarium's relationship with the board, since The Mayor battled both of them in favor of status quo vs. improvement.

Let's face it. The City of Atlanta has the opportunity to be the downtown Chicago of the South. We have folks moving to the area at 100,000 plus per year, all we need is city leadership that serves the city and what is overall best for the citys prosperity and lure than an agenda which may even come across as militant.

Within the last year we almost lost Coke, we lost Ford and General Motors, we are even seeing military base closures even though Hartsfield is the eastern annex of troop transfers. Granted, this is more Federal than City/State, but did the Fulton City government do anything? No.
Also, Georgia Power and what used to be Bell South could pull out anytime since they are now owned by non-Georgia entities.

Atlanta's public education system is ranked towards the bottom
Atlanta City ranks #7 as the most dangerous location in the United States.

What does Atlanta's leadership do while the above is happening? Well, there were many trips to Africa on the taxpayers dime Go figure??
Let's not forget the three trips to Communist China on the taxpayers dime But hey! we are supposed to get a alien company in Atlanta due to this, never mind the 2 domestic corporations that have pulled out and the other situations listed above.

All in all, I have not lost hope for the City of Atlanta, heck the AJC and Atlanta magazine has informed the populace that we should be lucky to have "America's Mayor" and great "Progressive Leadership"
Then again, whenever I see the word Progressive beside a politicians name I always seem to see downward economic indicators closely behind. Grady Hospital anyone? Lastly, let's not forget that most financial reports just the other week listed Atlanta as the most expensive, difficult to get ahead cities, for any working person making less than $40K per year. So much for "Progressive" thought. Sounds more like Monarchy and Surfdom to me.

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

Atlanta has made many strides and great achievements within the last few decades. I am actually more fond of Mayor Franklins progress than Atlanta's past mayors. In fact, I feel that she actually engages the city's corporate and political leaders in a way that assisted with some new big development projects.

Most people do not want to see blacks in a leadership position and any kind. As matter fact, some would even suggest that we return to slave times and the Jim Crow era. I would suggest that we, the citizens begin to think more openly. It is so easy to criticize but it is more productive to actually work toward the changes we wish to see.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Derrick_TheRiskTaker

Most people do not want to see blacks in a leadership position and any kind. As matter fact, some would even suggest that we return to slave times and the Jim Crow era. I would suggest that we, the citizens begin to think more openly. It is so easy to criticize but it is more productive to actually work toward the changes we wish to see.

I think this is an expected response by some. If someone critical of a leader or leaders who are black, then it is immediately assumed they are racist - racism is automatically assumed, and even "slavery" is brought up, jealousy over blacks holding positions of power, etc. That is frankly a very stereotypical viewpoint.

Now we COULD do some analyzing as to the worst cities as far as crime and decline go... Atlanta, New Orleans, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit... and we could look at who's leading those cities. But let's not now. For now, let's just say that the last few decades, Atlanta has NOT seen the highest quality leadership at the desks. Poor decisions have been made, favors have been given to personal friends instead of the most qualified, priorities have been misplaced. While some of the leaders have not been as bad as others - we've not had a "good" Mayor and city leadership here in quite some time.

As crazy as it sounds, financial wiz guy Clark Howard has recently said that he is considering a run for Mayor next time around. There has actually been strong support for him to do it, and when the local news station's web site did a poll, 85% of those who replied said they would vote for him. I think the people here are ready for a BIG change in leadership, regardless of race or ethnic origin, and would easily vote for someone who doesn't appoint people into key positions simply based on their skin color. So while I'm just outside the city limits I know a lot of folks who live intown who have said if he or someone like him runs, they'll vote for them.

It's not racism - it's realism. We don't need a white good old boy system running the city, and we also don't need a black good old boy system as an alternate, either. We need leaders who look beyond skin color and who puts the most qualified people in city positions who have only the best for Atlanta as their agenda, and not repaying favors to buddies and hiring personal friends for leadership positions.

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

It's not racism - it's realism. We don't need a white good old boy system running the city, and we also don't need a black good old boy system as an alternate, either. We need leaders who look beyond skin color and who puts the most qualified people in city positions who have only the best for Atlanta as their agenda, and not repaying favors to buddies and hiring personal friends for leadership positions.

It so easy to jump to conclusions over the quality of government and leadership in Atlanta. If you look at history, whites has always dominated the political spectrum and in many cases has layed the very foundations of nepotism and giving special favors to other whites. Now that several blacks in power are doing the same, or similar thing (respectively) it is a problem.

One of the things I have noticed in Atlanta, particularly with how its citizens view their government is that that most voters and critics are so comfortable that ignorance plagues their own judgement. Of course, Atlanta is not perfect, no major city is. Another thing, lets look at some of the cities you mentioned:

Atlanta - Black mayor, majority black city council
New Orleans - Black mayor, majority white city council
Cleveland - White mayor, majority white city council
Baltimore - Black mayor, majority white city council
Philadelphia - Black mayor, majority white city council
Detroit - Black mayor, majority black city council

So in retrospect, most the cities mentioned have a majority white city council which in most of these cities controls the government. Perhaps this should shift our conversation from the mayor and onto the city council. Lets admit that we all have preferences for who we desire to see in office, but very few are willing to admit they prefer whites over blacks any day. But at the end of the day, the voters have the final word.

[nrgpill]

It is relatively safe to say that Atlanta will have a white mayor two terms from now (I am forecasting strictly from the shift in demographics) so the time will come when we will be able to fairly compare the current mayor to the mayor-to-be.

I personally have a bigger issue with Fulton county commissioners blindly voting along the party line. The actual voting record on some issues may say otherwise but the perception is so strong that all issues seem "racial".