Not Maynard Jackson’s Atlanta (Cochran, White: low income, public school, income)

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by glovenyc

I agree. I moved to the ATL area in 2010, and it seems that the Mayor Kasim Reed is doing a great job as mayor. Personally I think most politicians are somewhat self-serving, thats part of the game. However I don't think he is corrupt, and the city seems to be moving in the right direction.

I just wanted to add to this for those who haven't been around long.

Reed has also been much friendlier and moderate of a leader on many issues with the city.

He has reached out to unfriendly state politicians better than predecessors and he made some tough choices on removing expensive city property from the city's budget that state Republicans use to whine about.

Now admittedly, those choices were easier to make with the benefit of the changing waves of development.

To an extent though, it is the changing demographics that creates a politician like Reed. If the demographics changed too much or not enough, you wouldn't have a leader with pointed policies of one party that is also moderate in their ways.

[cwkimbro]

Also, we need to be careful.

We can't post a whole article, especially with it behind a pay wall. This exceeds Fair use and is a copyright issue. I don't want to see the site ever get into trouble.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Because Atlanta obsesses over race. It colors (no pun intended) everything about Atlanta. Nothing is done without taking race into consideration.

I wish I could find evidence of this but during the mayoral race when Franklin was leaving office she commented on how, and I'm paraphrasing, Atlanta's black population needed to band together and make sure they stay in power. There is no way around the fact that a lot of people vote based on skin color.

Kasim Reed had 75% of the black vote. Mary Norwood had 75% percent of the white vote. Obama had almost all of the black vote, not that I would blame a black person for taking his skin color into consideration. I'd want a black president too if I were them, after the previous centuries.

I voted for him because I thought he would be a great president, which in my opinion he's been one of the best. His skin color didn't get me to vote for him, but I think it added to my joy in helping elect him. Even if it didn't stop people from voting based on skin color, it at least broke the pale streak we were used to.

[aries4118]

Kwanzaa Hall or Cathy Woolard.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Kwanzaa Hall or Cathy Woolard.

I'd be happy with either of them. I just hope Mary Norwood doesn't run again.

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by JMatl

Hardly an obsession, but it IS a part of our public discourse - and that's a very good thing. It's part of who we are.

Most other large Metro's won't touch racial issues with a ten foot pole.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a very good thing.

Race had a lot to do with the mess we're in regarding our traffic mess and lack of transit.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a very good thing.

Race had a lot to do with the mess we're in regarding our traffic mess and lack of transit.

Sorry WanderingImport, as a long time resident I mostly have to disagree.

The people in the outlying Counties that voted against MARTA in 1971 are either largely gone, or have moved. We haven't had a binding vote until Clayton voted yes this past November. Think about it, that's 41 years!

Demographics have changed dramatically, and the population has exploded in Cobb & Gwinnett.

Cobb had about 198,000 then, now it's estimated at over 720,000. Gwinnett had about 74,000 people then, now they're approaching 900,000!

My point is, I think the racially motivated blockage of MARTA expanding to the suburbs is overstated. It's not 1971 anymore. The only official vote re: MARTA other than the recent Clayton vote was way back in 2008, when Gwinnett held a straw poll. MARTA only lost by a surprising 53% to 47%.

[AcidSnake]

I will counter your disagreement with WanderingImport, with my observation of Gwinnett County's government. Because minorities don't participate in that government as much as they should, it still operates like the 1970s.

Gwinnett County School System especially stands out in the way that it suspends and expels minority students at disproportionately high levels...as well as on occasion show extreme insensitivity in its curriculum regarding minority students.

To me I don't see a major change in how many(not all) white folks do things when they have total control here in the south. Definitely not in this modern era.

It's only when there is pushback and political pushback at that, from other groups when change happens. Which is typically a hesitant type of change at best.

Willful collaboration and pro-active change as of late, is hard to come by here in Georgia.

Old habits die hard, if they die at all, I suppose.

Originally Posted by JMatl

Sorry WanderingImport, as a long time resident I mostly have to disagree.

The people in the outlying Counties that voted against MARTA in 1971 are either largely gone, or have moved. We haven't had a binding vote until Clayton voted yes this past November. Think about it, that's 41 years!

Demographics have changed dramatically, and the population has exploded in Cobb & Gwinnett.

Cobb had about 198,000 then, now it's estimated at over 720,000. Gwinnett had about 74,000 people then, now they're approaching 900,000!

My point is, I think the racially motivated blockage of MARTA expanding to the suburbs is overstated. It's not 1971 anymore. The only official vote re: MARTA other than the recent Clayton vote was way back in 2008, when Gwinnett held a straw poll. MARTA only lost by a surprising 53% to 47%.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by JMatl

My point is, I think the racially motivated blockage of MARTA expanding to the suburbs is overstated. It's not 1971 anymore. The only official vote re: MARTA other than the recent Clayton vote was way back in 2008, when Gwinnett held a straw poll. MARTA only lost by a surprising 53% to 47%.

Gwinnett had a binding vote in 1990, residents voted 2 to 1 in rejecting MARTA expansion.

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

I will counter your disagreement with WanderingImport with my observation of Gwinnett's government. Because minorities don't participate in that government as much as they should, it still operates like the 1970s.

Gwinnett County School System especially stands out in the way that it expels minority students at disproportionately high levels, as well as show on occasion extreme nsensitivity in its curriculum regarding minority students.

To me I don't see a change in how many(not all) white folks do things when they have total control here in the south. It's only when there is pushback and political pushback from other groups when change happens. Which is typically a hesitant type of change at best.

Willful collaboration as of late is hard to come by here in Georgia.

Gwinnett County stands out in the way that it achieves greater positive outcomes for its minority students than most of the Metro. A long time ago, I taught at a high school in Dekalb County that had a student body that was almost exclusively black. The administration worked hard to get certain statistics similar to other schools, number of failing grades, expulsions, graduation rates etc. Teachers were pressured to change reports, grades etc.. The justification was that they believed that they were keeping as many kids as possible in school--and if we did that, more kids would learn.-- But, graduation rates were still very low, and the majority of kids that were very capable suffered because the standards for what was acceptable, both academics and behavior, were so low.