Scrambling for lifeboats as DeKalb sinks (Atlanta, Sandy Springs: credit, hotels, employment)

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

Arjay,

Gwinnett has long been a standing joke about County Commission Corruption. However, they don't seem to shoot their sheriff elects and I haven't seen a CEO of the County get sacked or the leader of the school system get caught in a cheating scandal.

But, Arjay. REALLY. Are you going to try and compare the malfeasance and crime rate and shenanigans of DeKalb and the City of Atlanta with Gwinnett and Forsyth??? C'mon Arjay, I KNOW you know better than that. It's not even a contest. Have you seen the business growth (good or bad) in Gwinnett? Have you seen the same in Atlanta or DeKalb?

Check it out. Using a classic Businesswise tool that is available to almost all sales forces. Downtown Atlanta has about 880 large businesses. Quite a few law firms, government, and accounting interests. Now, contrast that with the growth in those other areas.

But, we are talking about corruption. Most folks are basically looking the other way as to how things like Marta, the Airport, the City, Fulton and DeKalb County are run. Why? Because if you even BEGIN to contest, the race card is tossed out in the opening round. Has nothing to do with how businesses and governments are run.

That my friend is where the corruption starts. Then it quickly becomes a free-for-all for whatever friends of the firm can grab. Isolated entirely to these two areas? No. But, tell me how well, financially, DeKalb, the City of Atlanta, and Clayton County are doing compared to Gwinnett, Forsyth, North Fulton, and Cobb. Sandy Springs and Cumberland (30339 THE largest home of businesses in the city) are in that mix as well.

Accident? Why is DeKalb struggling so much these last 10-15 years? They, like clayton, are poorly run and the chickens are coming home to roost. It's no wonder those 8 schools wanted to break away with a 40 million dollar budget. Those tax payers saw improvements in schools. The county, saw 40 million to be squandered.

Wasn't it DeKalb that got nailed for NOT being able to explain where 40 million in tax payer dollars went a few years ago? Google it. Are any other counties guilty of the same? I don't think so.

It's time someone put their house in order.

The City of Atl;anta has come a long way since the days of Bill Campbell.
MARTA is now a well run organization with a positve outlook to the fuure.

The Airport us a mixebag but it has more to do with recent security issues than day to day financial operations.

I recently moved top Clayton and can honestly say things NOW seem to be fine.I see constant improvement on the roads and its water department is one of the best in the country

Lets keep the old stuff in the pas and focus on the here and now,

[AcidSnake]

Anyone who is complaining about how the Airport and MARTA is governed, is an ideological hack with an axe to grind against "urban" leadership (not speaking about you, Af).

The Airport has not had any controversies since...never...and MARTA under Parker has been nothing short of exemplary.

The conservative partisans on city-data are simply dogpiling on Dekalb with made up controversies...just for the sake of dogpiling.

I wonder how those sort of partisans keep from going insane...always nursing this "zero-sum"/point-scoring/gotcha-style worldview.

These folks need to find a new hobby!

Originally Posted by afonega1

The City of Atl;anta has come a long way since the days of Bill Campbell.
MARTA is now a well run organization with a positve outlook to the fuure.

The Airport us a mixebag but it has more to do with recent security issues than day to day financial operations.

I recently moved top Clayton and can honestly say things NOW seem to be fine.I see constant improvement on the roads and its water department is one of the best in the country

Lets keep the old stuff in the pas and focus on the here and now,

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

The Airport has not had any controversies since...never...

I wouldn't go that far:

Contracting at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport: The Need for Pay-to-Play Reform in Atlanta

2 Are Convicted in Atlanta In Airport Corruption Trial - NYTimes.com

Atlanta Airport concession fallout is painful to watch

[AcidSnake]

One or two people who got scooped up by the feds does not indict the whole agency. And that article was from back in 1994. You obviously had to search long and hard for that one.

And "Pay-to-Play" is a phenomena that happens with all public agencies, be they city, county, state, and federal.

It would be an act of extreme intellectual dishonesty to suggest that it only happens with the City of Atlanta.

Originally Posted by Gulch

I wouldn't go that far:

Contracting at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport: The Need for Pay-to-Play Reform in Atlanta

2 Are Convicted in Atlanta In Airport Corruption Trial - NYTimes.com

Atlanta Airport concession fallout is painful to watch

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Anyone who is complaining about how the Airport and MARTA is governed, is an ideological hack with an axe to grind against "urban" leadership (not speaking about you, Af).

The Airport has not had any controversies since...never...and MARTA under Parker has been nothing short of exemplary.

The conservative partisans on city-data are simply dogpiling on Dekalb with made up controversies...just for the sake of dogpiling.

I wonder how those sort of partisans keep from going insane...always nursing this "zero-sum"/point-scoring/gotcha-style worldview.

These folks need to find a new hobby!

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

One or two people who got scooped up by the feds does not indict the whole agency. And that article was from back in 1994. You obviously had to search long and hard for that one.

And "Pay-to-Play" is a phenomena that happens with all public agencies, be they city, county, state, and federal.

It would be an act of extreme intellectual dishonesty to suggest that it only happens with the City of Atlanta.

All I did was Google "Atlanta airport corruption" and those links were on the first page. Every mayor since Hartsfield himself has treated the place like a cash machine, and it really ramped up after the Midfield Terminal opened in 1980.

FWIW, I never implied that the City of Atlanta was alone in the graft business.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

One or two people who got scooped up by the feds does not indict the whole agency. And that article was from back in 1994. You obviously had to search long and hard for that one.

And "Pay-to-Play" is a phenomena that happens with all public agencies, be they city, county, state, and federal.

It would be an act of extreme intellectual dishonesty to suggest that it only happens with the City of Atlanta.

There's been some controversy on the latest set of concession contracts as well. And the stuff from early in Reed's term had to be re-let because of improprieties in the bidding process.

Also the water department is currently under investigation for millions of missing equipment. Pretty sure there's been something else in city of Atlanta government I read in the AJC in the last 2 weeks, but I don't remember what it was. There's too much to keep track.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by bu2

There's been some controversy on the latest set of concession contracts as well. And the stuff from early in Reed's term had to be re-let because of improprieties in the bidding process.

Also the water department is currently under investigation for millions of missing equipment. Pretty sure there's been something else in city of Atlanta government I read in the AJC in the last 2 weeks, but I don't remember what it was. There's too much to keep track.

Im sure he dod not mean there was literally NO bad things are going on.
Besides the talk was of large scale corruption not employee theft
Look at Chicago,NYC,LA,Miami,DC etc..then tell me how in comparison how Atlanta is.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by afonega1

The City of Atl;anta has come a long way since the days of Bill Campbell.
MARTA is now a well run organization with a positve outlook to the fuure.

The Airport us a mixebag but it has more to do with recent security issues than day to day financial operations.

I recently moved top Clayton and can honestly say things NOW seem to be fine.I see constant improvement on the roads and its water department is one of the best in the country

Lets keep the old stuff in the pas and focus on the here and now,

So like servpro? Like it never ever happened....right, got it...check.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

So like servpro? Like it never ever happened....right, got it...check.

More like don't dwell on the past. Of course, some people benefit greatly from continuing to perpetuate the stereotype of a horribly-run Atlanta (even if it's false).