City-data poll - Mayor of Atlanta (Jackson, Norwood: bankrupt, cost, versus)

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

who is wrong? Black atlantans wanting a black mayor or white atlantans wanting a white mayor?

both.we should all want a good mayor.

[Brillemeister]

What I want to know is how Mr. Reed plans to pay for 750 new police officers. Closing a school or two? Putting a tollbooth at Peachtree and MLK?

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

FACT check: The city of atlanta increased it's general operating from 7.12 mils to 10.12, which is a 42% increase. This represents an increase in about 250 dollars for the average home. So please use this figure the next time you want to complain about tax increases in the City.

Ok, here is my opinion. I thought long and hard at the booth yesterday and I voted for Norwood. I'm black, 30yr, socially liberal and relatively fiscally conservative(I'm an accountant). I can tell you, I felt uneasy about voting for Mary Norwood, because she is WHITE and I can't identify myself with her in anyway, but I also thought that Kasim was an extention of a power bloc of over 30 years and nothing can be good for that long.

I decided that I wanted to see change, but it was hard because Norwood had been on the City Council for eight years and has NO record to speak of. She is republican by record, but honestly locally republicans and democrats are virtually indistinguishable in the Atlanta. Now that the runoff is here, I will take the time to learn each candidate individually I can't say for sure who I'm voting for. It's funny because I always thought people who were undecided are basically lying for attention, but for the first time I can truely say, I don't know.

OMG!!You think like I think!!All the things you brought up is also my process.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by Atlantasfinest

Interesting take on the election and the possibility of a White Mayor and what it means to her from a young white woman yesterday on WSB news.


YouTube - Racism in ATL ( Shevy speaks)

I saw her say that too!!I was like"what the hell?Did she say what I think she said?LOL!!Maybe I should make a comment about rednecks,Nascar,hillbillys,and land of Tara,home of Gone With The Wind and trailer parks.I suppose that would be more accurate too?Who would be scared away moving here if that were so I wonder also?In the words of Michael Jackson:"thats Just ignorant"

[AcidSnake]

CO-SIGN!!!!!

Originally Posted by south-to-west

You're absolutely right about the issue being the City and not the State. However I'm tired of people constantly pointing their fingers towards to the City when screaming "fiscal mismanagement" while turning a blind-eye towards the State even when there is no election. Truth be told, Franklin has done quite well with the city's finances until the current recession started hitting the public sector. The fiscal crisis that hit Atlanta was also the same one experienced in most cities and states across the country--including the State of Georgia. As I said in another thread, she shot herself in the foot by straining the City's relationship with the State with her participation in the race-baiting John Eaves ad, as well as her standing by a mediocre police chief. I would also echo the dissatisfaction of a previous poster in her cutting back the hours of Atlanta's nightlife.

I strongly believe that most residents are not accepting of fiscal mismanagement as evidenced in the dismissal of Fulton County Sheriff Jackie Barrett, the first black female sheriff in the US, when it became apparent that she was embroiled in a mess of fiscal mismanagement and unethical conduct.

My support for Kasim Reed is, on the contrary, for a better standard of government--especially better than what Mary Norwood could provide. Kasim Reed actually has proposed cost cuts and possible tax increases to fund his initiatives while Mary Norwood proposed a lot with few answers to how she would pay for them.

Of course I'm not so myopic that I don't notice that there are many folks that support Reed because of his skin color. Whether you vote for Reed based on his blackness or for Norwood because of her whiteness--you're a hopeless moron. If you believe that voting for a black candidate automatically equates to "fiscal mismanagement" (I'm not talking about you in any sense, RC. You're one of my favorite posters on these threads ), then you're a moron. Not only is a voter a moron who espouses these obtuse beliefs, but they also make a strong case against democracy.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by Brillemeister

What I want to know is how Mr. Reed plans to pay for 750 new police officers. Closing a school or two? Putting a tollbooth at Peachtree and MLK?

That's interesting that you asked. I couple of pages ago I posted the following rationale behind my support of Kasim Reed based on his proposed fiscal policies.

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Reed has proposed to put more cops on the street--as Norwood has--and also to reopen many of the community rec centers that have had to close. Due to the esteem to which his colleagues on both sides of the aisle held him in the State Legislature, he also has a record of securing State funding and authorization for major projects, such as the massive project upgrading our sewage system.

In order to fund these projects, as well as basic maintenance and operations of City infrastructure and services, he has made specific proposals to cut areas of the budget that have leeway. Such methods include:

• Cutting the IT department, which is slightly overstaffed.
• Restructuring city contracts with private businesses that provide civic services.
• Using in-house city lawyers more often than contracting outside lawyers.
• Cutting back on employee overtime.
• Scaling back liabilities from the city's pension plan.

Mary Norwood hasn't been this specific in regards to funding while at the same time proposing such as broad agenda.

Creative Loafing did an excellent job in highlighting the differences among the candidates in their endorsement of Kasim Reed. I also verified, in my own self-interest, all of their points by reading press clippings and campaign literature.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by Brillemeister

What I want to know is how Mr. Reed plans to pay for 750 new police officers. Closing a school or two? Putting a tollbooth at Peachtree and MLK?

The thing is that none of them really know what they are gonna do.So unfortunately you have to go with the one that sounds the most "doable".He at least sounds like he has and idea about where to start,even if it does not work.

[Mishap]

How exactly does one scale back pension liabilities? Execute pensioners? Short of filing bankruptcy or firing everyone near vesting on their pension, you can't change the liability. The only real solution is to ditch the pension and all the lazy lifers that pensions bring.

750 police officers would cost nearly $40M just on salary costs not to mention equipment, pension costs, and added back office. Assume you're talking about 70M in overall annual cost and it's over 10% of the total 2008 budget. You're not going to find that firing IT staffers and breaking city contracts.

I'm all for added police but I'm also painfully aware that my property taxes on my modest condo are already 50% higher than my parents who own a 7bdr 5,000sqft home in Gwinnett. The police should have a vested interest in seeing city property values going up but as it is, they're contracts are loaded w/ pension gifts that are a drag on the city's finances b/c the last few mayors have all traded police labor peace w/ unrealistically generous pensions.

[prwfromnc]

I've become interested in what is going on with the runoff election in Atlanta as well, even thouth I'm from NC. At first I was rooting for Mary Norwood, but now I'm beginning to become somewhat suspicious of her. I tried looking up her party affiliation online and it really did not come up with anything, only to say that she has flip-flopped on occasion, even going on to say that she has voted for Bush, to me I'm wary of that. I just hope that you folks down in Atlanta get all of the info and facts that you can get on both candidates and make the best infromed decision come runoff time, and may the best candidate win in this runoff.

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by Mishap

How exactly does one scale back pension liabilities? Execute pensioners? Short of filing bankruptcy or firing everyone near vesting on their pension, you can't change the liability. The only real solution is to ditch the pension and all the lazy lifers that pensions bring.

750 police officers would cost nearly $40M just on salary costs not to mention equipment, pension costs, and added back office. Assume you're talking about 70M in overall annual cost and it's over 10% of the total 2008 budget. You're not going to find that firing IT staffers and breaking city contracts.

I'm all for added police but I'm also painfully aware that my property taxes on my modest condo are already 50% higher than my parents who own a 7bdr 5,000sqft home in Gwinnett. The police should have a vested interest in seeing city property values going up but as it is, they're contracts are loaded w/ pension gifts that are a drag on the city's finances b/c the last few mayors have all traded police labor peace w/ unrealistically generous pensions.

The easiest way to scale back is to cut the pensions from New Hires and to have an actuary reevaluate the life expectancy... However, this probably is just accounting procedures that may or maynot have the results.

To your second point which I take extreme exception too. How are you going to hire "GOOD" police officers without incentives. Have you notice that Atlanta has resulted to hiring officers with petty criminal offensives, because their recruiting pool is low. It's not like you going to get creme de la creme with 40k salaries, while putting your LIFE on the line everyday. Police officers jobs are high stress, no one calls the police saying they have are having a nice day.