Would "progressive" Atlanta ever elect a non-black mayor? (transit, snake)

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by alinka72

Atlanta is not progressive in the least. Do not know where you got your 'description' from.

You - as usual - have absolutely NO idea of what you're talking about.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by johnatl

You - as usual - have absolutely NO idea of what you're talking about.

Bingo. I find it quite laughable the idea that Atlanta is not in the least progressive. It's not like we have the fourth largest gay pride celebration on the planet (and three separate events throughout the year), the seat of power for the Civil Rights movement and MLK as our revered native son to back us up.

[brent6969]

Their will be a white or mixed race mayor in the next 10 years easily.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Bingo. I find it quite laughable the idea that Atlanta is not in the least progressive. It's not like we have the fourth largest gay pride celebration on the planet (and three separate events throughout the year), the seat of power for the Civil Rights movement and MLK as our revered native son to back us up.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by SCAN5TI84

i have been following this forum for 4 years, but this is my first time for a post. i am a sociology major. we have discussed many issues, but one of my favorites is major american cities. major american cities are unique because there are many kinds of people living together in a dense area. one aspect we have discussed is how the diversity affects politics.

my class discussed how many major cities have had african american mayors in the modern era - chicago, philadelphia, houston, atlanta.

ive done more research on the subject of atlanta, and the research made me think: atlanta was often described as progressive, but based on history and past elections it seems unlikely that a non-african mayor will win an election in atlanta.

but why?

i am aware atlanta is different from chicago, houston, philadelphia in that it is majority african american. but why would that matter if atlanta is progressive?

would i, as a chinese american, hypothetically have a chance of winning a mayor election in atlanta?

do you think this will ever change?

thanks for catering to my interest with reponses!

I would hope so. If Atlanta really is a city "too busy to hate", which I think is kind of not that true, then any candidate of any ethnicity should be able to run for mayor and win. If a Chinese-American can be mayor of Atlanta, then good. Denver just elected another African-American mayor, and Denver is around 10% African-American, 30% Hispanic, and about 50% White. Why not an Asian-American mayor in Atlanta?

[AnsleyPark]

I am not so sure that the skin color of a leader has much to do with a place being "progressive.". Isn't being progressive about forward thinking ideas and plans? Like the belt line? Like building new parks? Like being tolerant and welcoming of various lifestyles? I'm just not getting the connection. But, hey, that's just me.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by alinka72

Atlanta is not progressive in the least. Do not know where you got your 'description' from.

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Stop confusing whatever suburb you live in with the City of Atlanta.

He isn't, in my opinion anyway. Why do you think Atlanta is progressive? And what are you comparing it to?

I thought progressive communities valued things like education, cooperation between government agencies, racial and religious tolerance, transparency, citizen involvement, and other similar values. Is that really Atlanta?

To keep Greg happy ... would the election of a non-majority major (I didn't say non-black because in my experience the "good old boys" mindset seems to come in many colors) reflect progressive values? And would that be the only measure of progressiveness?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Bingo. I find it quite laughable the idea that Atlanta is not in the least progressive. It's not like we have the fourth largest gay pride celebration on the planet (and three separate events throughout the year), the seat of power for the Civil Rights movement and MLK as our revered native son to back us up.

The gay pride stuff is a positive (and progressive) thing, certainly, and MLK was a very strong symbol both in the past and now.

That's a very good indicator that the people of Atlanta are progressive, at least to a certain extent, but the Atlanta City government itself seems to be a lot more regressive. Backwards. Focused inwards, not outwards, not good at long range planning, disorganized, and perhaps even borderline incompetent in a few places, with some admittedly notable exceptions (e.g., Major Reed).

I know the latest stuff related to mass transit is encouraging, and shows that some folks do value regional planning. The beltline is also a very good thing in my book. However, those positive elements are offset by so much negativity that it's sometimes hard to figure out whether the City of Atlanta is moving backwards or forwards in time.

[arjay57]

You raise some valid points, rcsteiner.

Everyone knows the problems the city has had in the past. Emotions and memories run deep and there are grievances aplenty on all sides.

However, I believe some important opportunities have been missed and/or mishandled. For example, the City of Atlanta could have done a much better job of bridging the gap with Fulton County. There's a serious risk that Fulton County north of the city limits could become part of a new county and that will be a very serious blow to the city.

We can point fingers in many directions on that issue, and I know it's technically a question of county government. But I don't think there's any doubt that the city could have taken a pro-active stance long ago and headed this off.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by alinka72

Atlanta is not progressive in the least. Do not know where you got your 'description' from.

What us city would you say is progressive? Just curious.