Sunday, May 17, 2009
News, Politics, Atlanta

Movin' on up

Charles Stanley reports on how Atlanta City Council is about to be reshuffled

City Council Members Claire Muller (top) and Ceasar Mitchell (above) will duke it out for the Council presidency.
Courtesy Claire Muller and Ceasar Mitchell

BY CHARLES STANLEY
   
    This November, a mayoral election guaranteeing new city leadership is bound to see its share of fireworks. But changes to City Hall go well beyond the mayor’s office, as two of the Atlanta City Council’s most recognizable members will leave their posts undefended to compete for the city’s top job.

    Current council members Clair Muller and Ceasar Mitchell are preparing to duke it out over a council presidency left open by Lisa Borders’ mayoral bid. This means it is open season on the 8th District and At Large Post 1 seats they respectively hold. Meanwhile, the At Large Post 2 seat of mayoral candidate Mary Norwood has an obvious appeal to would-be newcomers to the council.  
   

CANDIDATES FOR CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT 

[Currently held by Lisa Borders]

CEASAR MITCHELL
    Mitchell, Atlanta’s current Post 1 At Large council member, recently abandoned plans to run for mayor in favor of a run at the council presidency. He touts legislation he authored that requires rookie police officers to spend eight weeks on foot patrol, along with his crusade to reopen Fire Station No. 7 as examples of his dedication to public safety.  

    He admits that while each council president brings a different style to the position, he has not given much thought to how he would differ from Borders. 

     “Lisa and I share a lot of qualities,” he says. “I think she’s done very well [as president].”

CLAIR MULLER
    Muller has represented the 8th district, comprised of the west side of Buckhead, since 1990, and describes herself as a workhorse within the council.

    “I think that 20 years is a lot of experience that any incoming new council and new mayor are going to need,” she says.

    Muller believes implementing the recommendations made to the council by Deloitte Consulting LLP in February will go a long way toward easing the city’s financial woes. She cites the proposal for a permanent staff position to monitor financing as a needed change to the way council business is carried out. This, she says, would put year-round scrutiny on the budget process, rather than reducing the city’s finances to a month-long debate.

CANDIDATES FOR AT LARGE POST 1       

[Currently held by Ceasar Mitchell]
   
MICHAEL BOND
    Bond served two terms for Atlanta’s District 3 before a losing bid for council president cost him the seat in 2001. He describes the governing style of both the mayor’s office and the Council over the past eight years as “very corporate.” 

    Bond believes that retaining more experienced officers and firefighters would go a long way toward making the city a safer place.

    “We lose police officers, in part, because it’s difficult to retire here,” he says. “It’s a matter of keeping [firefighters and police officers] here with benefits.”
   
CHRIS VAUGHN
    Vaughn is a businessman specializing in public relations and strategic marketing, and a former Public Safety Committee Chair and Atlanta Planning Advisory Board member. He describes illegal dumping in the Woodland Heights neighborhood he lives in as a symbol of blight and a prime example of the city government’s unresponsiveness.

    He wants better funding for public safety. But on crime, he also says it is time to “start having a very frank conversation with our citizens about the future of our kids.”

    “When I saw that 17-year-old kid arrested for allegedly being involved with the John Henderson murder,” he says, “it hurt my heart.”

    Vaughn believes the city should look at partnering public recreation facilities with private organizations to save money. He also believes investing in public safety now will lead to greater revenue in the future through increased tourism.
   
CLARENCE TURNER
    Turner, a political newcomer, is a sales director in audiovisual event production, and a photographer. His public experience comes largely from his work with Atlanta’s youth. He served with Americorps’ Hands On Atlanta program to finance his college education and has since mentored children with the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. He hopes to use the At Large Post 1 to “represent the children of Atlanta,” and “give Atlanta its first art district.”

    Turner believes that opening the city budget to greater scrutiny, and turning over the administration of the city jail to Fulton County, would help put Atlanta’s finances into the black.  

CANDIDATE FOR THE 8th District

[Currently held by Clair Muller]

YOLANDA ADREAN
The lone suitor for the 8th district seat, Adrean, a CPA, has served as chair of the finance subcommittee for the Atlanta Beltline’s Tax Allocation District Advisory Committee. She believes her neighborhood citizens association and local political committee experience have prepared her for a position on the City Council. Although she is currently unopposed, Adrean says she is determined to run a strong campaign. 

    “I’m working as though some [competition] will pop up, and I try to be prepared,” she says.     

 AT LARGE POST 2

[Currently held by Mary Norwood]

DARYL GRAHAM
    Graham, a media professional, has worked for TBS, CNN and the NAACP. He says the need for more police officers in the city is obvious, but he also believes the city’s current resources should be used more effectively.

    Graham says he would like to see greater autonomy exercised in each of Atlanta’s six police zones in order to tackle each area’s most glaring problems. He questions the city government’s reluctance to use money from other departments, like the Department of Watershed Management, to fully fund Atlanta’s police and fire departments. He describes the situation as one where politics has taken precedence over sensible policy.

    “You don’t play politics with people’s lives when it comes to public safety,” he says. 

AMIR FAROKHI
    Farokhi’s main message is that Atlanta has the potential to become a “world-class, remarkable city.” The Atlanta attorney sees a more responsive city government and a focus on transit as important priorities to achieve this goal. However, he says, there is no way for the city to move forward without a renewed focus on fiscal responsibility and public safety. Farokhi is confident that a close look at the budget and city services at an operational level will reveal inefficiencies that, if addressed, could help Atlanta’s budget woes.

    “If we do all the little things right,” he says, “we may have more money than we think.”    SP