Shirley Franklin (D-Mayor of Atlanta) What an impressive woman

[Skidmore]

Brian Lamb interviewed her on Q&A and this interviewed has been playing on CSPAN 1 this morning. Still is on. The Democratic Party should be proud to have this woman as a resource. She has been recounting how she took Atlanta out of a huge deficit to a functioning city. She is also very much in tune with her citizenry. Told how she adopted the kids in her school system, met with more than 700 students individually for as long as they needed with her, and made sure that they were employed in the summertime. Adopted a minimum wage of $10.50/hr. for the people. Knows how to handle the media too. Uses them to speak to her citizens, not at them. She gets how to operationalize a platform. Is she being tapped at a national level for her savvy and humanity? I sure hope so. This woman is presidential material.

[notadmblnd]

1. I saw that, and when Brian tried to stick her with a tough question

about how she felt she impacts government. She sailed right through by saying by being honest and causing people to trust governmenet.

[NewJeffCT]

2. $10.50 an hour?

is that city-wide, or just in the mayor's office? Either way, it's impressive.

[katmondoo]

4. Wow She is Impressive

I must keep up with her.I did not know Atlanta had such a progressive Mayor.

[FreedomAngel82]

5. I'd say!

And I like how she knows the students too and knows their educational system. Sounds so impressive.

[Skidmore]

6. I believe it was city-wide. She made a point of saying that

there is no way anyone can live on less that $20k/yr in Atlanta, and that when you have poverty, you have crime. She's fiscally conservative and very progressive in her approach to management.

[NewJeffCT]

7. conservative in the old-school sense you mean?

As in tight with money... not in the modern day "borrow & spend" conservative.

[Skidmore]

8. Yes. For example, she took the time to find out what

and where the equipment of the city was. She had people on the payroll report to one place and bring cellphones issued to them and determined that there was a huge number of phone contracts that were being maintained for phones not accounted for. She did the same thing with the city's vehicles and gas cards. It cut debt out of government. She's not afraid to do the scut work. She set out to make certain the potholes were filled and the sewer system repaired while at the same time telling the people the truth about the debt. She cut her own salary by $40K to help with paying the deficit. She's practicing smart governance. Instead of using the corporate practice of write-offs for debt which has become popular, she is very much into accountability. The first thing she did was institute an ethics policy forbidding the acceptance of ANY gifts and gratuities by all city employees, including herself. Most impressive is she actively works to get the citizenry involved in the reclaiming of their city.

[FreedomAngel82]

3. How great!!

[Trevelyan]

9. We need to learn more about the Democratic pool of presidential material

and NOT go for Hillary or the other supposed top challengers.

The media has been partly responsible for the public acceptance of bush's crimes by only focusing on the presidency and not Congress. As soon as one presidential election is done, they start the horse race for the next and never get into the excellent work being done by Senators, Mayors and Governors.

[Skidmore]

11. I agree. The Dems need to avoid the cult of personality

trap.

[zeemike]

10. Yes she was impressive but...

We only know it because of the skill of Brian Lamb in interviewing people. By the time he is finished you feel that you really know the person.

[gademocrat7]

12. Mayor Franklin has made positive changes in Atlanta.

She is a hands on mayor and we the citizens of her city have benefited from her dedication and resolve. She is a Democrat with a spine.

[GoldenOldie]

13. Mayor Franklin said that Atlanta tried to make $7.50 the minimum wage

She told Brian that Atlanta had 20+% below the poverty level and that to live in Atlanta you had to at least earn $20,000 and those in the 20% were earning $14,000 or less.

They were unable to raise the minimum wage because it had to be approved at the state level and the state would not do it.....even though it had full approval from the citizens of Atlanta......I didn't know they could do this. Guess the state was concerned that all Georgians would demand that their minimum wage be increased too.