Beltline mayoral forum: Which candidate scored?
One nice thing about a mayoral debate in a city in the midst of an economic crisis is that it’s difficult for candidates to promise the moon.
That was very apparent at last night’s forum in Midtown on the Beltline and its impact on transportation, parks and historic resources. Many of the questions drew caveats from each candidate in the form of fiscal reality checks.
Even the relatively modest idea that Atlanta ought to stop off-loading sidewalk maintenance costs on adjacent property owners drew very careful answers. “The city has to be able to support it,” cautioned Jesse Spikes, a smart attorney who’s generally regarded as the fourth guy in a three-candidate race. “At some point we’re going to get beyond the situation that we’re in today.” Read more
She doesn’t read blogs. *Le sigh*
Ken is handling the coverage of last night’s mayoral debate on the Beltline, but I thought I would take advantage of a break between his postings to stick in my two cents about a few things that have nothing to do with the Beltline.
Before the debate last night, I introduced myself to Lisa Borders and told her that I had written about the mayoral race on this blog.
And she said, “I don’t read blogs.”
I’m pretty thick, I guess, so I said, “Oh because you don’t want to read potentially negative comments?”
And she said something to the effect that no, no, it’s because she’s too busy reading the primary sources and leaves the blog-reading to her staff.
Now, clearly my pride is wounded. But as a journalist, I’m torn between two conclusions:
#1 – Lisa’s a straight shooter and she’s not going to pretend she’s reading this blog or others if she’s not. And besides, she has so much other stuff on her plate that she just does not have the time to read blogs. Both could bode well for her if she wins the election.
Read more
Business group ranks Borders & Reed highly
Lisa Borders scored 95 and Kasim Reed 93 in the Committee for a Better Atlanta’s candidate ratings.
In the City Council president’s race, Caesar Mitchell and Clair Muller both received a 92.
Although the ratings cover everything from “vision” to “infrastructure” to “public safety,” the organization’s perspective ought to be taken into account. Business leaders formed the CBA in 1996 they were “concerned that City Hall was not hearing from the voice of business,” according to the CBA website.
Maria Saporta got the scoop on this yesterday.
The group also rated council candidates. Here are the full results.
At mayoral Beltline forum, winner is … the moderator
Tonight’s mayoral candidates’ forum on the Beltline and other green issues probably left some asking two questions: 1) Why isn’t Cathy Woolard running for mayor? And 2) did she just lay a zinger on her successor while moderating the forum?
Woolard, a former City Council president, at one point bundled a bunch of audience questions into one: How far did they expect to take the Beltline by the end of their first term?
But each of the candidates gave too tepid an answer for Woolard’s satisfaction.
“I think we are going to get transit done, but it’s not going to be soon,” answered Lisa Borders, the current Council president and one of the frontrunners in the mayoral contest.
After each answer, Woolard goaded the candidates by muttering that she still wouldn’t have transit after four years with such unambitious vision. “I’m still driving,” she’d say, Read more
AJC’s Galloway disavows self — sort of
Last week, I noted that AJC political blogger Jim Galloway equated President Obama’s response to our recent flooding in metro Atlanta to President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina. As seems to often the case in his Political Insider blog, Galloway took the wild claims of a Republican politician — in this case, candidate for state attorney general Sam Olens — at face value; then, he amplified those claims.
In a Friday followup, Galloway pointed out that other Republicans — namely Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson — actually praised the administration’s response to the flood as “magnificent” and “quick.”
So how did Galloway square all that praise from Georgia’s two Republican senators with his earlier contention that the feds’ response amounted to “Shades of Katrina”?
Easy. He just blamed his source. “There’s no echo,” he wrote of Chambliss and Isakson, “of the frustration expressed by Cobb County Commission Chairman Sam Olens on Thursday, about the days it took to get official federal attention.”
Galloway failed to note, however, that the “Katrina” analogy didn’t come from Olens. It was in Galloway’s own headline. Unless … wow … has the AJCbecome so conservative that Republican politicians are now writing its headlines?
Hi, Octane at Emory
Method
I sure am glad Octane’s finally opened in Emory Village.
When Silvia goes to church on the Emory campus Sunday mornings, Peanut and I have had to hang out at the Village Starbucks — which is, you know, fine … but it’s Starbuck’s.
Octane opened last week in the space formerly occupied by Method (and before that an Inman Perk, and before that a Caribou).
I prophesy: Octane will survive where others have struggled. For one thing, as I understand it, it’s never been a lack of actual business that caused any of those three shops to close (each had its reason). For another, Tony Riffel and his crew at the original Octane on the west side always have struck me as smart, customer-oriented operators.
The joe at Emory Village is a bit on the expensive side — they use the Chemex brewing method — it’s a damn good cup of coffee. And the outside digs — under a wide awning, with nice un-tippy tables and plenty of electric outlets — are perfect for drinker, dog and computer.
Georgia pollster Strategic Vision in deep do-do
A prominent national blogger is continuing his merciless takedown of Georgia-based polling firm Strategic Vision LLC despite threats from Strategic Vision’s CEO that he’s planning to respond with legal action.
“We’ve talked to our attorney, and things are in the works,” says the CEO, David E. Johnson.
Nate Silver, the lead writer and owner at FiveThirtyEight.com, argued Friday that Strategic Vision’s survey results “suggest, perhaps strongly, the possibility of fraud.” Silver continued hammering away over the weekend at the polling company, which also does PR work for Republican candidates and conservative organizations. He even pointed out that the company’s claimed Atlanta headquarters address actually is for a UPS office. Read more
‘Birthermercial’ targets Georgians
This is my favorite infomercial of all time. Talking Points Memo reports that this fine piece of investigative journalism is running in 11 TV markets — including five that serve Georgia.
A new birther infomercial running on a CBS affiliate in Texas and elsewhere around the country tells viewers a “got a birth certificate?” bumper sticker can be theirs for the low price of $30.
Wow, just $30 for a bumper sticker? No wonder the production values are so good.
I’m so glad Georgians outside Atlanta have access to this quality report. The 11 TV markets being served by “Where Was President Obama Born?” include Macon and Savannah, as well a Chattanooga, Tenn., Huntsville, Ala., Jacksonville, Fla., and Tallahassee. Jeepers! I’m guessing that the birthermercial’s sponsors are targeting us Georgians because they figure we’re sophisticated enough to know that we need a $30 bumper sticker on President Obama’s birth certificate.
By the way, Gary Kreep is havin a big row with his former pal Big Birther Mama Orly Taitz (they appear to be arguing over clients). That’s too bad — seems like the founder of something as prestigious-sounding as the United States Justice Foundation could really help her with her legal woes in Georgia. By the way, who’s name do you like more?
AJC likens feds’ flood response to Katrina
Here’s an AJC headline that borders on tasteless. It at least falls into the category of slanted and sloppy.
Barely a day-and-a-half after Gov. Perdue asked President Obama to declare parts of north Georgia a natural disaster area, one local politician — a guy who happens to be running for statewide office — gripes to Jim Galloway, the paper’s political blogger, that the president’s taking too long.
Galloway’s headline? “Shades of Katrina: A frustrated Sam Olens wonders if Washington knows how badly metro Atlanta is hurting.”
Whoa, now, Jim. Doncha think that’s a tad melodramatic? Read more
See the Yellow River run
See Amy wade through the water in her bedroom. (Photo by John Sugg)
See my friend John’s house near Gwinnett County’s Yellow River.
See the developers who want new roads built upstream from John’s house near Gwinnett County’s Yellow River.
See the county commissioners take campaign contributions from the developers who want new roads built upstream from John’s house near the Yellow River.
See it rain on the new roads and on all the new parking lots that the commissioners let the developers build upstream from John’s house near the Yellow River.
See the water rush like crazy into the river after it rained on the new roads and the parking lots that the commissioners let the developers build upstream from John’s house near the Yellow River. Read more
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