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.”
The one exception to all those caveats usually seemed to be Councilwoman Mary Norwood. She argued that ambitious projects could be funded by cutting wasteful spending from “that abyss that is our city government” and by raising revenue through “quality of life bonds” offered to the city.
Norwood, I’ve got to say, offered the most precious moment of the evening. When the crowd was told before the forum started that she’d called to say she was running late because she was “stuck in traffic,” I heard transit advocates in the crowd mutter: “Why didn’t she take MARTA? We’re right across the street from a station.”
Other than a turn-the-tables moment involving moderator Cathy Woolard, state Sen. Kasim Reed offered the most unexpected answer of the evening. Woolard asked what each candidate would do in her first term if she had a magic wand.
It was a Beltline crowd, so the answers Norwood and Council President Lisa Borders gave weren’t surprising. “The Beltline would set this city apart from every other city in America,” Borders said. “If I had a magic wand … I would snap my fingers and have it done.”
Reed’s answer was less grand and more workmanlike. “I would wave my magic wand to open every recreation center” and park in the city, he said, adding that he’s afraid “we’re going to lose a generation of young people to gangs and violence” if the city’s recent shutdown of recreation centers stays in place.
That’s not the kind of concern that generally rises to the top in a largely white, upscale audience, and it doesn’t draw the oohs and ahs of the Beltline. But he said it in a way that was uplifting; it drew a big applause.
My impressions from last night come with their own caveat: They’re tentative because this is the first forum I’ve attended this year, and I truly am undecided. So, I’ll write my takeaway here, but I hope you’ll comment to balance out my perspective.
Last night, at least, I was most impressed by Reed. He seemed the most capable of inspiring people. I also thought he struck a balance between populist ideas and the realities of power.
While he sometimes took a bit more credit than perhaps he should for pushing major bills on behalf of the city through the state Legislature (e.g. sewer fix and Beltline financing), he certainly has been an effective legislator — especially considering he’s an urban Democrat. And his sense of how transportation politics and funding at the state level might present opportunities at the local level was compelling.
By contrast, Borders — who has a reputation as a doer rather than a showboat — came across to me as a bit bored, maybe tired. She score points by arguing that the Beltline is an economic development opportunity and by articulating why workforce housing along the route is important.
But paired with her career at Cousins Properties, and this comment — “Real estate is to Atlanta what cars [were] to Detroit and entertainment is to LA” — I came away a bit more worried than I was before that she’d look after the interests of developers and business types before those of neighborhoods and ordinary people. What do you think?
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Comments
11 Comments on Beltline mayoral forum: Which candidate scored?
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Jeanne Bonner on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 3:54 pm
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Joeventures on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:04 pm
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Sally Flocks on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:06 pm
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Ken Edelstein on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:10 pm
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Jeanne Bonner on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:39 pm
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Silvia Medrano on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:42 pm
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Ken Edelstein on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 4:53 pm
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Sally Flocks on
Wed, 30th Sep 2009 5:01 pm
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David Brown on
Thu, 1st Oct 2009 10:47 am
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Joeventures on
Thu, 1st Oct 2009 11:04 am
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Catherine Best Property Doolan on
Wed, 14th Oct 2009 11:06 am
Ken, I had similar thoughts about Kasim Reed. He seemed more grounded in specifics than in past debates.
He played up his state government experience and connections to good effect. And I thought his answer about the rec centers was great. Few answers drew such enthusiastic and spontaneous applause last night.
Unrelated note: Mary mentioned “jitneys” again. I’m not sure what to say about that.
Jeanne — get out your ooga horn to celebrate Mary’s jitneys 
Someone needs to ask Mary to explain what she means by jitney — and how they would be funded. Without knowing more, I assume it would be similar to paratransit, which provides door to door service for people with disabilities who are unable to use fixed route systems. The subsidy per trip is about $40. Is Mary expecting the jitney costs to be paid for by the user, as they would for taxi service? Or publicly subsidized?
I kind of liked Mary’s talk about “jitneys and trolleys” connecting to the Beltline. But I found her vision of how people would think about and use the Beltline a bit Buckhead housewifey: “What part of the Beltline do I want to visit today? Where do I want to go today?” Not that there’s anything wrong with being a Buckhead housewife. But presumably public transit is about more than picking where you’re going to go to lunch.
When you say you like it when Mary mentions jitneys, Ken, do you mean you think it’s quaint? (or as you say, Buckhead housewifey!)
The only experience I have with jitneys is the Hampton Jitney, which is a bus. Like a Greyhound bus that ferries people between Manhattan and the east end of Long Island. I mean if it’s a bus, let’s call it a bus. And if it works like Sally thinks it might, then we probably can’t afford to deploy it.
Joe, did you see my message? Did you borrow a pen from someone at the forum last night? A guy borrowed a pen from me and I was wondering if he, too, might be a blogger. Now I’m wondering if it was you!
As they say viciously in the South, bless her heart! At least Mary’s got everyone talking! To me, this is still a fossil-fuel oriented solution. I say: take care of the low tech solutions first. If sidewalks and bike lanes were safe and pleasant, then a mile walk wouldn’t be that arduous. Artwork/playgrounds/exercise stations/benches/water fountains/historical plaques along the way would be nice too!
Jeanne: I’m intrigued because she was addressing the need to connect shorter inside-the-Beltline routes to the Beltline. I think a web of short-line transit routes will be need to feed and deliver Beltline riders?
I like the trolley part of her comment more than the jitney part. Even Bus Rapid Transit would work for short-line connectors, but it’s important that they have set routes to attract transit-oriented development.
I interpret jitneys in this case to mean privately operated vans or minibuses that go along general routes but can detour slightly to pick up folks at their doorways. I suppose it’s a “privatized” (cheap) way to handle feeder traffic, but not having a set route means it might not help dense corridors to develop. Joe, you know this stuff better than I; does that make sense.
I agree with Silvia. Cathy Woolard seemed overly focused on transit yesterday. Everytime the candidates failed to commit to getting the BeltLine transit line running in NE corridor during their first term, she replied “still driving.” Getting the trail completed in four years a lot more feasible. Once the trail is completed, she could hop on a bike and get to the Inman Park Station in less than 10 minutes.
Ken,
I’ve heard Kasim Reed express the exact same sentiments towards the perception of real estate in Atlanta.
““Real estate is to Atlanta what cars [were] to Detroit and entertainment is to LA” — I came away a bit more worried than I was before that she’d look after the interests of developers and business types before those of neighborhoods and ordinary people. What do you think?”
I wouldn’t read too much into Borders’ comment on real estate because it kind of is the truth and acknowledged by more than one candidate. Enjoyed your piece.
David
It’s kind of a funny thing to say, about real estate. The reality is that real estate is an essential piece to any city, especially for any big city.
Real estate is to Atlanta was real estate is to Detroit, LA, Chicago, or New York.
But if you want to talk about some type of core business or industry that sets Atlanta apart from other cities, that’s much more difficult to pinpoint. Hartsfield made an aggressive push for the airport because he knew it would be a good way to attract many people who travel a lot for a living — salespeople, especially.
Jeanne — I did see your message and responded, but I realized that what I wrote disappeared for some odd reason. I was sitting right in front of you, between Ken and Sally.
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