Italy eying Atlanta mayoral race
It’s not everyday that my two blogs intersect, but today is one of those days!
I write a blog about all things Italian because I used to live in Italy, and as you know, I write for this blog.
Well Italy’s leading newspaper (and my personal fave) Il Corriere della Sera, has written an article about the Atlanta mayoral race. The paper’s Web site even published a photo of Mary Norwood!
You can go here to access my other blog, and you can click here to go directly to the article on the Il Corriere’s site (it’s in Italian; anyone needing a translation, don’t hesitate to ask).
What caught the attention of the Milan paper was the possibility that Atlanta could have its first white mayor since 1972.
I find that Italy is interested in all things American, particularly those topics they see as quintessentially American (i.e., Halloween, the Kennedy family dynasty, the Ivy League).
And race, well, maybe we’re not the only country to grapple with race, but here in Atlanta, “la città di Martin Luther King” (”The city of Martin Luther King”) as Il Corriere puts it, race is certainly a prominent issue.
The Italian paper doesn’t really come up with any conclusions; it raises the question whether this is the reverse of Obama’s election but then cites the recent election of other black politicians to refute that thesis.
Oh I love it when worlds collide! And today my Italian world is colliding with my Atlanta world.
On an unrelated topic: congrats to Ken and Silvia! Mazel tov.
Terminal Station blogger to vote for Borders
There are some great local blogs here in Atlanta and one of them is Terminal Station.
Author Ben King is often busy with his schoolwork (he’s a grad student at Georgia State who will earn an M.B.A. in Real Estate next year) but when he does weigh in on issues, I find his posts thoughtful, thought-provoking and grounded in an understanding of how development works.
I’ve been watching his blog closely ever since he said a few weeks back that he would write a post indicating how he planned to vote in the Atlanta mayoral race.
That post is now up on the blog, and you can read it here. I’ll tell you that he plans to vote for Lisa Borders, but it’s worth a few seconds of your time to see why.
It might seem odd that I’m pointing you to another blog for an endorsement (or as Ben puts it, a non-endorsement, given the field of candidates). But frankly, I’m in that large pool of undecided voters.
When you see Ben’s post, I think you’ll know why I paid attention. He gives a thorough analysis of the three frontrunners. And he also indirectly raises an important question for the citizens of Atlanta: Where’s the next generation of great leaders?
I’m struck by how much is at stake here in the race. I guess it’s unrealistic to think someone of the caliber and dynamism of Barack Obama would be running for Atlanta mayor.
And yet cities such as Newark, N.J., where mayor Cory Booker has electrified voters, have managed to attract a caliber of candidates that seems to be lacking here in Atlanta.
I’ve said before that if you could take pieces of each of the frontrunners and combine them, you’d have one great candidate.
But you can’t.
So I’ll just conclude by saying: Get out there and vote. It’s what makes us Americans!
Sewers are not sexy but….
When I write about how behind Atlanta is, I’m thinking of something like the sewers.
And as Sally Bethea of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper reminds us in a great piece at Creative Loafing, the next mayor will have to finish what Mayor Franklin started, which is to say, complete the update of our sewer system to the tune of $4.1 billion.
Makes me feel a bit like Sisyphus.
We have a primitive transit system. We have neighborhoods plagued by violence that never really rose from the ashes, even in the boom years (i.e. Vine City). Taxes are skyrocketing. And we have a state government that for many reasons doesn’t trust us enough to partner with us and treat as equals.
But before we even begin to handle these problems, we have to fix the sewers.
I’ve watched the campaign events, and I’ve attended the forums. Somehow the sewers aren’t something any candidate mentions!
I hate to be negative, but when I think about how much work we have to do just to get the basic infrastructure right in this city, I feel weak in the knees.
Of course, it would help if it weren’t raining.
Falling in love with Piedmont Park
I think I’ve mentioned that I moved back to Atlanta last year, and have been exploring entire neighborhoods that I never visited when I lived here last.
I’ve also been rediscovering old treasures such as Piedmont Park.
I used to visit the park when I lived here last but I think somehow in the past it failed to cast a spell on me.
Now I’m finding excuses to visit. The other day I walked over to the park after meeting with a friend on Peachtree, and I just plopped down on the grass, in full view of the glorious sun, and read the newspaper.
And I’m delighting in the original stonework that you see at the entrance to the playing fields, and other places.
For many of you, this is all old hat.
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Atlanta Pecha Kucha — Wow!
Boulevard at Edgewood
Do you know these people? They get together once a month to hear brief presentations about design, architecture, city living, sustainable living, you name it.
They met last night at Octane on the West side and I went along because the evening’s theme focused on advice or questions for Atlanta’s next mayor.
So many of the presenters said interesting things so I will mention just a few things that seemed new or novel to me (Angel Poventud, angelic as always, presented information on the Beltline, but it was really just a review/update).
Perhaps the most impressive presentation came from food writer Christine Lauterbach who asked why are there hundreds of food carts/trucks in Portland and almost zero in Atlanta?
Uh, good question!
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Can you invite me to your condo?
Now that I’ve confirmed a thriving population of skyline lovers, I would like to go around Atlanta photographing cool views of the city!
And what better way than to ask readers to invite me to their high-rise apartments/condos to grab a few pics?
Note, I would also accept invites from folks who live, say, in a two-story house on the western edge of Grant Park, where some homes do have a cool view of the skyline.
Think I’m kinda creepy? Ok, that hurts, but in that case, why don’t you send me photos you’ve taken? The guidelines are simply photos from your house/apartment/condo of the skyline. I’m guessing the folks on higher floors are going to have better views.
Rooftop common areas also count. That’s how I got this great shot:
I took it from the top of the Oakland Park condo building during the recent Grant Park Tour of Homes.
And an inside view sure beats an outside, curbside view. Check out this sad little photo:
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Pregnant queen attacked by alien teabaggers!
… and other scary sights at the Candler Park Fall Ball Costume Party.
Atlantans may be prepared for gruesome displays of horror tomorrow at the Little Five Points Halloween Parade. But there could be nothing scarier than to be ambushed a the Candler Park Fall Costume Ball by a couple angry alien teabaggers. Much like a Democratic member of Congress at an August town meeting, I wasn’t ready for the screaming, Read more
Southern Co. tied to troubled coal group
Some utilities and other major companies have bailed out of a coal-lobbying group that’s in hot water for hiring a PR firm that sent falsified letters to Congress. But not Georgia Power’s corporate parent.
The Southern Co. still appears to be a major supporter of the controversial organization.
Read the rest of this post at our environmental blog, My Green ATL.
Pedestrian mall at King Center
City councilman Kwanza Hall has sponsored an ordinance that would close a portion of Auburn Avenue to create a pedestrian plaza.
The snippet of road, between Boulevard and Jackson Street, runs between two parts of the King Center.
Hall, with the support of the parks service and the King Center, said in his ordinance that removing traffic from that section would create a campus-like feel.
The request is under review by the city but Hall hopes to get the green light before the end of this year, said Jay Tribby who works with the councilman.
Tribby pointed out that if you’re visiting the King Crypts and you want to cross Auburn Avenue to visit the King Center, you likely have to dodge large tour buses.
I can see how a pedestrian mall would make sense. It would be great if they actually put down cobblestones or something to create an actual plaza.
I always worry about the tourists that I see in and around the King Center. Very often I see them somewhat adrift in the neighborhood after their visit (presumably they are looking for something to eat or want to take a stroll, hoping there are other attractions). And I guess the ones who come by tour bus never even get a chance to visit the neighborhood much.
I suppose technically closing the street would violate smart growth principles because it would reduce connectivity (you won’t be able to reach Boulevard anymore from Auburn).
But I’m guessing it would be an improvement at that intersection. And there’s not a lot of through-traffic at that spot — mostly tour buses for the King Center.
Any thoughts? Has Atlanta built other pedestrian plazas that have not worked out?
CL endorses Kasim Reed
Creative Loafing's Thomas Wheatley attempts to look coy while covering a recent mayoral forum.
With the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s decision to abdicate its role as a community leader, my old paper’s endorsements in the city elections may turn out to be this year’s most influential — outside, of course, of backing from such special interests as the police union.
So Kasim Reed (mayor), Clair Muller (City Council President), Adam Brackman (Post 1 at-large) and Aaron Watson (Post 2 at-large) ought to be quite happy to have won the endorsements this week of Creative Loafing.
I’m not certain these are precisely the candidates I’ll end up voting for, but each of them remains among my personal finalists. They are very credible choices. And I thought each of CL’s endorsement essays Read more
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