District 6 candidates’ forum

October 2, 2009 by Ken Edelstein
Filed under: ARTS & EVENTS 

I’m glad Miguel Gallegos is running for Atlanta’s District 6 City Council seat. At least he added comic relief to what would have been a pretty dry debate last night between the six candidates, though I’m not sure that was his intention.

Although Bahareh Azizi, one of race’s’ three underdogs, displays a heap of promise, the contest to succeed incumbent Councilwoman Anne Fauver boils down to a battle between three seasoned activists. The three frontrunners are:

* Steve Brodie of Midtown, who nearly beat Fauver in 2005;

* Liz Coyle of Atkins Park, a longtime neighborhood activist who led the 2007-8 fight against two 30-something-story towers that would have loomed over Piedmont Park at the Beltline;

* Alex Wan of Morningside, a former Atlanta Development Authority member who’s raised more money than any of the others.

On a scale that runs from made-as-hell-and-can’t-take-it-anymore to can’t-we-all-get-along, Brodie came across last night as the angriest about the current leadership in City Hall, while Wan sounded the most conciliatory. Coyle seemed as if she sat between them. (Check out my videos from last night.)

Azizi is a young Georgia Tech scientist who really impresses me in her first political race with her directness, intelligence and sensitivity. But it’s hard to figure out why Gallegos and a fellow named Tad Christian are even running — other than, in Gallegos’ case, to entertain folks. I wish I’d had my Flip video recorder on when Gallegos was talking. His best answer came when he explained that Atlantans deserve to feel safe enough to walk their dogs and to walk their cats when they wish to.

I personally feel safe enough to walk my dog — but not my cat yet.

Beyond the raising the specter of unsafe cat walking, I’ll lay out another caution for you: My observations of the three leading candidates are just that — observations from someone who hadn’t made up his mind before the forum. If you were there (and even if you weren’t there), please add your own comments to round mine out.

Brodie proposed some good ideas — or at least ideas that sounded good. For example, he argued for two tiers of code enforcement, one for residents (homestead exemption owners) and another for “investors” that ideally would fund the code enforcement office.

But I found the vagueness of Brodie’s answers annoying. Every time I’ve heard him, he refrains that the clients of the giant consulting company he works for are “billion-dollar corporations.” He said it again last night: “The minimum budget for a client of mine had to be one BILLION dollars.” Billion came out loud and slow, for emphasis. But what does that mean? What did he do for those companies? I’ve been paid to do freelance work for Time Warner; does that make me a “billion-dollar” journalist?

When it came time to discuss the city’s dire pension problems, Brodie essentially said that he’d been studying the issue for a year, and that because he has police and fire union endorsements, he’d be the best one to work with policemen and firefighters to work out a solution. Then, he said, that the reform would require “a whole different approaches with regard to investments.” Not very specific.

Coyle’s frustration over city government came through as well, but to my ears not as strongly. She’s the citizen activist with the longest track record of all the candidates, and that shows in her easy namedropping of various personalities at City Hall. It also shows in her targeted criticism. “This has been a dysfunctional department for years,” she said of Code Enforcement. “It’s indicative of so many aspects of our government that [have not been] not working.”

Not surprisingly, Coyle sounded like the kind of person who would put neighborhood concerns ahead of the desire to make Atlanta a more lively, active city. She also talked tough on crime, arguing for example for more citizen monitoring of judges to ensure that they don’t let suspects out of jail too easily. When it comes to the Beltline, she’d like to see development spread all around the city — rather than concentrated in the Northeastern quadrant where she wants to protect neighborhoods and limit density.

Given the city’s dual crises of poor finances and service cuts, the forum really turned on the tone that each candidate took to griping about City Hall and on the resumes that each was waving. The one and only question on the Beltline raised the only big policy issue for me.

Here’s how that policy issue shook out: It’s the easy political route in District 6 — which runs from Candler Park to Midtown and includes Va-Hi and Piedmont Park — to argue that neighborhoods along Beltline’s route must retain their single-family characteristics and that density shouldn’t increase too much. The problem is that you can’t have it both ways: Operating a transit line through neighborhoods with single-family homes doesn’t make economic sense, so we’re going to end up with the single-family homes or the transit, or perhaps with some compromise between the two.

Most politicians don’t want to admit that. Why risk alienating either transit advocates or neighborhood preservationists with an either-or answer or an admission that there needs to be a compromise?

But it seemed to me that Wan came closest to getting real about Beltline transit. “We have to balance what the neighborhoods need with what the project needs to be viable,” he said.

Wan, who holds an MBA from Wharton, was a bit more specific than the others on the pensions and other financial issues. He also came across as calmer and less upset when he spoke about the city bureaucracy; maybe, that’s a good thing — or maybe the ideal city councilperson needs spunk and outrage to avoid going with the flow of bureaucracies and special interests.

Wan and Brodie clearly have less detailed knowledge of City Hall and neighborhood organizations than Coyle does. The fact that she’s kept at civic activities for a dozen years, says something about her level of commitment.

OK. So bottom: Coyle and Wan gave me good reasons last night to support either of them; Brodie gave me reasons to be a little less than enthusiastic. But I’m still not decided, and I’d love to know what you think …

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Comments

17 Comments on District 6 candidates’ forum

  1. Council District 6 and the Atlanta tree ordinance | Atlanta Unsheltered on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 4:34 pm

    2. [...] Hey, I’m no Roman Polanski. But I used my Flip recorder to tape the three leading candidates: Liz Coyle, Steve Brodie and Alex Wan. I’ll be filing a more complete written review of last night’s forum later this afternoon. (Here it is.) [...]

  2. Lauren on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 4:53 pm

    3. While I think we have some great candidates for District 6, I also find it frustrating that we have people running for city council who still oppose density. I’m not suggesting we destroy our historic single-family home neighborhoods, but where there is an opportunity to develop, don’t you think we have an obligation to focus on higher density development? All the talk about the Beltline and transportation is great, but mass transit doesn’t work without high-density development. Why are we so afraid to become a true city?

  3. R Walker on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 5:37 pm

    4. Lauren, I disagree with the notion that we are not a true city. Many of us live here because we love it the way it is. I’m not opposed to density but lets face it Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods are what makes Atlanta Atlanta. We don’t have a Lake, a port, an empire state building. We are a giant southern city. Does that mean we can’t increase density and have good mass transit? No. In fact the city flourished with a great streetcar system back when there was very little density.

    The problem is that developers are only interested in putting more density in the most dense part of the city, midtown. Which is understandable. They’re looking to make money. But midtown would already support a midtown centric bus/streetcar system if it existed I guarantee that. The idea that we don’t currently have the density to support any type of mass transit is an absolute lie put forth by those who want to benefit from government sponsored development. You just have to build a transit system that is accessible to where people live and takes them where they want to go quickly. I live pretty close to a busy street. Not so close to the beltline. I like going to the fox, va-hi, l5p.

    Anyway, I think our city is craving mass transit now that works and are leaders won’t give it to us because they are certain we need more condos to support it. You know what. You can’t give away a condo in this town because there’s no transit.

  4. Jeanne Bonner on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 6:37 pm

    5. I think this is it in a nutshell:

    “I’m not suggesting we destroy our historic single-family home neighborhoods, but where there is an opportunity to develop, don’t you think we have an obligation to focus on higher density development?…..Mass transit doesn’t work without high-density development. Why are we so afraid to become a true city?”

    Hey Atlanta! Look at what Lauren is saying.

    Let’s do NOTHING to destroy our historic single-family home neighborhoods.

    Nothing.

    But let’s begin to fill in the areas we have already staked out as “city.” And that means downtown and midtown and some other neighborhoods as well.

    People seem to hate it when someone says Atlanta is afraid to be a true city. But there has to be a degree of truth there, given the development everyone has tacitly or not so tacitly allowed. I mean, try to build a building in Manhattan that has a parking lot in front.

    No one would deny that neighborhoods like Inman Park are a one-of-a-kind treasure that other cities would kill to have. But where we have parts of the city that are not leafy, Victorian enclaves, let’s fill in with two or three or four-story commercial buildings that will add amenities to these in-town neighborhoods.

    And guess what? We already have this model in places. Take Grant Park. Along Cherokee you have a mix of houses, apartment buildings and condos. Same thing with parts of Midtown, and along McLendon in Candler Park and along Highland.

  5. Ken Edelstein on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 7:03 pm

    6. I agree with everything Jeanne says. With regard to Beltline, however, the tough density issues on in the northeast quadrant. Are neighborhoods like Va-Hi, Morningside, etc. willing to accept nodes of density develop along the Beltline in exchange for transit-oriented mobility? It seems to me that the soreness over the Mason deal has people now anxious about ANY increases in density.

  6. R Walker on Fri, 2nd Oct 2009 11:36 pm

    7. That’s just it. I don’t think anyone is opposed to increasing density. They are just opposed to doing it IN Piedmont Park or towering above their neighborhood whose infrastructure can’t handle the current volume of residents. There are empty lots and blight all over the place along the beltline but there is precious little density planned in those places. Lets put some density on chesire bridge road, ponce, moreland, howell mill, spring street. Not every neighborhood has to be beautiful victorians to be worth protecting. There is amble space for our great neighborhoods and development to coexist but it takes leadership.

    Plus there is a major problem with the ‘plan’. They want the cart before the horse literally. Are all these people supposed to sit in their high density apt. for 20 years waiting on the train to be built? Or are they probably going to have to rely on a car?

    Maybe I’m just selfish but I want transit now. I want it for the people who live in Atlanta now and love it. Its an absolute falsehood that there aren’t enough people in the city to support transit. I know there is in midtown/buckhead. We have businesses and schools with their own bus services because there is such a void in public transportation.

    I am offended that people say Atlanta is not a ‘true city’ like manhatten is what a city is supposed to look like. I’ve lived here my whole life and don’t want to be anywhere else. There are a 100 things i wish were better about Atlanta but Atlanta is beautiful, unique, exciting, friendly, young, old, diverse, southern, historic, international, liveable, affordable. This is our city. I’m up for improvements. I’m not up for turning it into someone elses idea of a city.

    I apologize if I’m being to pig headed. I’m new to this site and I love it. I love that the discourse on here is civil and feel i’m a little borderline on that front but i’m very passionate about what’s going on right now in the city. I do feel that through careless leadership we could lose a lot of what everyone loves about Atlanta. We are used to settling and believing that we can’t afford transit or we don’t have enough people,, or the people won’t support it. A real leader wouldn’t let this happen. Ok I’m done. Thanks to anyone who read this far.

  7. Joeventures on Sat, 3rd Oct 2009 12:11 pm

    8. What I hate to see is that the current plans for the northeast portion of the Beltline are being held up by the pro-but-anti-density crowd as something they are not. There are no plans to put towers along Monroe Drive, much less to allow for them. I’ve seen the land use maps and proposals, and they are nothing like what Mason proposed.

  8. Ken Edelstein on Sat, 3rd Oct 2009 11:07 pm

    9. Wow. Awesome comment, R Walker: Still, a lot of the places you mentioned that could handle increased density aren’t along the Beltline. Would you rather see transit there and not along the Beltline?

    Joe: Not sure what you mean by “pro-but-anti-density crowd’? You mean that they’re theoretically “pro” but anti when it gets down to it? Do some Va-Hi and Midtown folks have a valid concern that the Beltline agreed to leave that space open and now wants to go back on that agreement?

  9. Joeventures on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 1:34 am

    10. Essentially, my experience has been they’re theoretically “pro,” but become “anti” when it comes down to implementation. They’ve complained that they’re being labeled as “NIMBY” even as they claim to be “pro-density,” but just not “here.” That what NIMBY means — you can build it, and we would like for you to build it, but not here.

    I’m not sure about the agreement about what should be open space, etc. Whenever there are discussions about this, the Beltline folks and the neighborhood folks really seem to talk right past one another. The neighborhood folks especially don’t seem to be listening, from what I can tell. But the Beltline folks are not communicating very well, either — they showed a rendering of the Monroe/10th intersection from an angle that’s not very representative of what what the plans are for the actual space in question. The “open space” in question was not part of the rendering, and a lot of people got freaked out when they saw the rendering and believed it meant there was a plan to turn the “open space” into something that would be developed. The Beltline folks tried to explain that the space set aside as open space was not going to be developed, but the rendering had already set the perception in motion.

  10. R Walker on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 11:36 am

    11. I would rather see transit be built so it will take people from where they are to where they want to be. Lets face it the Beltline is an arbitrary path that is trying to create riders and destinations to support it. Why not provide transit to the people who need it right now in the city.
    My beef is that Midtown is already the most dense part of the city. So while the neighborhoods might be NIMBY, the other side is falsly trying to position themselves as smart growth public servants. In reality the reason its such a contentious fight is that they want to develop in the most sought after part of the city in a way they could not otherwise do it.
    I really believe that relying on the Beltline as our transit saviour is misguided and 20 years from now it will be viewed as a disaster in lost opportunity for putting transit dollars where they make sense. It will however create some isloated great parks and trails. So I’d like to see someone take a more sensible approach to the project and focus on what’s attainable.
    We are already seeing Cathy Woolard talking about abandoning the southern part of the project. I think in 20 years if we have anything we will have a line from midtown to emory and the rest of the city wondering why their money is spent on transit in the richest part of the city. Man I hate sounding like such a naysayer but I’ve felt this way for a couple years and no one has really provided any answers on when, why, and how we will have a ‘beltline’.

  11. atlmom on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 1:54 pm

    12. Why did you mention only five of the six candidates at the forum? Just curious.

    As to transit – well, many other mid sized cities have gone from drawing board to reality in less than 10 years. Why in Atlanta are they looking at a 30 year horizon? It will never happen, so I’m not so concerned about it, really.
    If we could just build the beltline – let’s just DO it. Not worry about trails/parks, etc, RIGHT NOW. We need transit 10 years ago. And what’s happening? NOTHING. I don’t see one darn shred of evidence that anything is happening. That anything is going to happen, except to pave over ever more places so the DOT and the companies they support will get funded. I only see this state take Atlanta revenues, then tell us we’re not so important to the state for them to worry about us. This one issue is really keeping Atlanta from being a better city. Fix it and they will come, really. Put 1/2 of all transportation funding to mass transit. Rather than, what, 10% if that? It’s seriously awful that each county is running it’s own bus system (well, don’t get me started that every three blocks is another county).
    Just my two cents. And yes, I’d love to get rid of my car. Forever. But it’s about impossible.

  12. Ken Edelstein on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 3:55 pm

    13. Thanks for the comments, Atlmom. I did mention all six candidates but concentrated on the three who appear to have the most civic experience and who appear to have the largest networks of supports.

    Any additional insights into any of the candidates are heartily welcome here.

    – Ken

  13. R Walker on Mon, 5th Oct 2009 10:22 am

    14. I share your frustration Atlmom. And with these candidates and the mayor’s race I’m just not sure where to turn. Eliminate waste, more police, protect neighborhoods. That’s everyones platform but there just aren’t many details or terribly interesting ideas out there. Everyone seems mildly supportive of the Beltline as if it was a minor project but it seems like most of our transit projects are taking a back set to it.
    With the district 6 race I don’t see any one particular candidate saying lets examine this project closely and see if its a good use of money. It has achieved sacred cow status like no other project i can think of in Atlanta.
    Ken, are there other areas of the city questioning the use of beltline funds in their council races. If I was on the southside I’d be pretty irked that they are slowly getting edged out of the benefits of the beltline.

  14. Daisy on Mon, 5th Oct 2009 12:13 pm

    15. Great analysis of the forum. I attended and read it largely the same way, though I did walk in already convinced to vote for Alex Wan. It’s true that Liz Coyle and Steve Brody have a history of activism. does that history also bring a long list of people and organizations that they owe in one way or another?

    Though Alex Wan has also been an activist in the community, he demonstrates that he is an independent thinker and willing to make the hard decisions to put the city back on the right track. It can’t all be about special interests. In the long run the city will be better off if we elect officials who can see the big picture and not just their own personal agenda. This is true regardless of the topic – finances, transit, safety or trees… And I agree that Azizi may have a future in politics if she hangs in and becomes better known, but Gallegos is clearly unqualified and Christian just doesn’t have the support to get elected.

  15. Lauren on Mon, 19th Oct 2009 12:52 pm

    16. As we debate about the importance of density, take a look at this quote from a fantastic article in today’s AJC about relationships between the city and the state:

    “Just 10 percent of metro Atlanta’s population lives inside city limits, census data shows. Other growing urban areas, such as Denver or Charlotte, have 24 to 40 percent of their populations inside city limits and chipping in on costs of the city.”

    Here’s a link to the article:
    http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/georgia-often-sneers-as-165972.html

  16. Joeventures on Mon, 19th Oct 2009 9:54 pm

    17. Lauren — thanks for posting the link. I think I would’ve missed the article, otherwise.

    Notice how at the bottom, where mayoral candidates offer their perspectives on the issue, only Mary Norwood considers it an option to provoke more fights between Atlanta and the rest of the state. Everyone else considers the smarter option: reaching out.

  17. KP on Tue, 3rd Nov 2009 12:34 pm

    18. I’m going with Azizi. I interviewed her for about an hour for a Georgia Tech publication a couple of years ago, so I can definitely attest to her intelligence, her clarity of thinking, her ambition, and her communication skills. Plus (perhaps at the risk of sounding a little silly) she’s just a very cool person. Azizi on the City Council would make me feel proud knowing that somebody represented me who I actually could relate to. No disrespect to the other talented politicians in the running, but Azizi is my choice.

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