Mayor TV is a challenge from America’s mayors to the 2008 Presidential candidates: Start talking about cities. Learn more
- Mayor Shirley Franklin
- Atlanta, GA / Pop. 486,411 / Elected 2002
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“We must invest in infrastructure, or Atlanta's economy -- and the national economy -- is going to shrivel up and die.”
— Mayor Shirley Franklin
- Mayors We Interviewed
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Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles, CA
“Poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing, infrastructure ... it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues.”
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Shirley Franklin
Atlanta, GA
“We must invest in infrastructure, or Atlanta's economy -- and the national economy -- is going to shrivel up and die.”
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Manny Diaz
Miami, FL
“The media and the pollsters focus on issues like war, abortion, gay rights. Quite frankly, for those of us in the trenches, they're not the hot button issues.”
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John Hickenlooper
Denver, CO
“Cities are America's laboratories. But once we figure out solutions, we need the federal government's help to roll them out to the entire country.”
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R.T. Rybak
Minneapolis, MN
“I want a community organizer in the White House, because that's what I do every single day.”
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Douglas Palmer
Trenton, NJ
“Our cities are where it’s at.”
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Christopher Doherty
Scranton, PA
“The strength of a city is the combustion engineering that takes place inside it.”
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Pegeen Hanrahan
Gainesville, FL
“Use our cities more effectively.”
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Byron Brown
Buffalo, NY
“The presidential nomination process certainly has a negative effect on the coverage of cities.”
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Tom Menino
Boston, MA
“I challenge you, presidential candidates - talk more about cities. It will be beneficial to you, it will be beneficial to the country.”
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Rocky Anderson
Salt Lake City, UT
“President Bush has not only neglected cities, but has hurt our cities in such enormous ways.”
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Sheila Dixon
Baltimore, MD
“We have wars here in our city. We should be making strides against drugs and gang violence, but it's something I never hear the presidential candidates talk about.”
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Bob Duffy
Rochester, NY
“Our cities across this country are proud. They have a great history. But like a boxer, they've taken one knee, and they have to bring themselves back.”
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Antonio Villaraigosa
- More About:
- The Nation
- Drum Major Institute
John Hobbs on 12.29.07:
I would like to suggest that Atlanta increase property taxes on all parking lots, this would help our town in many ways. First it would increase the depleting tax base of Atlanta. Next it will decrease the number of private automobiles coming into downtown each day therefore decreasing SMOG level in town and also decreasing amount of petroleum used. This would also decrease the ever growing problem of traffic, and not enough highways.
I am one that is against increase in taxes but I also believe that public transportation is the only PERMANENT answer to the ever increasing problem.
Please take this under consideration.
Thank you for your time;
John
Elana DMIBlog on 12.31.07:
That's an interesting proposal John. I can definitely see its merits (though I have to admit that I know little about Atlanta). Just about anything that encourages the expansion of public transportation is good if you ask me.
Tom Gouzoules on 01.22.08:
Mayor Franklin, spend less time critizing President Clinton and more time running a very badly run City of Atlanta! Get back to your focus and the reason you are in office....to clean this "no personality" city up....get the crime rate down and the city operational.
Elana DMIBlog on 01.23.08:
Tom, the purpose of the MayorTV interviews was to get Mayors thoughts on what the Federal Government should be doing to support cities. That's the very purpose of this interview, so of course the Mayor is going to be identifying things that should be done of the federal level-- its the question she was asked..
Alon Levy on 01.23.08:
I only now saw John's comment, and I want to applaud the idea of encouraging more public transportation.
Another way of reducing car dependency is to repeal zoning regulations that mandate free parking spaces around commercial buildings. If this is combined with something like a sales tax on parking, it will produce revenue as businesses charge for parking. It can also encourage expansions of those buildings, or new construction on parking lots, which will produce additional revenue from existing property taxes.
Susan Tovay on 06.08.08:
While driving to Atlanta for a Braves game last Friday night, my husband and I had a difficult time finding our way around because, one street sign was covered by a tree and another was bent in the wrong direction (I believe it was Central and Memorial) I don't know if someone deliberately bent the signs or what. Also, leaving the field we had a difficult time finding signs for 75N. We saw many signs going in the southbound direction but spent a lot of time driving around to locate northbound signs. Atlanta being a major city should have signs easier to find for people coming into the city for an event.
M Wilson on 07.13.08:
If the mayor wants to raise property taxes, $50-$150 per household, to keep the police force up to par, then I suggest that each community be given control over how the police serves their community. That is, each community dictates what results they want from the police in their area, and then police is accountable for delivering said results. Otherwise, we'll be paying more money for same old sorry police force. I'm not for that at all.