Shirley Franklin

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Shirley Clarke Franklin

58^th Mayor of Atlanta
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2002
Preceded by	Bill Campbell

Born	May 10, 1945 (1945-05-10) (age 62) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Howard University University of Pennsylvania
Profession	Government official

Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and, since January 7, 2002, the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, a nonpartisan office. The 58th mayor of Atlanta, she was the first female to hold the post and became the first black woman to be elected mayor of any major Southern city.^[1] Franklin is the fourth black mayor of Atlanta, the latest in a line of African American mayors that stretches back to 1974.

1 Education
2 Political Life
3 Criticism
4 Honors
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Education

Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Franklin received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Howard University, and earned her master of arts degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.^[2] She is an Honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

[edit] Political Life

Franklin served as the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Maynard Jackson. Subsequently, she was named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager under Mayor Andrew Young.

Her 2001 run for mayor was her first run for public office. She won, succeeding Mayor Bill Campbell after winning 50 percent of the vote, defeating several candidates including Democrat Rob Pitts (33 percent).

Franklin made repairing the Atlanta sewer system a main focus of her office. Prior to Franklin's term, Atlanta's combined sewer system violated the federal Clean Water Act and burdened the city government with fines from the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2002, Franklin announced an initiative called "Clean Water Atlanta" to address the problem and begin improving the city's sewer system.^[3]

In 2005, TIME Magazine named Franklin of the five best big-city American mayors.^[4] In October of that same year, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report "Best Leaders of 2005" issue.^[5]

With solid popular support and strong backing from the business sector, Franklin was reelected Atlanta Mayor on November 8, 2005, garnering more than 90 percent of the vote.^[6] Her popularity has led to increased speculation that she may well be a viable contender for a future Georgia governor's race.^[7]

In February 2006, TheWhiteHouseProject.org named Shirley Franklin one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and/or be elected president in 2008.^[8] She is the only person the list to not be a Governor, Senator or Presidential Cabinet member, and one of two African-American women on the list; the other is United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.^[9]

However, on January 9, 2008, Franklin endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for President, saying, "I am stunned by his maturity; I am stunned by his presence, by his willingness to step forward and be himself." ^[10]

On June 26, 2006, Shirley Franklin led the effort to have the papers of Dr. Martin Luther King given to his alma mater, Morehouse College, instead of being sold at auction:^[11]

“

I never imagined I could contribute to the continuation of Dr. King's legacy in as a significant way. And I'm really humbled I was able to do anything to continue his legacy. I'm almost moved to tears.

”

On September 5, 2006, Mayor Franklin, along with a group of representatives from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, went on a business trip to China to help Delta Air Lines win a direct route to one of the world's fastest-growing economies and lobby officials to open a Chinese consulate in Atlanta.^{[citation needed]}

Franklin is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition^[12], an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. She is 2007/08 President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.

[edit] Criticism

Despite having won two mayoral elections convincingly,^[13] Shirley Franklin has nonetheless received criticism over her sweeping pro-business policies,^[14] which have resulted in increased property values and higher real estate taxes.^{[citation needed]} This has angered some segments of the city's populace who claim these policies are pushing the poor out of Atlanta.^{[citation needed]} In response, emphasis has been placed on affordable workforce housing as a key component of new development activities within the city including the Franklin-supported Belt Line project.^{[citation needed]}

Franklin has also been labeled as an "anti-homeless mayor" for her policies regarding panhandling^[15] and prohibition of public feeding the homeless.^[16]

Franklin has been criticized for the cost and results of a new brand and marketing campaign, budgeted at $4.5 million, made to coincide with the opening of the new Georgia Aquarium.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20] The campaign includes a new logo, banners, TV ads, and a hip-hop style song called "The ATL," written by producer Dallas Austin, which was met with mixed reviews.^[18]^[21]

[edit] Honors

Mayor Franklin was the recipient of Profile in Courage Award in 2005, issued by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The foundation praised her management of the city of Atlanta during the critical period of enormous deficit and loss of public confidence in government.^[22]