Shirley Franklin
Encyclopedia
Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party
, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
from 2002 to 2010. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for Delta Air Lines
.
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. Franklin was Atlanta's fourth black mayor. In July 2009, Mayor Franklin (along with Frances Townsend
and Judge William H. Webster) was appointed to an ad hoc Department of Homeland Security special task force for 60-day review of the Homeland Security Advisory System.
. Franklin received her B.A. in sociology
from Howard University
and her M.A.
, also in sociology, from the University of Pennsylvania
.
She is an Honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta
sorority.
. 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). Facing a massive and unexpected budget deficit, Franklin slashed the number of government employees and increased taxes to balance the budget as quickly as possible.
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.
She has been lauded for efforts to make the City of Atlanta "green
." Under Franklin's leadership Atlanta has gone from having one of the lowest percentages of LEED
certified buildings to one of the highest.
In 2005, TIME Magazine named Franklin of the five best big-city American mayors. In October of that same year, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report
"Best Leaders of 2005" issue.
With solid popular support and strong backing from the business sector, Franklin was reelected Atlanta Mayor in 2005, garnering more than 90 percent of the vote. Her popularity has led to increased speculation that she may well be a viable contender for a future Georgia governor's race.
In February 2006, The White House Project 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. She was 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 was United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
.
In 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:
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.
Franklin is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
and Boston mayor Thomas Menino
. She was 2007/08 President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors
.
In 2008, facing a major deficit, Mayor Franklin asked the Atlanta City Council to approve a property tax increase, to avoid public safety cuts. The Atlanta City Council unanimously shot down the measure, which would have caused the average city homeowner to pay an estimated extra $30 in property taxes under Franklin’s plan. As Mayor Franklin warned, without the tax increase, layoffs and pay cuts of Atlanta public safety officials would be imminent.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, in December 2008 Franklin announced that 222 city workers would lose their jobs to help fill a projected $50 million to $60 million budget shortfall. Most remaining city workers, including firefighters, will work fewer hours and suffer a pay cut as part of the budget cuts.
Mayor Shirley Franklin has said that the deficits in the city of Atlanta are not because of excess city spending. In fact, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle city spending actually ran slightly below budgeted amounts through the first quarter of the fiscal year that began in July. According to Mayor Shirley Franklin, city tax collections are down by more than 12 percent because of the economic downturn. However, basic accounting mistakes in the city budget also played a significant role in the budget crisis. An independent audit of the 2002 budget by Ernst & Young reported that Atlanta had some of the worst bookkeeping practices the auditors had ever seen and that many finance department employees were clearly unqualified for their jobs.
Mayor Shirley Franklin has also asked Congress for a "bail-out" of over $30 million for the city of Atlanta.
Franklin, Philadelphia's Michael Nutter and Phil Gordon
of Phoenix
lobbied Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson
in a joint letter asking for a share of the proposed $700 billion bailout.
Franklin has also been labeled as an "anti-homeless
mayor" for her policies
regarding panhandling and prohibition of public feeding of the homeless.
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
. 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.
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 following the corrupt administration of Mayor Bill Campbell.
Mayor Franklin is surrounded by over 100 jazz musicians in the Atlanta City Hall
Atrium for the momentous Jazz of the City Atlanta portrait
presented by WCLK radio station of Clark Atlanta University
in April 2007. The color portrait by Seve "Obasina" Adigun and Gregory Turner recalls the iconic, black and white, classic image captured by Art Kane
in 1958 – A Great Day in Harlem
. The Jazz of The City Atlanta 2007 portrait marked A Great Day in Atlanta jazz history and the 30th anniversary of the Atlanta Jazz Festival.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
from 2002 to 2010. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
.
The 58th mayor of Atlanta, she was the first female to hold the post and became the first black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman to be elected mayor of any major Southern city. Franklin was Atlanta's fourth black mayor. In July 2009, Mayor Franklin (along with Frances Townsend
Frances Townsend
Frances M. Fragos Townsend is the former Homeland Security Advisor to United States President George W. Bush and TV personality. Townsend was appointed to this position by President Bush on May 28, 2004. Her resignation was announced November 19, 2007...
and Judge William H. Webster) was appointed to an ad hoc Department of Homeland Security special task force for 60-day review of the Homeland Security Advisory System.
Education
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she is a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for GirlsPhiladelphia High School for Girls
The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public university-preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female....
. Franklin received her B.A. in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
and her M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, also in sociology, from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
She is an Honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority.
Political life
Franklin served as the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Maynard JacksonMaynard Jackson
Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. was an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the first African American mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He served three terms, two consecutive terms from 1974 until 1982 and a third term from 1990 to 1994...
. Subsequently, she was named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager under Mayor Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
.
Her 2001 run for mayor was her first run for public office. She won, succeeding Mayor Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell (mayor)
Bill Campbell , is a former American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the 57th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., from 1994 to 2002. Campbell was the fifty-seventh mayor in the city's history and the third African American to hold the office...
after winning 50 percent of the vote, defeating several candidates including Democrat Rob Pitts (33 percent). Facing a massive and unexpected budget deficit, Franklin slashed the number of government employees and increased taxes to balance the budget as quickly as possible.
Franklin made repairing the Atlanta sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
system a main focus of her office. Prior to Franklin's term, Atlanta's combined sewer system violated the federal Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
and burdened the city government with fines from the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. In 2002, Franklin announced an initiative called "Clean Water Atlanta" to address the problem and begin improving the city's sewer system.
She has been lauded for efforts to make the City of Atlanta "green
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
." Under Franklin's leadership Atlanta has gone from having one of the lowest percentages of LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certified buildings to one of the highest.
In 2005, TIME Magazine named Franklin of the five best big-city American mayors. In October of that same year, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
"Best Leaders of 2005" issue.
With solid popular support and strong backing from the business sector, Franklin was reelected Atlanta Mayor in 2005, garnering more than 90 percent of the vote. Her popularity has led to increased speculation that she may well be a viable contender for a future Georgia governor's race.
In February 2006, The White House Project named Shirley Franklin one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and/or be elected president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 2008. She was 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 was United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
.
In 2006, Shirley Franklin led the effort to have the papers of Dr. Martin Luther King given to his alma mater, Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, instead of being sold at auction:
On September 5, 2006, Mayor Franklin, along with a group of representatives from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of commerce for the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was founded in 1859....
, 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.
Franklin is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a coalition of over 600 mayors who support a number of gun control initiatives that the group calls "commonsense reforms" to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the United States...
, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
and Boston mayor Thomas Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
. She was 2007/08 President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors
National Conference of Democratic Mayors
The National Conference of Democratic Mayors is the representative body of city mayors in the United States affiliated to the Democratic Party, in the same way that the Democratic Governors Association represents state governors within the party....
.
In 2008, facing a major deficit, Mayor Franklin asked the Atlanta City Council to approve a property tax increase, to avoid public safety cuts. The Atlanta City Council unanimously shot down the measure, which would have caused the average city homeowner to pay an estimated extra $30 in property taxes under Franklin’s plan. As Mayor Franklin warned, without the tax increase, layoffs and pay cuts of Atlanta public safety officials would be imminent.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, in December 2008 Franklin announced that 222 city workers would lose their jobs to help fill a projected $50 million to $60 million budget shortfall. Most remaining city workers, including firefighters, will work fewer hours and suffer a pay cut as part of the budget cuts.
Mayor Shirley Franklin has said that the deficits in the city of Atlanta are not because of excess city spending. In fact, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle city spending actually ran slightly below budgeted amounts through the first quarter of the fiscal year that began in July. According to Mayor Shirley Franklin, city tax collections are down by more than 12 percent because of the economic downturn. However, basic accounting mistakes in the city budget also played a significant role in the budget crisis. An independent audit of the 2002 budget by Ernst & Young reported that Atlanta had some of the worst bookkeeping practices the auditors had ever seen and that many finance department employees were clearly unqualified for their jobs.
Mayor Shirley Franklin has also asked Congress for a "bail-out" of over $30 million for the city of Atlanta.
Franklin, Philadelphia's Michael Nutter and Phil Gordon
Phil Gordon (politician)
Phil Gordon is an American Democratic party politician, and the 58th and current mayor of Phoenix, Arizona. He was sworn in as mayor on January 2, 2004.-Early life, education, and early career:...
of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
lobbied Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson
Henry Paulson
Henry Merritt "Hank" Paulson, Jr. is an American banker who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He previously served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs.-Early life and family:...
in a joint letter asking for a share of the proposed $700 billion bailout.
Criticism
Despite having won two mayoral elections convincingly, Shirley Franklin has nonetheless received criticism over her sweeping pro-business policies, which have resulted in increased property values and higher real estate taxes. This has angered some segments of the city's populace who claim these policies are pushing the poor out of Atlanta. 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.Franklin has also been labeled as an "anti-homeless
Discrimination against the homeless
Discrimination against the homeless is the act of treating the homeless, or those perceived to be homeless, unfavorably. As with most types of discrimination it can manifest in numerous forms.-Discriminatory legislation regarding homelessness :...
mayor" for her policies
Anti-homelessness legislation
Anti-homelessness legislation can take two forms; legislation that aims to help and re-house homeless people, and legislation that is intended to criminalize homelessness and/or send the homeless to homeless shelters compulsively.-International law:...
regarding panhandling and prohibition of public feeding of the homeless.
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
Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, at Pemberton Place, is the world's largest aquarium with more than of marine and fresh water housing more than 120,000 animals of 500 different species...
. The campaign includes a new logo, banners, TV ads, and a hip-hop style song called "The ATL," written by producer Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
, which was met with mixed reviews.
Honors
Mayor Franklin was the recipient of Profile in Courage AwardProfile in Courage Award
The Profile in Courage Award is a private award given to recognize displays of courage similar to those John F. Kennedy described in his book Profiles in Courage...
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 following the corrupt administration of Mayor Bill Campbell.
Mayor Franklin is surrounded by over 100 jazz musicians in the Atlanta City Hall
Atlanta City Hall
Since Atlanta was founded, there have been four official city halls of Atlanta.-Antebellum:After half a decade of makeshift meeting places for city business , in 1853 mayor of Atlanta John Mims purchased the four-acre "Peters's Reserve" from Richard Peters for $5,000...
Atrium for the momentous Jazz of the City Atlanta portrait
Jazz of the City Atlanta portrait
The Jazz of the City Atlanta is an historic, color portrait of over 100 jazz musicians surrounding Mayor Shirley Franklin created in the Atlanta City Hall Atrium...
presented by WCLK radio station of Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
in April 2007. The color portrait by Seve "Obasina" Adigun and Gregory Turner recalls the iconic, black and white, classic image captured by Art Kane
Art Kane
Art Kane , born Arthur Kanofsky in New York City, was a fashion and music photographer active from the 1950s through early 1990s...
in 1958 – A Great Day in Harlem
A Great Day in Harlem
A Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958 is a 1958 black and white group portrait of 57 notable jazz musicians photographed on a street in Harlem, New York City. The photo has remained an important object in the study of the history of jazz....
. The Jazz of The City Atlanta 2007 portrait marked A Great Day in Atlanta jazz history and the 30th anniversary of the Atlanta Jazz Festival.