Shirley Franklin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shirley Franklin was the first Black woman elected mayor of a major southern city in the United States.

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. 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 is the fourth black mayor of Atlanta, the latest in a line of African American mayors that stretches back to 1974.

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.

Her election as mayor was her first ever run for public office, but she had previously served as the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for Mayor Maynard Jackson and was subsequently named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager for Mayor Andrew Young. Franklin succeeded Bill Campbell after winning the 2001 city-wide election with 50 percent of the vote, defeating several candidates including Democrat Rob Pitts who received 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.

In 2005, Franklin was named one of the five best big-city American mayors by TIME Magazine (Press Release). On July 4, she ran in Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race for the third time. In October 2005, Franklin was included in the U.S. News & World Report Best Leaders of 2005 issue (Shirley Franklin: The Pipe Dreamer).

An overwhelmingly popular mayor, 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.

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

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 that was met with mixed reviews.

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. 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.

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:

"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.