This morning I heard a radio clip of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed getting angry during a board meeting. He and the board were discussing how to save money and balance the budget.  The mayor got angry because Board members were insinuating that he would wants reduce city employee pensions. But in the clip (which I can’t find) the mayor goes on to say that reforming the employee pension program could save the city millions of dollars and that the budget HAS to be balanced. Between the lines: We gotta find the money somewhere, and there’s a big pile of it hiding under those ridiculous [my word] pensions.

As I listened to the “angry clip” and the accompanying news cast, I shook my head and smiled. Over the past (almost) year and the summer of 2009 that I’ve spent in the Atlanta area, I have heard similar (and worse) news casts about then Mayor Shirley Franklin.  Mayor Franklin got a lot of flack about being angry, confrontational and mean to the press.  The flack is warranted, Mayor Shirley was angry.  But I believe she had every right to be.

Atlanta, like governments and business around the world, is facing tremendous financial insecurity.  Money is tight (and getting tighter). Leaders are in the precarious position of having to make unpopular decisions about what programs stay and what programs need to be cut to keep the bohemeth afloat.

During her years as mayor, Ms. Franklin was no newbie to budgetary shortfalls. When she was elected, Atlanta had a budget deficit that she reversed by enacting an unpopular tax increase. Unfortunately, the recession has placed a dark light on Mayor Franklin’s budgetary prowess.  I remember watching the news months ago as Mayor Franklin gave very clear and rational cost cutting and saving recommendations to City Countil and the public.  I remember her saying something very similar to what Mayor Reed said this morning: No one wants to make cuts, but the budget has to be balanced. Spending has to stop. City Council balked from her recommendation, at least in part because several of them were up for re-election and at least two of them wanted to run for Franklin’s role.  [This is why I HATE the strong mayor system, but that’s for another day, another post,].

I never blamed Mayor Franklin for being angry, she was making hard, unpopular decisions and she was under a lot of pressure. One doesn’t need an MPA to realize that if money is short, something has to give. The decision of what goes and what stays isn’t an easy one, but those decisions are EXACTLY what elected officials in strong mayor cities are elected to make.

I was frustrated right along with Mayor Franklin when she couldn’t get a consensus of city council members to collaborate on solutions to keep Atlanta out of the red. It was like they preferred to do nothing, rather than do something that stepped on someone pet project.

Based on the time that Mayor Franklin had with her council, I wasn’t surprised to hear that City Council already turning on Mayor Reed. I’m glad he did not let their gibes slide.

My advice to Mayor Reed? Have a clear, rational decision making process, keep the public informed on what you’re doing and why, don’t shy away from making the hard decisions, and feel free to call your city council out when they lock you down.  And please, don’t be afraid to get angry. Altanta has big problems, and we should all be angry at inaction or worse, elected officials with their heads in the sand who’d rather point fingers than do something.