Shirley Franklin

Former Mayor of the City of Atlanta

By The Atlanta Story

March 4^th, 2021

The Atlanta Story podcast features meaningful stories of Atlanta’s builders, creators, and entrepreneurs. In this episode Jon Birdsong sits down with Shirley Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta.

Mayor Franklin served as Mayor from 2002 to 2010 and leaves an indelible legacy affecting every Atlantan today. In this episode we talk about her reputation as the mayor who cleaned our sewer system, had the political vision to act on the Beltline, and lessons she learned from her time working for Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young. We also learn how she has transitioned from public to private life including her current involvement with Purpose Built Communities, and much more.

The Atlanta Story is put together by the folks at Atlanta Ventures -- and we can’t wait to share some of the personalities behind the brand. Atlanta Ventures invests in entrepreneurs through community, content, and capital -- most notably through our Studio with companies like Greenzie and Intown Golf Club. We believe the best entrepreneurs learn from other great artists in different fields.

“The key to any relationship is honesty and transparency, and being willing to have it go both ways.”

In this episode, we discuss…

Shirley shares about her Howard University experience and what it means today. (1:12)
After her graduate work at UPenn, and before Atlanta, Shirley shares about a pit stop in Alabama. (5:50)
Shirley worked for Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, what are some of the biggest lessons she learned from them that she applied to her mayorship? (8:44)
Has authenticity been lost in the age of social media? (11:08)
Shirley and Jon chat about city parks. (13:35)
When Shirley became Mayor, she inherited a large deficit (or more accurate a budget that would fall short). Is the secret to a balanced budget as simple as it sounds: slashing costs and raising taxes or what is it? She shares about how she asked, “What are the federal requirements and state requirements”? (14:30)
How vital is it to have a strong relationship between the county and the city? (21:00)
How does a mayor build a strong relationship with the business community? (22:00)
One of Shirley's legacies as mayor has been the mayor who cleaned our sewer system. She painted the picture of the problems at task...and how she built a coalition to fix them. (24:10)
Have Americans lost trust in their institutions that govern society? If so, how does America regain trust in their institutions? (28:46)
Did Shirley have any idea the Beltline would be what it is today? She walks us through that decision making process and her weekly meetings with Cathy Woolard. (32:08)
What was the political risk to say yes to the Beltline? (36:28)
What does responsible population growth look like in the context of income equality and gentrification today? (37:10)
As the ball is rolling how do we stay on track? Education, and affordable housing! (44:13)
Shirley shared high-level information about Purpose Built Communities and some lessons learned along the way. (46:17)
Are there any blindspots in the PBC model? (50:40)
If you were mayor today, what would you do to focus on the future to help society unite around a common set of goals so that we emerge from this crisis stronger than when we entered? (52:48)
Why Atlanta and what has Atlanta done for you? (55:47)