Thank you so much for that warm welcome. I have really been looking forward to this event and I am extremely pleased to be here with you today.
To the Atlanta City Council, our sponsors The Coca-Cola Company and Comcast and our hosts, the Woodruff Arts center and all of our guests form the business, civic and non-profit communities, good morning.
I am pleased to have my mother, Mrs. Ruth White here with me today.
If it is true that misery loves company, then I am sure there is a lot of love in the room this morning. We’ve had a rough year, haven’t we? When we met on this occasion last January, I know we were all hoping 2001 was the tough year and that prospects were brighter for 2002. It feels like deja vous.
Major sources of the City revenue have been falling for two years now, and I know you are experiencing similar hardships in the private sector. Let me take a moment to reflect on how we have addressed these challenges and the success of the past year 2002.
We began 2002 with a greater than $82M budget gap – the largest any major city faced and the largest in Atlanta since the Great Depression, when City employees were paid in script. We closed that gap and managed to operate within the budget we set – a task many thought impossible. Indeed, we ended the year in black for only the second time in the last six years. We also reestablished a reserve fund, which had been completely depleted the prior year. We also:
- Closed a $35M gap for 2003, without raising taxes
- Established a meaningful floor for wages of $22,000 which positively impacted over 600 fulltime employees
- Eliminated over 1000 employee positions
- Initiated a variety of reforms that will generate additional savings while at the same time improve service quality over the next several years
- Worked to inspire trust in City Hall by passing one of the toughest Ethics ordinances in the nation.
As a point of reference, when I came into office we had approximately 30% more employees per 100K of residents than our benchmark cities. In one year we have reduce that overage to about 5% more than the benchmark cities- a true leap forward in efficiency and effectiveness of City government.
But we are not done. My pledge is to create a “BEST IN CLASS” managed city and we are on our way.
But rather than dwell on what we have spent our time on doing in the past year – most of which is covered quite well in the local media – I thought I would spend the short time I have with you this morning to talk about the future. The future of City Hall and the future of Atlanta. As Sir Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Thanking the Business Community
Most of you know by direct experience that I am not shy about asking for help. In fact, I tend to keep asking until I get it. I haven’t been asking for help just because we need money. Although that’s a good reason too. The fact is, I have asked for help in the spirit of partnership.
The Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke once said: “Society is indeed a contract … it is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in all perfection.”
I have a core belief. I believe that city government is, in fact, a partnership. Local government does not sit apart, or in opposition to, and certainly not above, the other sectors in public and private life in a city. City government, and really government in general, occupies the space where these other sectors intersect. By occupying that critical space, we as public officials can mediate among competing interests and build consensus to advance the public good. We are partners in every virtue, and together we strive for perfection.
In local government, our job is to provide a set of public services that would not otherwise be delivered. It began with public safety and water, and has since expanded to fire, sewer, parks, planning, etc. Our job is to focus on these core services, to deliver them efficiently and effectively, and to respond quickly to the changing requirements of citizens.
How do we do this? By leveraging the assets of the community. By relying on our partners. We cannot – and more importantly we should not – try to do this alone. Everyone in this room has a stake in the success of this city. Everyone in the Woodruff Arts Center has a stake in the success of this city. Everyone in Southside Atlanta to Midtown to East Atlanta has a stake in the success of this city. Everyone in the City has a stake in the success of this City.
I know what a lot of folks think. “ I pay taxes. Isn’t that enough?” Paying taxes makes you a taxpayer. Paying taxes does not make you a citizen. Citizens engage in public life. Citizens see problems in their communities and help to devise solutions. Citizens care and by caring they become part of the fabric of civic life.
I see this all the time. I get unsolicited offers to help our city government from retired folks, from people between jobs, from students. We rely on citizens and the neighborhood organizations to better target our services. I would say that the success of the PotHole Posse is almost entirely dependent on citizens telling us where the potholes are.
We rely on civic organizations to advise us on quality of life issues. Our future strategy on parks, housing and economic development is heavily dependent on the advice and active involvement of local organizations.
We rely on the academic community to provide us with subject matter expertise. Wayne Clought at Georgia Tech and his panel of experts did a fantastic job of advising us on the sewer upgrade plans. Georgia State and the University of Georgia are helping us on sanitation and customer service issues. Morehouse College and the other member institutions of the Atlanta University center have offered their counsel too.
We rely on the non-profit community to help us address social issues. The United Way is spearheading an effort to develop a plan for dealing with the homeless issue in Atlanta.
And, last but not least, we rely on the business community to help us improve City government. Bain and Company is providing us strategy advice and turnaround assistance as part of a three-year pro bono commitment to help Atlanta become best in Class. Twenty different local companies contributed to The Chamber of Commerce to fund our process reviews.
Georgia Power is helping us with customer service. Turner, Cingular Wireless, Coca-Cola, Accenture, BBDO Atlanta, UPS and others have loaned us executives to help us manage the change we are trying to create. I could go on, but there are too many to mention.
I have asked for this support not as a favor to me. I have asked for this support because I genuinely believe that we are partners. I genuinely believe that we have a collective stake in our success. I also believe that we are collectively responsible. Working together isn’t the best way. It is the only way.
It is particularly appropriate to remember the quote of President teddy Roosevelt today, because I would argue that all of us here today, are “in the arena.” Together, we are working to create better neighborhoods, better communities, and a better city. Trough your leadership and sense of civic pride, we are building a city greater than even our most fervent boosters of the past ever imagined.
We do it with our faces “marred with dust and sweat and blood.” We do it with “great devotion,” “great enthusiasm,” “great faith” – the Atlanta way – because we know our cause is a worthy one.
I want you to know that today’s event centers around the theme of gratitude. Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others.” Today, we are extending our gratitude for the generous support that the local business community has provided has provided to me and to my team during this past year.
So today I want to thank you all, our partners in the arena.
Would everyone here who has worked with us please stand up? Let’s give them a hand. These are the folks who have joined us as partners. They have expressed their citizenship by engaging with us. They have delivered invaluable support to us. Thank you again.
What Lies Ahead
I wanted to spend the balance of my time with you describing our plan going forward. But before I do, let me try something. As you know, one of the things we are trying to do is to improve customer service in the City. As part of that effort, we recently initiated a survey where we will ask the citizens of the city – on a quarterly basis – what they think of the quality of the services they are receiving. We just got the results back from the December survey and they are quite interesting.
For instance, we asked people to rate the quality of the city services overall on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being extremely satisfied and 1 being extremely dissatisfied. Let’s try this group and see how it compares. When I name a response, raise your hands if you would rate the city at that level. I promise not to take offense! Remember, this is a city services overall, and 10 is excellent and 1 is terrible. Don’t be shy; I won’t hold it against you. [Start with 10 and work backwards]
The actual average response is 6.5. That’s not good. We need to do better.
Here’s the plan.
Two days after taking office as mayor I offered a simple agenda – the Franklin Four – that has guided the work of my administration. We have put them up on the board for you to see.
- A safer, cleaner city
- An honest and responsive city government
- Effective and efficient city services
- A caring city for families, children, seniors and all who work and live here.
Mary Kay Ash once said, “ If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Well we think we can. Here is what we think we can do in 2003.
In 2003:
- We will continue to map an overall strategy for the City and relentlessly drive the turnaround now under-way.
- We will be exploring ways to further improve the financial stability and the funding model for the City.
These improvements, coupled with ever increasing efficiency, will provide the resources for the four priorities I have committed to since my campaign, and allow the City of Atlanta to continue to drive the economic success of the entire metro region.
In 2003 we will make Atlanta a safer city.
- We will implement full-fledged computerize crime tracking system, called COBRA, to instantaneously track and respond to crime.
- We will enforce quality of life laws’ working collaboratively with MARTA, Georgia State University, the Ambassador Force and Fulton County Sheriff’s Dept.
- We will seek federal funding for photographic radar equipment to enforce speeding laws on our major highways.
- We will launch the Police and Fire Foundations
In 2003 we will make Atlanta a cleaner city.
· We will initiate a major anti-liter campaign, and our Trash Troups will sponsor monthly citywide clean up days.
· We will develop a long-range sanitary service plan with rate study and service delivery strategy components
· We will repair the sidewalks and crosswalks, beautify the parks, and increase bicycle racks, trees and greenery.
In 2003 we will make Atlanta a more beautiful city.
- We will follow through on the specific recommendations of the Parks and Greenspace Task Force
- We will partner with the Trust for Public Land to draft the legislation to create a new, independent agency to professionally manage our park system
- We will put together an outside commission to plan an organize the effort to double our park space in a decade – adding more than 3,000 acres of park property to raise $400 million during the same time period.
- We will finalize plans for a new 500-acre “superpark” in the metro area
- We will support the arts locally and regionally and we will find ways to support major tourist and visitor initiatives like the upcoming NBA All-Star game, the Women’s NCCA tournament, and major arts and cultural festivals
- We will begin construction on projects funded by the $150 million bond referendum to improve roads, sidewalks and streetscapes and to add bike lanes and fix up neighborhood parks
- We will have more than 300 neighborhood improvement projects under way by the end of the year
- We will seek alliances with our neighbors, our sister metro Atlanta cities and the major cities of GA, the state of GA and the federal government recognizing we are all in the same boat; we have mutual interests in the health and welfare of the people of Atlanta and GA
In 2003 we will make Atlanta a more responsive government.
· We will change the management culture in the city government. The results of the Citizen Satisfaction Survey will be tracked along with other performance measures on our new Management Dashboard.
In 2003 we will complete our reorganization of city government. We will focus on core municipal services.
- We have significantly streamlined city government by reorganizing HR, Law, Parks and Recreation and purchasing in 2002
- We will reorganize Finance, Watershed Management, Planning and Contract Compliance in 2003
- We will improve our permit process by June 30
In 2003 we will make Atlanta a more compassionate city.
- We will begin implementation of the recommendations of Commission on Homelessness spearheaded by United Way
- We will make Atlanta a more affordable city for middle and low-income residents.
- We will initiate a new workforce housing incentive program, designed specifically to assist teachers, police officers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other working families with intown housing.
- We will set clear annual goals for new and rehabilitated housing for ownership and rental
In 2003 we will stimulate community revitalization under the Federal Renewal Community program.
- We will create a Bureau of Economic Development that will focus on business development and neighborhood commercial revitalization
- We will keep our commitments to the people of Atlanta for clear water
- We will begin implementation this year of a Storm Water Utility as part of Clean Water Atlanta
- We will keep the massive $5 billion airport expansion program on time and on budget, including the construction of the 5th runway and the new international terminal
- We will undertake all of these initiatives while enhancing our commitment to minority and female business participation
And while we are doing all of these things, we will continue to make city government more efficient, effective and accountable for service delivery. You will find on the City’s website comprehensive Turnaround Plan detailing hundreds of individual projects that – at the end of the day- will all make city government responsive to you, the resident of the City. I invite you to track our progress each month as we update the Turnaround Plan on line.
We all know that the metro region is struggling economically. This group knows better than most. I don’t suppose we should be surprised that Atlanta and the southeast in general have been hit so hard given the rapid rate a growth we enjoyed in the 1990s. but despite the struggling economy, I remain very optimistic. Atlanta is very well positioned to be an engine of growth for the next decade. The city is experiencing sustained population growth for the first time in almost fifty years. In 2002 the City issued a record $2.1 billion in new building permits, which to me is a very strong endorsement of the future prospects of the City. If all goes according to plan, the City will add Atlantic Station, the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Symphony Hall, the new High Museum, a new multi-modal transit station and make significant progress on the airport expansion and water/sewer projects in the next several years. This amount of capital investment, more than $9 billion, exceeds that which occurred leading up to the Olympics.
Don’t get me wrong. We have issues to deal with. We need better manage regional growth. We need to aggressively seek opportunities to eliminate duplicative services across local and county governments. We need to find a way to pay for our sewer upgrades while at the same time ensuring that the City remains affordable for working families.
My job as mayor is to stay on track. We cannot lose focus on the reform efforts we have underway. I was elected to a four-year term, and my ambition is to keep the momentum for positive change; my ambition is to gain a broad consensus for positive change in government and my ambition is to gain broad acceptance of the fundamental change that will position Atlanta as one of the world’s great cities in every way.
My vision is a great international city, stronger financially, affordable, more vibrant, more respected, more prosperous, more livable. A compassionate city that works and that works together.
A city that works in such a fundamental way that there can be no turning back. Your personal willingness to join me in this effort will be instrumental to realizing this vision.
To achieve this vision it will take hard work,
Opening our hearts and minds to new ideas
And people new to the discussion,
Patience
Perseverance
And the faith in the dream of a better tomorrow for Atlanta.
At city hall we are making changes to enhance and improve business and community life, to upgrade and improve old structures and processes, shaking lose negative habits.
I am convinced what will emerge will be a better Atlanta, an Atlanta that works for all its citizens, an Atlanta prepared to take on new challenges, to fulfill its great promise, and Atlanta second to no other city, a Great American city.
I’ll do my part.
Will you?