By Paul Bolster
Porch Press readers will vote on one City Council seat this November. Our district councilpersons Jason Winston and Liliana Bakhtiari do not have opposition. Of the three At-large City Council members only post 1 is contested. Three candidates qualified: Michael Julian Bond (incumbent), Matt Rinker, and Juan Mendoza.
All three candidates participated in the candidate forum Southeast Neighbors Take Action held on September 10. You can view a video of the forum at www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4NkqnPtyU4&t=189s. The information in this article comes from that forum.
Michael Julian Bond has been on the City Council for four terms of four years each. He highlighted his experience as an active legislator and said he had passed 500 pieces of legislation during his last term. The focus of his work is on public and affordable housing, he said, and he has worked for pay increases for all of the city’s public safety officers. Bond said he was the author of the Tree Ordinance and worked on the issue for many years.
Matt Rinker, currently serves as the president of the Peoplestown Neighborhood Association and has been active in advocacy groups and the NPU process. He said he would put pressure on MARTA to deliver on the projects promised in the sales tax referendum. He feels any Atlanta effort to overcome income disparities and provide opportunities hinges on transportation. He stated Atlanta has the lowest percentage of its citizens overcoming poverty. This should be a city’s top priority.
Juan Mendoza highlighted his business experience and financial experience with a number of organizations. He believes there will be a need to focus on the city’s fiscal health because the Council is losing that experience and it’s likely the city will be losing federal funds in the future. He is also concerned about the city’s equity gap.
On specific Issues these were some of the answers.
Commercial High End Assessments. All agreed the city should be putting pressure on the Fulton County Commission to assess commercial property more equitably. Bond said he would introduce a resolution in council calling on the county to reform its commercial assessment process. Mendoza said this change was necessary if the city was to keep its financial house in order and fulfill citizen needs.
Closing the Disparity Gap. Bond suggested the city’s summer jobs and recreation program for at-risk youth could become year round. There could be a strong partnership with APS to expand recreation opportunities. Rinker said change is needed on multiple fronts including transportation, affordable housing, and equitable job development.
Transportation. All the candidates supported sidewalk connectivity and building safer bike lanes. Bond called for a bicycle transportation plan for downtown. Mendoza wants MARTA security officers back walking the trains. Rinker gave strong support for rail on the Beltline, but also wants the city to fill street potholes.
Affordabe Housing: According toBond the city is gong in the right direction on this issue. Rinker suggested a need for affordability standards that reflect the average income in neighborhoods where the housing is built as well as a Community Benefit Agreement so people in those neighborhoods could get some of the jobs. He called for greater density around MARTA stations. Mendoza emphasized the need to help Legacy Residents age in place and the need to cut some of the red tape and public costs built into the development process. Perhaps the city’s housing renovation program could be expanded to help renovate older homes and use TAD funds controlled by Invest Atlanta to fund these expanded programs, Bond suggested.
