This courageous mayor helped to turn Atlanta around after years of mismanagement...
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
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Shirley Clarke Franklin served as the 58th mayor of Atlanta from 2002 to 2010. Ms. Franklin was the first woman to hold the post and the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a major Southern city. During her eight years at mayor, the City of Atlanta experienced unprecedented growth and afforded Franklin the opportunity to partner and collaborate with many local and regional leaders in addressing policy challenges, which included urban planning, economic development and infrastructure.
Ms. Franklin is best known for advocating for and tackling major government operations and ethics reform, launching the Atlanta Beltline, planning and executing over $5 billion in airport and water infrastructure improvements, leading the acquisition of the Morehouse College Collection of Martin Luther King Jr. Papers, launching the Regional Commission on Homelessness and developing successful business and public sector partnerships and alliances. |
PROFILE IN COURAGE: In 2005, Mayor Franklin received the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The foundation praised her management of the city of Atlanta. "She inherited an $82 million budget deficit and a crisis of confidence in the public management of the city. Any one of the actions she took might have been a career-ending political risk for a newly-elected office holder. But Franklin’s blunt insistence upon fiscal solvency and her unblinking acceptance of the political risks of her decisions were instead met with cheers. Her popularity soared."
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Mayor Franklin is currently the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Purpose Built Communities, and the Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor in Ethics and Political Values in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.
She is also a contributor to several books including, Leaders on Ethics, Real-World Perspectives on Today’s Business Challenges, Principles for a Successful Life, Megaregions-Planning for Global Combativeness and Investing in What Works for America’s Communities. Franklin is a frequent speaker on leadership, public policy and community engagement having served over three decades as an executive in government and business. Source: ShirleyFranklin.com |
Mayor Franklin receiving the Profile in Courage Award in 2005 by the JFK Library Foundation.
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"I went to an all-girls public high school, so I had all female teachers and administrators in my formative years. I remember their lessons nearly every day. They encouraged all of us to be aggressive and bold; to be dreamers." — Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Interview with Shirley Franklin, Chairman and CEO, Purpose Built Communities (Terry College of Business at UGA)
“The Atlanta BeltLine has changed the city. Garvin gives much of the credit to former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin for putting the pieces in place to implement the vision for the Emerald Necklace along the BeltLine. On a recent trip to Atlanta, Garvin was able to travel along some of the completed corridors and was especially proud to see the success of Historic Fourth Ward Park, which had been proposed in his plan. Fifteen years ago, only 3.7 percent of the city of Atlanta’s land was for parks. Today, TPL’s George Dusenbury said it’s closer to 5.9 percent." — Atlanta Business Chronicle
How & Where to Connect
In Atlanta, the are two ways to connect with Mayor Franklin: 1) International Civil Right Walk of Fame and 2) the Atlanta Beltline. Instructions for getting to both are provided below.
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In 2001, the people of Atlanta elected Shirley Franklin, a first time candidate for public office, to serve as the 58th Mayor of the City of Atlanta. She became the first female mayor of Atlanta and the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major southern city. Mayor Franklin has worked hard to build a “Best in Class” managed city. She has been featured in numerous local and national publications and has been included in some very impressive lists: Governing Magazine, Time Magazine, the World Mayor internet organization and was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. American City and County Magazine named her Municipal Leader of the Year. Mayor Franklin is also a recipient of the 2005 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Source: U.S. National Park Service
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International Civil Right Walk of Fame at the MLK Nat'l Historical Park
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Parking Lot Entrance at MLK Nat'l Historical Park
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Atlanta Beltline @ Irwin Street
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Getting there...The International Civil Right Walk of Fame is located in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, which is a 15-minute walk from the King Memorial MARTA station. Look for Mayor Franklin's marker!
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park North Parking Lot (see Google Street map above) 425 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30312 Driving Directions | Visitor Info There are many places to access the Atlanta Beltine (see Google Street map above) Don't miss... |
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