Blog for Democracy

The end of the season is approaching…

You always know when the end of the political season is approaching because candidates will start to use terms and words that they have absolutely no meaning of. Their platforms start to change at a moment notice or they try to piggyback off their opponents’ platforms. Some candidates have macca moments while others should STFU.

Prime example of this phenom #1:

Any mayoral candidate who makes a blanket statement like they would “use eminent domain powers to take land from owners who poorly maintain their property.” doesn’t understand basic city planning principles nor how to fix ailing neighborhoods. I’m sure this makes the developer community mighty happy but it will do very little for Atlanta neighborhoods.

“Taking” someone’s property does not fix a neighborhood, “taking” someone’s property will not account for the City’s lack of funding for its code enforcement program, “taking” someone’s property will not account for the City’s lack of funding for lawyers to try code enforcement cases.

Since I can’t find any clarification on Lisa Borders’ website about her eminent domain program, I have a few questions:

  • Where is the money going to come from for Lisa Borders’ eminent domain program?
  • What entity defines what is “poorly maintained”?
  • Will this entity be comprised of private real estate developers or neighborhood leaders or trained city planning professionals?
  • If Borders’ eminent domain program goal is for open space and parks, then will those properties along the proposed Beltline be “taken” first?
  • Will Borders’ eminent domain program be used to stimulate economic development, to give private developers cheap land?
  • How does historic preservation fit into her eminent domain program?
  • Who is going to fund the neighborhood development plans – you know the plans that should prescribe how the neighborhoods will be revitalized after Borders’ flexes her eminent domain powers.
  • Will this require funding for an entirely new department at City Hall?
  • Or do they plan on stretching the already thinned out city planning department?

Just a few questions that one would assume the Borders’ campaign has answers for since they rolled out such a controversial issue. Silly me, they might just be using the “eminent domain” terminology to gain points with a few voters. Not sure this “no depth” tactic really works for voters like me who live in and care about Atlanta neighborhoods.

Epic.Fail.

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Catherine

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2 responses to “The end of the season is approaching…”

  1. J.M. Prince Avatar
    J.M. Prince

    Stupider Repug tricks noted by Amy Morton here picked by Z up @ ThinkProgress.org :

    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/23/georgia-republicans-send-census/

    “Georgia Republicans Send Political Mailer Disguised As ‚ÄòOfficial‚Äô Census Survey

    11 Alive, a local Georgia news station, reports today that the Georgia Republican Party is sending out a political mailer disguised to look like an official U.S. Census survey. The news station learned of the scam when a voter called the station saying she was “upset” that Georgia Republicans would send out such a mailer, given that many Georgians, especially senior citizens, will not realize that it’s a political ploy and not an actual Census survey:

    “I got real upset ’cause I think a lot of people would just automatically fill it out,” [Anne Wilson of Smyrna] told us in a Thursday TV interview, “It’s their civic duty; by law they have to fill out the census. Turns out I and many others across the country have received the same survey letter which is titled the “2009 Congressional District Census”.

    The outside of the envelope is stamped ‚ÄúDo Not Destroy, Official Document‚Äù. The survey lists a specific congressional district and includes an individual ‚ÄúCensus Tracking Code‚Äù, with the request, ‚ÄúPlease Respond by: November 16, 2009‚Ä≥. […]

    “I could see a lot of my neighbors that are older who would get something like this in the mail and fill it out,” she adds, “all the information, every little section, and send in money.” [AM]

    Amy helpfully put a scan of the offending & fraudulent mail piece on her blog here:

    http://georgiawomenvote.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-dem-invited-to-lead-republicans-in.html

    Always something with these dirty tricksters, but the fraudulent Census form remains one of their favs, down through the years!

    JMP

  2. griftdrift Avatar
    griftdrift

    “If Borders’ eminent domain program goal is for open space and parks, then will those properties along the proposed Beltline be “taken” first?”

    Excellent question.

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