As mayor, I will prioritize solutions that allow either the city or the communities themselves to preserve some form of ownership. Community development corporations and land trusts are great examples. I started on this work as a private citizen and board member of the Westside Future Fund by making sure real estate speculators don’t profit at the community’s expense in the neighborhoods near the new [Mercedes-Benz] stadium.

As mayor, I will also call for housing for those making minimum wage and below. We should also look beyond income to the needs of specific groups. For instance, we should look into ways for our police officers to live in the community they police, for artists to live and work in a shared space, and for seniors to thrive in neighborhoods where they are safe and connected. In the latter case, I support various forms of homestead exemptions. Many seniors pay 50 percent of their income into their homes each month, which is unsustainable. They need some relief.^[21][22]

Atlanta without Atlantans is not the home we know and love. That is why I have proposed a comprehensive affordability strategy. As mayor, I will use property and development rights owned by the city to seek $500 million in private investment for a housing affordability and anti-displacement trust fund. Our city is best when public and private come together for urgent tasks that are necessary both economically and morally. A dedicated fund will allow us to increase neighborhood stability and investment through the public acquisition, rehabilitation, and sale of vacant properties to income-qualified buyers or mission-driven developers. It can also fund targeted down payment assistance and property tax mitigation projects. And, importantly, it can finance the construction of critically necessary affordable units. I will urgently convene local leaders to once and for all find the resources to create an inclusive, affordable Atlanta. I will also launch an initiative dedicated to the well-being of renters and rental housing. We will create a comprehensive inventory of affordable rental stock; assist landlords in maintaining unit quality; directly engage developers dedicated to high-quality, affordable rental projects; enforce rental quality standards; and promote the rights of renters throughout the city.^[21][22]

The issue of affordable housing disproportionately affects our seniors and working families. As a real estate attorney, I will bring my knowledge of this sector to the office and implement actionable ideas that help real people. In fact it was one the top issues during my time as Atlanta City Council president. As mayor it will remain a priority. Specifically I will:

• Launch my “Blight to Light” initiative, which will transform more than 5,000 of the city’s most dilapidated, vacant, and abandoned homes into affordable housing options for low to middle-income families, educators, recent college graduates, and first responders.
• Establish affordable housing requirements citywide. Specifically my administration will revise the city’s affordable housing policy to require residential developers to set aside 20 percent of their units as affordable instead of the current threshold of 10 percent.
• Create a housing trust fund that can be used to provide down payments assistance to low-income individuals and working families
• Ensure Invest Atlanta funds senior home repairs program with Office of Housing. I believe homeowners should be educated on how to appropriately address housing issues, so the initiative will also offer distressed-homeowner workshops to assist owners and arm them with helpful information.^[21][22]

As Mayor I will work with all interested parties to increase the supply of affordable housing. There is no one “best practice” on addressing this issue. However, we as a city can institute a set of policies designed to increase the number of units of affordable housing. There are three main types of instruments: unit set-asides, monetary or other compensation to builder/developers, and rent control. Of these, Atlanta has the legal authority to act upon unit set-asides and builder/developer compensation. It takes vision and political will to have a desirable, inclusive community in which we want for our city.^[21][22]

It all starts with early childhood education. It’s morally unjust that your preparedness for Kindergarten is by-and-large influenced by your zip code. I think every child deserves a fair shot. It’s also an economic imperative. Studies show anywhere between a $2 to $9 return on each dollar invested in a young child. It’s the key to uprooting poverty. That’s why I am committed to providing quality-rated comprehensive education for children under the age of four who want and need it. It will be a big lift, with support needed from multiple sources. I know the investment in our children and our city’s future will be worth every penny.

While our public schools do facilitate some early childhood programs, it is not specifically in their charter. That gives the mayor prerogative to act. For K-12, I will be an active partner with the superintendent, making sacrifices to make things better for our children and their families through wrap-around services like mental health counseling, financial advisement, and other city resources. I would also look to be an honest broker between businesses and APS to foster an apprenticeship program that ties high school curriculum to real jobs upon graduation.^[21][22]

I have proposed a platform with a particular focus on education because every Atlanta child deserves a great start and a chance to achieve their dreams. The city might not have control over the public schools, but there are ample opportunities for the city to prioritize the resources it does control in a way that is supportive of the school system, and to improve coordination with the schools on issues of mutual interest. For example, some of my proudest work as a member of Atlanta City Council includes authoring lead-testing legislation that resulted in Atlanta Public Schools testing and addressing the safety of its water in schools throughout the city, and working to protect our children and communities against vicious dog attacks by coordinating city and county resources.

To help our students reach their fullest potential, I have proposed to give every Atlanta child a great start by creating a Children’s Savings Account program to help put college or other future opportunities within reach. Only about $250,000 would provide a $50 seed savings for every APS kindergarten student.

I will also make the sidewalks, streetlights, and other [means of] safety near schools the top priority of our infrastructure investment and public safety programs. Our city is making major investments in road and transit infrastructure and public safety, and as mayor I will make projects that support safe routes to school a key priority for those investments.^[21][22]

As the husband and son of APS school teachers, the issue closest to my heart is ensuring our children receive a world-class education. For the past 10 years as council president, I have partnered with APS to help advance the educational opportunities for our young people through my College Prep Series—a college admissions exam preparation program. More than 7,000 middle and high school students and their parents have participated. I believe we can improve education outcomes for Atlanta’s children in a number of ways. As mayor, I will:

• Launch “Opportunity Village”—Work with APS to create an initiative called 7th Period, which bridges the concepts and principles students learn during the school day with 21st century skills such as coding and STEM, to ensure that our students are successful in tomorrow’s economy
• Enhance the City of Atlanta/Atlanta Public Schools Joint Commission created by councilmember Andre Dickens. As an extension of the efforts by this team, we can lead efforts to ensure the Department of Parks and Recreation’s programming collaborates more with APS on programming
• Partner with education and business stakeholders and philanthropic community to invest in early start and preschool initiatives to ensure that every child receives the same strong start
• Create mentorship programs to keep youth off the streets and encourage our public safety officers to be coaches and mentors
• Commit to coordinating more closely with schools on infrastructure projects such as the installation of sidewalks and bikeways to create safer, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.^[21][22]

In Atlanta, the mayor does not have purview over education and schools in our city. However, I believe mayors have both a moral responsibility and obligation to improve educational prospects for our children in the Atlanta Public Schools system. Using city resources to support our schools to increase student achievement in support of academic success is a legitimate expenditure.^[21][22]

This is a “bet the farm” situation. We need more buses, bus routes, and bus rapid transit to improve ridership, as well as placing our traffic lights on a central grid. Both will reduce road congestion. Light rail and heavy rail are longer term projects. But if we get started now and work successfully with MARTA and private partners, they can be expedited and make a real impact, whether it’s linking the Beltline or neighborhoods in town that currently exist on islands. We also have to do the little things right. We must grow and better maintain our sidewalk infrastructure while providing more options for cyclists.

But the bigger question here is one of trust. This is a multi-billion-dollar investment. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity, the likes we haven’t seen since the formation of MARTA. We need someone who can work effectively with the state and private partners. We need someone who knows how to spend a sum of this size quickly and efficiently. I am the only candidate who has helped manage the city. I am the only candidate who has worked on projects of this scale. We cannot trust a job this big and this important to a legislator with zero experience shepherding projects of this magnitude.^[21][22]

Atlantans deserve a comprehensive transit network. No Atlantan should face uncertainty over being able to get to work, school, or the grocery store because they lack access to a vehicle, yet that is the reality for too many of our residents. Data shows that Atlanta residents south of I-20 have the longest daily commutes. These neighborhoods need mobility relief. Atlanta has embarked on a multi-billion-dollar transit investment initiative. As mayor, I’ll make sure that our transit investments prioritize a useable mix of safe, reliable options for the Atlanta neighborhoods in the south and west where residents are least likely to have access to a vehicle, and where transit options are otherwise lacking.

Additionally, I will push to dedicate a percentage of transit funding for transit-oriented development, with an eye toward residential affordability. Dedicating even 1 percent of referendum funds to creating affordable communities, vibrant business districts, and the kind of retail that supports the needs of families, would make millions of dollars available to preserve and expand the kinds of neighborhoods that Atlantans need. Plus, these kinds of livable, walkable communities save residents money by decreasing wear and tear on our streets and highways; decrease traffic by removing cars from the road; and create the community cohesion that has been shown to make neighborhoods safer.^[21][22]

As council president I continue to work closely with the Atlanta Regional Commission to help develop alternative transit options and have been front and center on exploring solutions to Atlanta’s growing traffic concerns. In short, the money should be spent the way the taxpayers want! The list of transit projects has been approved by voters and as mayor, I will certainly honor their wishes. I believe projects that offer true connectivity will have the most impact, and I’m excited to address the woes of traffic and congestion by improving mobility. It can have a profound effect on quality of life.

Transit plans include the extension of MARTA Blue Line over light rail to Emory and the completion of the Atlanta BeltLine, which I am proud to have sponsored legislation for back in the day.

Finally instituting a parking tax can create an ongoing revenue source to maintain projects in the future. It can be also used to maintain roads, bridges, and sidewalks. I do not believe the burden of maintaining neighborhood sidewalks should fall upon property owners. It’s a small, yet impactful way the city can offer value and improve safety in every neighborhood.^[21][22]

The city has adopted a plan for spending these transit funds. As mayor I believe the money should be spent as currently prioritized but subject to adjustments after a comprehensive review. Such a review would include the following projects.

MARTA:

• Campbellton Road and Clifton Road light rail projects
• Greenbriar and Moores Mill Transit Centers
• Service frequency improvements
• System-wide bus route improvements
• I-20 West hard rail expansion
• Rail station enhancements

Other transportation priorities:

• Increase bus network to better accommodate those who work in the city but reside outside Atlanta
• Provide alternative truck routes specifically to reduce traffic caused by commercial vehicles
• Improve traffic light and highway meter synchronization by upgrading outdated and obsolete technology
• Increase the number of bike lanes and enhance bike lane safety to allow for more usage and improve traffic flow
• Improve walkability and pedestrian safety though installation of additional sidewalks and crosswalks^[21][22]