Ann States
SHIRLEY FRANKLIN
In her second term, Atlanta's Mayor champions public-private partnerships as key to making her city a magnet for talent and jobs.
We visit our competition. One hundred business and government leaders from across the region travel together once a year to a city. We take three- or four-day trips and meet with a cross section of community leaders. We go to learn what other people are doing well that we can duplicate or emulate. We also go to learn what didn't go so well.
What's been important to us is to understand what our strengths are so we can build on them, and to identify our weaknesses so we can work to improve them. We are forever looking for a competitive edge. Fortunately Atlanta is a community that has had a close relationship between the public and the private sector. There are numerous examples of that going back 100 years, in which major initiatives have been spawned. To the extent that Atlanta is willing to borrow ideas from the private sector or other communities, we have an advantage.