Cover Story: Creative Loafing City Council questionnaire - Council District 12

CL last month asked Atlanta City Council candidates to fill out a questionnaire related to the 2013 municipal election. We asked each individual about his or her opinions regarding public safety, the Falcons stadium, the Atlanta Beltline, homelessness, ethics, and other key issues. Many responded and some didn’t. We’ve compiled all the answers we received to give readers a deeper look at the candidates’ views. Note: These responses are unedited and directly what respondents sent our way.

Name: Joyce Sheperd

Name: Michael Jackson

What is the most pressing issue facing your district? If elected (or re-elected), how would you try and address it?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

Mayor Kasim Reed has claimed that the crime rate in Atlanta is the lowest it’s been in 50 years. But in many parts of the city, the perception of crime remains up. How would you address public safety in your district? What actions would you take as a councilmember to improve conditions?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

If you’re an incumbent and you voted for the proposed Falcons stadium, why did you do so? If you’re a challenger, how would you have voted and why?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

Last year, metro Atlanta voters rejected the T-SPLOST, which would have raised billions of dollars in funding for large-scale transportation projects throughout the region and smaller projects inside the city limits. Mobility remains an issue in Atlanta. What ideas do you have for improving transportation?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

Homelessness in Atlanta remains a pressing problem. However, the city’s charter limits what it can do to fight the issue. What realistic options does the city have when it comes to tackling homelessness?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

Councilmembers are policymakers; they’re technically not supposed to serve as liaisons between constituents and city departments (for example, failure to pick-up trash or broken traffic lights). Yet they often fall into that role. How would you handle your job once the 311 call center, which is designed to address residents’ and businesses’ complaints, comes online?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

What can you bring to the Atlanta City Council that it currently lacks?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

What is a city issue in Atlanta that, in your opinion, very few people have paid attention to? Could you — and would you — address it?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

Southeast Atlanta residents recently raised concerns about a big-box retail center along the Atlanta Beltline. As the Beltline continues along in its development, what steps would you take to make sure its vision — specifically, the one residents laid out in planning meetings — is fulfilled?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

What’s your favorite part of the district you want to represent? What’s your least favorite part that you hope to change?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.

How would you feel about Atlanta’s current ethics and transparency practices? What, if anything, would you do to improve the current rules? If nothing, why?

Sheperd: Did not respond.

Jackson: Did not respond.