Thursday, August 5, 2010
Politics / LGBT Fulton County to get gay commissioner, but…
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 1:25 PM
- Joan Garner, candidate for Fulton's District 6
Depending on your appreciation for social progress, that's the good news.
The bad news is, as I've pointed out, the Commission isn't likely to be fixed by the addition of one new member — or anything short of a structural overhaul. (On the other hand, I predicted Garner would win easily, so what do I know?)
However, it seems quite possible that the board could sink further into squabbling and dysfunction — thereby hastening the creation of Milton County — if the wrong person is elected.
And by wrong person, I mean Keisha Waites.
Let me emphasize from the outset that this is my personal opinion, based on conversations I've had with Ms. Waites and conversations I've had with others who are familiar with her, as well as on her status as what I like to call a "recreational candidate."
The reason I suspect Waites was able to make the runoff — even narrowly edging Garner in votes — is that her name recognition has been bolstered by her many previous runs for elected office. How many? Well, she ran for Atlanta City Council in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2009; she ran for the state Senate in 2002; she ran for Fulton Commission Chairman in 2006; and she ran for the state House in 2008. Now she's running for District 6, which includes central and southeast Atlanta.
This is her eighth race, people. Once a would-be politician notches his third or fourth unsuccessful run for public office, I begin to wonder whether voters were onto something when they cast their ballots for someone else.
Waites, however, tells CL that her multiple loses should be considered a plus. "It speaks to my commitment to public service," she says.
Conversely, she claims Garner's many endorsements — from Georgia Equality to outgoing District 6 Commissioner Nancy Boxill to ex-Mayor Shirley Franklin and pretty much anyone else you can name — stand as a negative.
"When you receive every single endorsement, you're no longer your own person," Waites explains. "When I win, I won't owe anybody anything."
(For the record, Waites has received at least one endorsement, that of former District 6 opponent David Holder Sr.)
When she was making her third Council run in 2005, Waites took part in an endorsement interview with myself and other CL staffers. We ended up not giving her our endorsement, as much for her temperament as for her qualifications or policy ideas. We found her to be argumentative and strangely combative.
After talking again with Waites recently and conferring with other community members who know her, I remain convinced we hadn't simply caught her on an off day. She describes her forceful personality as "having a lot of heart"; to me she seems to be a person with a sizable chip on her shoulder but few real qualifications.
Garner, on the other hand, has long experience running nonprofit social-service agencies and granting organizations, most recently as president of the Historic District Development Corp., the outfit responsible for building Studioplex and other projects that led to the revival of the Old Fourth Ward. I don't know her personally, but her reputation is one of a consensus-builder. She's served on countless civic and nonprofit boards, from the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund to United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation, which doesn't happen if you're not seen as working well with others.
As I've said previously, I don't believe even a skilled facilitator like Garner — she has a master’s degree in "organizational communication," for God's sake — can rescue the Fulton Commission from its own bad self. But I am worried that electing someone without those skills could be politically disastrous for the county.
Comments (21)
Showing 1-21 of 21
So how much do you like Garner? If your going to do a hit piece on someone based on nothing shouldn't you just go ahead and do a story about how great the opposition is?
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QM: No b/c she lives in Atlanta, she could garner (no pun intended) NF support in the same way we hope Lori Henry will when she beats Pitts; Norwood does not want the County to split off. The problem with Eaves et al, is that they are very two-faced and mean-spirited to North Fulton Communities (a big part of Fulton) as in: we want your money: so just shut up.
That's the problem with local, state, and federal politics...so polarized. We need more common ground independant voices. That's why the Norwood movement was so great and under-reported: b/c it threatens both parties exisitences.
Joan has been very involved in the community for as long as I can remember. She's serious on many issues, and she's a serious person who will be able to work with the other commissioners on behalf of all the residents of Fulton. She happens to be gay-but that only gets you in just so many doors. Her experience is much broader than that-which is why I hope folks will support her on Tuesday.
Her work with the United Way, Historic Preservation, Library, Belt Line, Arts Council and many more.. Please look at her whole record and compare that to Ms. Waites. They are not similar.
Keisha, if Scott Henry is attacking you, you are doing something right! Congratulations! You join Anita Beaty, Mable Thomas, Michael Bond, Mary Norwood, & myself in the the elite Scott Henry Survivors club! You're in great, progressive company, girl. Just keep your head up and keep your eye on the prize! See you Tuesday!
Scott: Great, great story. Keisha would be so much more credible if she wasn't always running for something... anything... That said, based on the primary results, she clearly has a great ground game. Her base is motivated. We'll see if Joan Garner's supporters are as passionate and her campaign team focused on voter turnout. Your "endorsement" may only enflame Keisha's supporters even more! Whoever wins in the runoff truly deserves to represent Fulton District 6. If Nancy Boxill had been more visible over last few years, and had made a clear case for why Fulton County matters to intown residents, this might not be such a close race.
I think Keisha Waites will win in a land slide. I just hopes that she has enough poll workers to watch the polls.
Among the reasons I'm voting for Garner is her strong support for the Fulton County Arts Council. As the bubbas under the Gold Dome try to zero out state support for the arts, making Georgia unique in an undesirable sense, the FCAC helps make Atlanta home to a vibrant arts scene.
(BTW, I don't mean to be unfair to thoughtful Bubbas out there.......)
I think for someone who cliams not to know either canadate personally, should have wrote your article as such. Keshia Waites has more heart determination and most certianly cares about Fulton county more than her opponent who has only campaigned on the northside side of Fulton County. It seems the other folks south of her district don't matter, in my opinion, Fulton County District six needs true representation for all it's citizens not just the ones with assumed money... Voters ought to really give that some thought and see who the Real Joan Garner is, not saying she is a bad person but selective in who she cares to try and represent... Real talk...
The APN is known to sell its endorsement to the highest bidder... or at least say three different candidates in three different races i've talked to, plus supporters of other candidates/races who were running against each other.
I used to have some respect for APN, but since its lop-sided endorsements and associated mud-slinging campaigns against candidates they've never even talked to in the past 2 election cycles, now....
So even if you don't like Scott Henry saying K.Waites is tempermentally combative, at least it's an opinion based on having actually talked to her face to face.
That said, I don't care for either one of them, and don't think either one of them is going to have the slightest interest in dismantling Fulton Co. government down to its appropriate size for the number of people it *actually* serves past Grady/Marta/Library - the vast majority of services folks need are provided now by municipalities. There is no reason for more of my property tax dollars to go to Fulton Co. than the City of Atlanta...
Intowner, I was just wondering why are you referring to APN when it was Creative Loafing that wrote this article. Secondly if you don't care for either canadate why post your negative insignificant opinion then? There are lots of people who actually care about who represents them and still believe in this system which happens to be the only system we have to work with and hopefully change...
It may also interest to know intowner, that the establisment canadate Joan Garner had a well financed campaign with all the support from the establishment, while Keshia Waites did not, but what she had was heart and determination and a belief and passion for what she was doing, this is what made the difference and made her the front runner in a day where the more money you have, the more likey you are expected to win. APN was not paid by the Waites campaign and you should really get your facts together before speaking of things you could possibly know nothing about, no disrepect intended, just the facts...
My vote is for Joan, not because of this article - but I know first hand her level of involvement from a grass roots level up. I interned for Joan as an undergrad in fact, and can tell you she was serious business. Organized, not about fluff, wasted cost or anything of the sort.
Quite often, qualified candidates are too disenchanted with public office and stay in the non-profit sector. Atlanta would count itself lucky to have a driving force like her, even if there are some larger bureaucratic issues to correct.
Lajones 82: I really respect your posts here, though I do happen to be a supporter of Joan Garner. At this point, I think the main message to any Fulton County District 6 voter is: "Please vote on Tues Aug 10. It's important."
Why bash Keisha for continuing to offer her self for service? Abe Lincoln lost 16 elections...yet he is known to be one of America's greatest Presidents!
This is the most lame piece of crap article Scott has ever written. You show your true level of ignorance and a clear fear of REAL Change! No one cares if either of these chicks are "clit lickers" thats irrelevant to how they will serve us in government. I know both of them and have for more than a decade. Joan Garner is a GO-GA and she is a pawn for the establishment. Boxill exit is timely as she would otherwise be leaving in handcuffs! We need a fresh approach and that's KEISHA WAITES!
If we elect someone whose only goal seems to be holding office, we deserve an even higher level of disfunction in Fulton gov't and we deserve the increased support for Milton County that will inevitably follow. We can only hope that the casual voter who picked Keisha Waites in the primary because of familiarity won't be troubled enough to vote in the runoff.
Scott Henry is a very sad person who clearl does not get laid and endorses who ever Nan Orrock tells him too. Not a real journalist. I guess thats why he hummm works for Creative Loafing and for what I hear not for very long. Change is coming to this crappy paper...You guys don't even have a clue what brass is up too.
I wish you held the same standards to all the politicians who run every year. You don't because you and your political allies do not support candidates like Kiesha because she is not in your little network. You and your entire crowd are scared of someone getting elected without kissing your wannabe crown. You never mention any issues of substance in supporting Joan. It's just anybody but Keisha. You list Joan's support among elected officials as a plus when some of them are the very ones screwing up this city (Nancy "lazy" Boxill). You are supposed to be a journalist you aren't and it is time for people to stand up and send a message to people like you who are destroying journalism with your personal feelings. You have NO credability on any issue. Stop participating in gossip and listening to people with their own motives for villifying certain candidates and take some time to truly get to know these communties you try and talk about and look at both sides of the issue. Keisha has been losing because she is not an establishment candidate with the blessings of the so called elite in politics - including your biased so newsrag. Atlanta needs a newspaper that does not run with politicos but, instead, COVER them. Enough said...we know you will not be objective because you are "bought and paid for" with your on motives for your coverage. Now let's DARE Scott Henry to list all the campaigns of all the politicians he covers even if they are winning. He won't! Scott Henry IS NOT an honest and objective journalist.
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