Franklin, Shirley, 1945-
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Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American educator and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 58th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, the fourth African American and first woman to serve as the city's mayor.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. before earning a B.A. degree in sociology from Howard University and an M.A. degree, also in sociology, from the University of Pennsylvania. After teaching political science at Talladega College in Alabama for nearly a decade, Shirley Clarke Franklin was appointed by Mayor Maynard Jackson to the post of Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for the City of Atlanta in 1978. When Jackson was succeeded by Mayor Andrew Young, she was named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager. Franklin gained notoriety as one of the officials who helped bring the Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1992.
Her 2001 run for mayor was her first run for public office. She won, succeeding Mayor Bill Campbell after winning 50 percent of the vote, defeating several candidates including Democrat Robb Pitts (33 percent). Facing a massive and unexpected budget deficit, Franklin slashed the number of government employees and increased taxes to balance the budget as quickly as possible. In order to fight the deficit, she cut city spending beginning with her own salary and that of her staff. Despite reducing the deficit she improved city services and hired more police and firefighters. Time magazine named Franklin one of the five best big-city mayors in 2005. Later in 2005, Franklin ran for reelection and with support from the business community, and won nearly 90% of the vote. During her second term she focused on improving the city’s educational system. She also led the effort to have the Martin Luther King Papers housed at Morehouse College rather than sold at auction. Budget problems remained, however, and in 2008, when the Atlanta City Council refused to enact tax increases, Franklin announced more cuts and layoffs.
Upon leaving office in 2009, she was appointed to an endowed chair at Spelman College and served until June 2011. She later served as the Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor of Ethics and Political Values at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. A former member of Delta Air Lines' Board of Directors, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mueller Water Products.
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- City Government Appointee
- Mayors
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- DC, US
- TX, US
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- GA, US
