Atlanta Progressive News

(APN) ATLANTA — In our continuing coverage of Atlanta’s Mayoral and City Council elections, Atlanta Progressive News sat down with Dwanda Farmer, a candidate for Post 1 at large, to learn about her position on the issues.

Farmer is running for the seat being vacated by Ceasar Mitchell, who is running for President of City Council. Also running for this seat are Michael Julian Bond, Adam Brackman, and Chris Vaughn; several other previous candidates did not participate in qualifying.

So far, in our in-depth coverage, APN has brought you one-on-one interviews with all five major mayoral candidates [Lisa Borders, Mary Norwood, Kasim Reed, Jesse Spikes, and Glenn Thomas, with Mr. Thomas having since dropped out of the race]; City Council President candidates Ceasar Mitchell and Clair Muller; Post 1 at large candidates Michael Julian Bond, Adam Brackman, and Clarence Turner [Mr. Turner having since dropped out of the race]; and Post 2 at large candidate Amir Farokhi. More interviews may be forthcoming, time allowing.

We also brought you a candidate questionnaire for District 6, the seat being vacated by Anne Fauver, who is retiring, in which three candidates participated in the survey: Bahareh Azizi, Steve Brodie, and Liz Coyle. APN has already also sent out a questionnaire for District 11, the seat being vacated by Jim Maddox, who is retiring; answers are due October 1, 2009. So stay tuned for more…

Here is what Farmer had to say in response to questions posed by the news service:

INCREASING AFFORDABLE HOUSING

“I would put greater investment with the Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDO’s), who’ve paved the way for redevelopment in distressed communities… like Mechanicsville, Summerhill, Vine City, the Old Fourth Ward, and Pittsburgh,” Farmer said.

Farmer said she would put more emphasis in obtaining federal grants like Community Development Block Grants and HOME funds, and make sure they are spent more appropriately.

“I’m gonna make sure part of that money goes to the Community Development corporations; their work supports affordable housing. You’re looking at probably 50% affordable housing units. They’re interested in the community, unlike developers; they’re gonna make an investment,” Farmer said.

APN shared with Farmer its recent findings regarding the Beltline Affordable Housing Trust Fund and how the funds used to support rentals will only require 15% affordable units, affordable to people making up to 60% of Area Median Income. As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, although the Beltline Affordable Housing Advisory Board recommended that 10% of the total units be set aside for those making up to 30% of AMI, Beltline Inc. and the Atlanta Development Authority opposed those recommendations.

“You’re telling us there’s no place for affordable housing in Atlanta?” Farmer responded. “That’s what city’s using subsidies to support? We should give affordable housing, not market rate. Let the market rate people get a loan from a bank.”

“They need to build the city so everyone can live in it. Housing is a right,” Farmer said. “It [new developments] can be done with 100% affordability.”

Farmer also says she supports inclusionary zoning, as do other candidates, including Ceasar Mitchell, Bahareh Azizi, Liz Coyle, and others. “If people are using public money, inclusionary zoning should be mandatory; you saved on development costs.”

“There’s no reason for the government to support private development unless it has a public benefit, i.e., affordable housing. Otherwise, leave it to the free market economy,” Farmer said.

“I’ve already used the tools of government to help developers produce more than 500 units of affordable housing. I know how to create affordable housing,” Farmer said.

In a press release announcing her somewhat-late entry into the race, Farmer wrote, “I have used every financial tool of government to support community and business development including: LIHTC, bond finance, HOME, CDBG, HUD, ESG, Ryan White, New Market Tax Credits, and NSP Funds.”

BELTLINE AND GENTRIFICATION

“I’ve always just been lukewarm about it [the Beltline]. I don’t believe the transportation piece is ever gonna happen- it’s the piece I desire to have,” Farmer said.

“If there’s not gonna be affordable housing in it, what’s there to get so excited about? Why put the public investment? I’m for a free market economy, I’m sorry,” Farmer said.

“You was the devil in this town if you didn’t support the Beltline when they were trying to pass that TAD,” Farmer said.

“How can you not support greenspace? We need it. How can you not support transit? We need it. But by the time we do get it, I’ll be dead,” Farmer said.

“My concern related to displacement is the mental debilitation of the people displaced from their homestead. You can’t put a value on that. When a person has a home, a place that they consider to be home, now someone tells them you have to move? There’s a mental harm to that person. People don’t feel like they have a home or a stake in their home,” Farmer said.

“When they were doing the HOPE VI [public housing redevelopment] in my neighborhood, people displaced had the opportunity to remain in the neighborhood, to have access to transportation and where the central jobs are. Some people in McDaniel Glen had never left that community. That [displacing them] would be just like me picking you up and taking you to Cuba and dropping you off,” Farmer said.

“I really have concern for seniors. Looking at their homes, some people say, oh, it’s an eyesore. But it’s theirs. We have a senior owner-occupied rehabilitation fund,” Farmer said.

“It’s not that we don’t have resources, we don’t have the will to help people,” Farmer said.

Regarding gentrification, “People want their neighborhood to be pretty. People want vacant lots gone. They want businesses in the community. All these things require economic development. So, because it requires economic development, what do you have to do? You have to get people with higher incomes, you have to do a mixed income model,” Farmer said.

“But there has to be places for people along the whole spectrum. That means you have to get homeless people off the street in somewhere clean, safe, and decent. Then you have to have housing for the working poor. You need to have places for your young yuppies and buppies. You need places for the established elite. We all need to live together,” Farmer said.

“If a developer gets a dime of public money, he must–not voluntarily–be required to deliver affordable housing units in his project. I’d say 10 to 20% should be required. I probably would stack it: the more subsidy you get, the lower income you need to serve because you already got money on the front end,” Farmer said.

CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT?

APN noted that Farmer identifies herself on the website, Facebook, as a Conservative Democrat, and asked Farmer what that means.

“That means a lot of things are nice to have, but you have to pay for them,” Farmer said. “I’m all about promoting businesses; I believe in the free market,” Farmer said.

“Go back to public housing. See how [it]… created a crutch? It was not meant for people to live in from generation to generation. What they failed to do was to provide opportunities for people to come out of public housing,” Farmer said.

“If public housing had been centers of support over the last 50 years, if people had been able to get child care, job training, educational supports to get out of public housing quickly, then we could’ve prevented this as a generational curse,” Farmer said.

PUBLIC HOUSING DEMOLITIONS

“I have great concerns about the manner in which displacement occurred and the demolition proceeded. What the Atlanta Housing Authority had available for public housing, they should’ve gotten rid of; it was inhumane,” Farmer said.

“My concern now is, there’s no public housing. Atlanta Housing Authority doesn’t have enough ownership in… voucher units. That voucher is paying a private individual who has the option to rent. Any day they decide not to rent to [voucher-holders] anymore, what is the Atlanta Housing Authority gonna do?” Farmer said.

That’s not a hypothetical question; AHA has done and will do nothing.

“There’s developers out there with all houses on Section 8,” Farmer said.

“First of all, they [AHA] didn’t care. People stood up in meetings and said, maybe I have a criminal record, but now because of HOPE VI, I can’t live there,” Farmer said. Indeed, many residents of public housing did not qualify for vouchers; they were eligible for a small one-time payment but it is likely many did not even receive the payment. “If a criminal record [disqualified people from getting assistance]… you should’ve said that 10 years ago.”

“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and like a human being and I don’t think they [AHA] did that. People were being threatened with being evicted, like if you say one more thing in these meetings, you’re out of here,” Farmer said.

METRO ATLANTA TASK FORCE FOR THE HOMELESS

“I love Midtown. I want it to be a vibrant community,” Farmer said. “Again, there has to be places for everyone. If you don’t like how the Task Force is conducting it’s business, go over there and lend them a hand if you can do better, instead of running them off.”

“Homelessness is all of our problem. Everybody has to do their part in support of the less fortunate that live among us,” Farmer said.

“I would stand in full support of federal funding and City funding. If I had to attach [provisions]… redirecting some of their activities, I would, but I wouldn’t withhold help,” Farmer said.

RE-EXTENDING BAR AND CLUB HOURS

“We need to expand our entertainment options. The city’s not as fun as it used to be,” Farmer said. “I would support that; there should be a little drink tax to go with that.”

PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OF THREE MILLS

“I don’t think they should’ve done it,” Farmer said. “I hear them say that’s the only way to restore public safety and I don’t believe them.”

“We had $50 million in uncollected revenue: water bills and taxes. Going forward I will not be raising taxes on the backs of the City of Atlanta. Get the money from somewhere else. Every venue–the Dome, Phillips Arena, the Fox Theatre, the Opera–charge extra money on those tickets,” Farmer said.

About the author:

Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor for Atlanta Progressive News and is reachable at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com.

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