APN Releases Atlanta Council Scorecard for Year-end 2019 (UPDATE 1)
(APN) ATLANTA — Atlanta Progressive News has updated its Atlanta City Council Scorecard with a November 2019 update that includes several new votes that have taken place in the third and fourth quarters of 2019.
There is one Full Council Meeting left for the remainder of the year.
The Scorecard is especially noteworthy at this time as it reveals information about eight new members of Council, including seven new members who began in 2018 and Antonio Brown, who replaced the late Ivory Lee Young, Jr., in a Special Election in April 2019.
Councilman Brown, who is now scored on eight votes, has a score of fifty out of a hundred, and is now in fifth place.
Councilwoman Andrea Boone (District 10) score has risen dramatically since the mid-2019 scorecard, from ninth place to fourth place. She is nearly tied for third place with Andre Dickens (Post 3-at-large).
Boone’s early scores had been weighed down by her votes in support of the Gulch redevelopment, which had occurred early in the new term. She had also been absent for a couple votes on public comment issues, where she would have likely voted in favor of the public, but was not scored because she was absent. Therefore, the new score is probably a more accurate reflection of her overall progressiveness.
The score of Councilman Matt Westmoreland (Post 2-at-large) has fallen precipitously at the same time, from second place with 69.23 percent, to tenth place with 40.9.
The score of Councilwoman Jennifer Ide (District 6) score similarly fell from fourth place with 61.54 to thirteenth place with 34.8.
Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong (District 5), Michael Julian Bond (Post 1-at-large), and Dickens remain in the top three positions, with scores of seventy (Archibong), 68.6 (Bond), and 53.1 (Dickens), respectively.
Councilman Dustin Hillis (District 9) currently has the lowest score, of 28.6.
The new scores are as follows:
NATALYN ARCHIBONG (D5) 70
MICHAEL JULIAN BOND (1-AT LARGE) 68.6
ANDRE DICKENS (3-AT LARGE) 53.1
ANDREA BOONE (D10) 52.9
ANTONIO BROWN (D3) 50
MARCI OVERSTREET (D11) 47.6
HOWARD SHOOK (D7) 43.4
CARLA SMITH (D1) 42.2
CLETA WINSLOW (D4) 41.1
MATT WESTMORELAND (2-AT LARGE) 40.9
AMIR FAROKHI (D2) 38.1
J.P. MATZIGKEIT (D8) 38.1
JENNIFER IDE (D6) 34.8
JOYCE SHEPERD (D12) 33.8
DUSTIN HILLIS (D9) 28.6
APN added the following votes to the Scorecard:
- Atlanta Smoking ban, Overstreet amendment to exempt adult entertainment establishments (Support). Amendment failed.
- Atlanta Smoking ban (Oppose). Opposed due to contravention of our goals of decriminalization, and curtailment of freedom to choose where to work or dine. Ban passed.
- Baker Street conversion from one way to two way (Oppose). This was opposed by community members. It passed Council, but was later vetoed by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
- Task Force to reconsider name of Rodney Cook, Sr., Park in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood (Oppose). Donors gave money to fund this park, based on their reliance on the City’s representations that the park would honor Mr. Cook and others. Backing out now would have raised legal and contractual issues and would have been unfair. It was clear that extensive community input had taken place. Rejected by Council.
- Two Committee on Council votes in favor of limiting the public comment of former elected officials and officials from other governmental bodies, to two minutes (Oppose). Opposed because it is not required by the Federal Constitution, as urged by its proponents; and because it would harm participatory democracy. Approved by Committee twice, sent back to Committee by Full Council twice.
- Full Council vote sending public comment ordinance back to Committee on Council (Support).
- Suspension of rules to give more time to Ms. Jackye Rhodes to speak in public comment to address public safety issues in connection with the new median being installed on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive (Support). Council failed to suspend the rules due to lack of two-thirds majority of the full membership.
This is the first Scorecard in which APN scored Committee votes. In the past, we did not do that because we wanted to score votes in which all Councilmembers participated.
Now, with more than half of Councilmembers being scored only on a dozen or two votes because of their newness, it makes more sense to include Committee votes.
Councilwoman Smith continues to have the best record of attendance and participation in votes. She is currently scored based on ninety votes dating back to 2003, the most of any Councilmember.
(END / Copyright Atlanta Progressive News / 2019)
UPDATE 1: APN added an additional vote to the scorecard on Nov. 29, 2019, following the initial publication of this article on Nov. 24. The added vote is the 2018 vote on funding for the Pedestrian Bridge over Northside Drive.