Mayor Franklin discusses the public safety and economic challenges for Atlanta in 2009, and her plans to leave Atlanta economically sound at the end of her term. She points to the way the people of Atlanta tackled their water infrastructure problems as an example of the city's can-do attitude.
Shirley Franklin is the 58th mayor of Atlanta. She is also the first female mayor and the first African American woman to serve as mayor of a major southern city. Her term ends in 2009. Franklin served as one of the co-chairs of the 2008 National Democratic Convention. She has held leadership roles in the US Conference of Mayors as the chair of the women's caucus, co-chair of the tourism task force and a member of the environmental committee. She was the first Atlanta mayor to serve as president of the Georgia Municipal Association, which is the only state organization that represents the 502 local governments in Georgia.