Candidate Profile: Brandon Cory Goldberg For Atlanta City Council

ATLANTA — Fifty-six City Council candidates are running for 16 seats in Atlanta's Nov. 2 municipal election

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Age (as of Election Day)

36

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Single

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Cornell University, Emory University School of Law

Occupation

Attorney — 11 Years of Experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A — First-Time Candidate

Campaign website

www.brandoncorygoldberg.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

An attorney and resident of Midtown, I am extensively involved in Atlanta. From the Stonewall Bar Association to the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition to the Democratic Party and many more organizations, I have immersed myself in the fabric of Atlanta — striving to help build bridges and working hard to make Atlanta a city for all its residents.

My engagement in Atlanta is reflected in the constant meetings and events that I lead. Working with friends, community partners, and people from all walks of life, my favorite way to spend my time is helping one of my many organizations better Atlanta.

As several of my executive roles in community organizations came to an end, it was clear I needed to find my next way to serve. Exploring the various options, I saw that City Council is a place where I can bring my experience of bridge-building to a greater level. There was a need for a change in this particular Council seat, and I decided to make my pitch to Atlanta for a better way of solving our problems by finding sustainable solutions with broad buy-in from different perspectives.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The greatest issue facing Atlanta is our community divide. What prevents us from solving our other issues, such as public safety, housing equity, and transportation, is the divide in our community. We need not look any further than the 2017 mayoral runoff to see the stark divide in Atlanta. We need to bring people together from different backgrounds and points of view to identify solutions that will have buy-in from all sides. That’s how we find effective, sustainable solutions. My campaign’s advisory committees are designed to do just this, and my experience in our community is in bringing different perspectives together to find solutions. I have advisory committees dedicated to public safety, COVID-19 economic recovery, housing equity, transportation, and diversity.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

We can all identify the major issues impacting Atlanta. However, I’m the only candidate putting forward specific solutions and doing so with the benefit of my extensive campaign advisory committees. Information about the committees and their members is available on my campaign website. My ideas are designed to have broad appeal and buy-in to ensure sustainability. I can walk folks from any background and perspective through my positions with diligence and substance, showing them exactly why I am taking the positions I have taken and how the solutions I’m calling for will speak to folks from all sides of a particular issue. My committees are reflective of my high-level community engagement, and none of my opponents have looked to such a detailed approach for defining in detail and solving in detail our city’s problems.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Google: "Michael Julian Bond ethics"

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Their response was reactive and short-term. I would have worked with businesses on long-term strategies for surviving the economic downturn. I would have helped establish private-private business partnerships so that larger companies could help smaller companies with grants, loans, and mentorship. I would have also worked with various companies and entities to better serve those who were furloughed and unemployed. Hours-long food lines is not a satisfactory answer. While the state's failures made the situation far worse, that is not an excuse for ineffective local leadership.

What do you identify as the root causes of the recent and ongoing increase in violent crime, and how would you address the issue?

Expanding unemployment and economic hardship have increased crime. Additionally, there has been a further breakdown in trust between the police and the community. Atlanta should recruit police from all corners of our city. Our police should live locally to their patrols so that there’s built-in trust with their neighbors and small business owners. We need to make sure police are well trained and well-compensated. That way, we will retain our officers and provide them with the education they need to do their job effectively and equitably.

Police alternatives are also critical. I fully support expanding PAD’s resources to ensure they are not only available city-wide, but that PAD actually has the ability to respond city-wide. We need to reserve our police for instances of true public safety issues. PAD and the police should coordinate to ensure all of our responses provide safety for the responders. Additionally, we should not be sending our police to respond to civil enforcement issues like zoning violations. The zoning authority should be handling those issues. The presence of police escalates situations; their very uniform creates heightened tension. And so, we should focus on enforcing our laws and providing a safe city for our residents while recognizing that different issues call for different responses.

Do you support or oppose the creation of Buckhead City? Why or why not?

Buckhead cityhood would be disastrous for all involved. It is common knowledge that Buckhead is responsible for an oversized percentage of the financial base for the city. If Buckhead were to break away, then that financial loss would significantly decrease the resources for the remainder of Atlanta. This in turn would lead to weakened public and human services in Atlanta, along with a general economic downturn. Crime would inevitably increase even further, and the crime would flow to where the money tends to be, which is Buckhead.

How would your administration react to the creation of Buckhead City and the resulting loss of a major residential, commercial and cultural center and significant source of tax revenue? How would you respond to residents and businesses in that community if cityhood were rejected?

Buckhead will not separate from Atlanta, period. This does not mean that Buckhead does not have legitimate concerns when it comes to public safety. The recent rise in brazen and dangerous criminal activity in Buckhead is indeed troubling and needs to be dealt with immediately. At the same time, it is important to remember that the rise in crime is city-wide. In some parts of the city, these types of violent crimes have been going on for a while. Our city should not be focusing on addressing crime solely because the crime is now impacting Buckhead; Atlanta should have been addressing crime long ago. However, we are where we are now, and public safety needs to be guaranteed to all Atlantans in an effective, yet equitable, way.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The use of auditing and an Inspector General needs to be vastly expanded. Mismanagement of funds and programming, such as with the WorkSource grant and HOPWA, are unfortunately perfect examples of Atlanta falling short in areas where we should be excelling. This kind of mismanagement is totally unacceptable, and only through closer auditing and review can City Council and the Mayor work together to ensure effective governance. Council should regularly call before its committees the city officials overseeing efforts that are falling short. Explanations should be provided by those officials, and corrective action should be presented as well. The Inspector General’s office should provide day-to-day oversight, ensuring ethical and legal management of our funds.

Auditing should also be regularly carried out just as a means of good governance. As the last year has shown us, while we should empower our police to provide public safety in an effective, yet equitable, way, we should also audit the force to ensure they are receiving the proper training and guidance in order to do so and that their conduct is matching our expectations. Auditing the department will help inform where the city is falling short. But government agency auditing should not be limited to the police force.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Through my numerous community leadership roles, I have developed a leadership strategy that has been very effective. I have also observed other trusted leaders and learned from them as well. When an issue comes up for discussion, I always listen first, speaking only toward the end. I do this for two reasons. First, when a leader shares their opinion, that will instinctively impact the views of the other people in the conversation. I need to hear unbiased thoughts. Second, on the rare occasions when I do feel the need to make a point early in a conversation, speaking early will carry even more weight. Once the discussion is concluded, I make the call with confidence. I work with all involved to carry out the decision, and I make sure those who disagreed with the outcome feel valued and remain engaged.

While serving on Council, I will of course not be in a singular leadership role. For my own office, I will utilize the approach identified above. As a part of Council, through listening, respectful discussion, and collaboration, I will work with my colleagues to find creative solutions to any issue we face and to craft legislation and plans to move our city forward.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When writing the story of your life, don't let anyone else hold the pen.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Thank you for the opportunity to provide these answers. Please always feel free to contact me at brandon@brandoncorygoldberg.com or 404-981-5778.