Candidate Profile: Doug Shipman For Atlanta City County President

ATLANTA — Five candidates are running for the role of City Council President 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.

Doug Shipman is running for Atlanta City Council President.

Age (as of Election Day)

48

Party Affiliation

Nonpartisan race (but I'm a Democrat)

Family

Spouse- Dr. Bijal Shah
Daughter- Lena (9)
Daughter- Mara (7)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA- Emory University
Masters Public Policy- Harvard Kennedy School
Masters Theology- Harvard Divinity School

Occupation

CEO- Woodruff Arts Center (3 years)
CEO- BrightHouse Consulting (2 years)
CEO- National Center for Civil and Human Rights (8 years)
Consultant- Boston Consulting Group (7 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://dougshipman.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

I chose to run for City Council President because Atlanta is on the precipice of significant population and economic growth, but facing key challenges regarding public safety, a lack of economic mobility and a lack of a strong current or planned infrastructure to support people and businesses. I want to use both my skills and relationships to foster better public policy, to solidify old and new relationships and reinvigorate the involvement of communities and the private sector in moving public sector initiatives forward.

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

Public safety and wellness is the biggest near-term issue. I am best positioned given my long history of working across communities on big initiatives combined with my background in public policy and business. Public safety will require doing basics like incentives and training better while also investing in neglected communities so that every citizen feels invested in Atlanta. We need to expand our commitment to hiring specialists in mental health and domestic violence so that our officers and social workers are trained to respond to the needs of our residents. I have a history of building bridges between and across communities in Atlanta that will help as we rebuild trust between people and police.

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

I am the only candidate who is a three-time CEO with a proven commitment to this city demonstrated through my work at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Woodruff Arts Center, and BrightHouse Consulting.

I have deep community connections including my service with the Anti-Defamation League, the Carter Presidential Center, the Islamic Speakers Bureau, Easter Seals, Midtown Alliance, and Out of Hand Theater. I have experiences working across communities and sectors in Atlanta that I will bring to the role to create collaboration and engagement to move Atlanta forward.

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

Open Seat

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

I believe local officials responded well within the constraints placed on them by State and Federal officials. I would like to see more going out to communities to offer care and counseling-- making it as easy as possible for instance to receive a vaccination where you live.

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

I believe the root causes are a combination of COVID, the economic toll of COVID, mental health issues related to COVID and a broader decrease in police staff which has made community relationship building and de-escalation more difficult.
I believe we need to more directly support mental health needs, provide greater resources for unsheltered individuals, expand mental health and domestic violence specialists in our police force and continue investing in neglected neighborhoods to improve all parts of our city.

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

No — a Buckhead City will not solve Buckhead's problems and would significantly weaken the city of Atlanta and the entire region. In addition- Buckhead City would set an awful precedent that could hurt Atlanta and other Georgia cities and would likely lead to much higher financing costs across the state due to uncertain city revenues.

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?

I will work very hard to address the concerns of Buckhead residents and solve the challenges faced there which are similar to the entire city. I believe addressing the underlying issues will showcase why a unified Atlanta is a better Atlanta.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Economic Mobility and Equity

As we emerge from our current crises, we must broaden and lift the economic trajectory of our city. A neighborhood thrives when businesses are plentiful, healthy food is available, parks are close by, and people are supported as they build their families’ futures. We need better incentives and support for micro/small businesses
-Greater support for early childcare and education (0-4yrs old)
-Broader engagement of minority and women-owned businesses in city purchasing efforts
-Public-private partnerships to expand capital availability to MWBE businesses

Infrastructure and Sustainability

We need a long-term capital plan, with a clear funding mechanism, sustainable design, and strong oversight.
-Deploy existing transportation funding more rapidly on projects including prioritizing transit on the Beltline
-Develop more robust maintenance and repair efforts for basic infrastructure including roads, sidewalks, water management.
-Invest in green energy and water conservation, not only in public facilities but across our city including tying economic incentives to sustainability investments.

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

I have been able to lead major organizations and accomplish big initiatives. Leading the building of the Center for Civil and Human Rights required major collaboration, public-private partnerships and major project and budget management. Being the CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center required changing and improving operations, managing major annual and project budgets and building broad community relationships.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Focus on a few things that will matter 50 years from now- Mayor Shirley Franklin

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

The City Council President can play an important role to help the entire Council to provide transparency and oversight to ensure city service dollars are being spent well and services delivered.
- Appointment Finance Committee Chair who is diligent and committed to good analysis and transparency
- As City Council President I want to expand the budget and legal analysis resources available to Council members. We need greater daily analysis of city spending to increase transparency and improve overall management and service delivery
- The use of clear and simple public infographics and dashboards can allow greater public understanding on the reality of city service delivery (and build trust)
-The Open Checkbook site is a good start but we need better summary statistics and analytical tools to allow deeper and easier understanding (similar to the Neighborhood Nexus site). Data is useless unless it can be turned into usable insights

As City Council President I would also lead a citizen-inclusive effort to identify key metrics to track and regularly report on to increase ethics and transparency. This can include specific spending goals/outcomes, service delivery metrics, HR metrics for city employees, and neighborhood-specific metrics (eg- spending per council district, developer fees collected and spent per district).

I also believe that expanded participatory budgeting can increase citizen understanding and participation in the overall process and create greater transparency. This method empowers citizens (and journalists alike) to have greater insight into city processes and spending.