Candidate Profile: Kim Scott 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.

Kim Scott is running for Atlanta City Council Post District 4.

Age (as of Election Day)

47

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Atlanta runs deep in my roots. I know and love this city. Andrew Scott, my dad, grew up in Mechanicsville and is now retired, was a janitor with the Atlanta Public Schools where he started at 18 and worked there for 32 years. He graduated from West Fulton High School. My mother, Yvonne Carter, grew up in Grove Park and graduated from Turner High School. I have one brother and a host of close cousins that live in Atlanta. After I graduated from Vanderbilt University, I returned to Atlanta and have been serving in the community that I love ever since.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

Education:
Frederick Douglass High School
Vanderbilt University, B.E., Chemical Engineering

Occupation

Profession:
City of Atlanta, Former Engineer and Project Director
Intown Realty Development, CEO
Introduce a Girl to Engineering, Inc., CEO

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Immediate Past Chair of Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU)-T
Historic Atlanta, Board Member
Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, Governmental Affairs Committee Member
Women in Commercial Real Estate (CREW), Board Member
Empire Board of Realtists (EBR) Development Council, Chair
Fulton County Homestead Exemption Taskforce, Taskforce Member
West End Historic District Neighborhood, Past President
NPU-T Zoning Committee, Chairperson

Campaign website

www.kimscottatl.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love my City and Atlanta’s District 4. The core of the work I do is to serve and advocate for the community. I have been working in the community for 15 years. I am running to be the next Atlanta City Councilmember for District 4 because our neighborhoods continue to struggle with code enforcement, blight, housing, speeding, street flooding and transportation issues. I've watched our Downtown, Southwest, and South Atlanta neighborhoods go without the resources and services they need and deserve for nearly 30 years.

People just like me who know we deserve better than we are getting from City Hall are signing up to say we want safer neighborhoods. We want stable, affordable workforce housing. We want better schools and to get the city services we are paying for.

Many of you already know I spent 7 years as an Engineer with the City of Atlanta. I know how to get things done starting on day one. Our neighborhoods deserve responsive and strategic leadership. Many of us have had to rely on each other to get things done in our communities. That’s because representation matters and it’s time to make a change. I’m that change: someone that will continue to promote, partner and invest in our communities so that we are the best Atlanta District to live, work and play.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

It is evident in the deeply entrenched poverty in Atlanta that we have some policies and practices at the city level that contribute to the stagnated and depressed economic mobility of some of our citizens. If we want to tackle housing, crime, affordability, etc. in Atlanta, this is an opportunity for the city to step back and assess how and what we need to grow our city in a way that is beneficial to all our stakeholders. It is an opportunity to actually see all of our stakeholders and include them in the planning and strategy as well as an opportunity to stop, review, revise and revisit policies and practices that have intentionally and unintentionally harmed our most vulnerable populations. As a longtime leader who works both in the community and the business world, I am uniquely positioned to help Atlanta turn the corner on this issue.

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

The qualities I bring are responsiveness, as well as solution oriented, strategic and participative leadership. We in District 4 continue to struggle with code enforcement, affordable housing, community safety, street speeding, community flooding, and transportation issues. A good number of community members don’t believe they have adequate representation of their issues and that their concerns are not being addressed by the incumbent. I want to change that perception and bring responsive representation to District 4.

Also, the core of the work I do is to serve and advocate for the community. My experience as a City of Atlanta Engineer & Project Director working primarily on the flooding issues in Atlanta led me to my work in the community for the last 15 years. I know local government so once elected I don't need on the job training. Additionally I ran for this seat in 2017 and missed the runoff with the incumbent by 278 votes. My work as a community leader started before that race, has continued after that race and combined with my local government experience I'm uniquely qualified to serve as our next Atlanta City Councilmember for District 4.

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

N/A

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

I would support policies or initiatives that (1) helps the city allocate swiftly and without delay, the rental and mortgage emergency funding provided by the federal government for renters, landlords, and homeowners; (2) provides testing and vaccine centers for city residents and specifically school staff and students; (3) provides hazard pay policy for front-line City employees; (4) provides emergency fund to provide assistance to those impacted by COVID-19; (5) provides a temporary moratorium on residential evictions and filings for a period of time; (6) use the recreation centers as after school programs and educational hubs; (7) support providing free after school meals and snacks to APS students; and (8) rent relief efforts for seniors, families, and other residents who live in AH-owned or subsidized units and have lost income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

First let me say that I believe that everyone in Atlanta should feel safe regardless of where you live and your income. I believe some of the roots causes are entrenched in systemic racism and retribution starts with our kids. I believe that our kids are our future and I want to be the best advocate that APS has had with continued partnerships and providing opportunities so that they can be successful. I believe that our recreational centers need to be open and state of the art and I will advocate for programming that not only includes after-school initiatives but programs for the entire family. I advocate for stable working-class housing opportunities so we the "working class" can live where we work and play. In response to the uptick in crime, I'm the only City Council District 4 candidate with a public safety plan which I address infrastructure improvements such as passable sidewalks, security cameras that work, and repairing streetlights as part of fighting crime in Atlanta's District 4.

To address violent crime in Atlanta, I believe we need to take a multi-pronged approach. To address the recent uptick in violent crime, the City should hire the appropriate city staff i.e. PAD (pre-arrest diversion), 311/911, code enforcement, and officers where needed and the City Council should support the city by providing the resources and funding needed. We also must take a proactive look at crime by looking at the data and determining what are the root causes, do we have the right policies/practices in place to address public safety and crime, what are the greatest needs related to crime in our city and identifying and designating the funding and resources needed to support and sustain proactive programs.

I am also a supporter of PAD and other Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs. The role I would like to see diversion and alternatives to policing initiatives, such as PAD, play is to become fully integrated into the city’s public safety strategy and the city fully fund the initiative. I would like to see police officers focus on serious incidents and PAD and other alternatives could focus on the quality of life concerns and low-level offenses or ordinance violations. I would also call for the analysis of 911 calls, reported incidents, and violations for 5 years to identify the areas where policing alternatives are feasible. The city council could follow the plan used by PAD in developing its 311 Community Referral Expansion. PAD studied 3.5 years of 911 call data, co-hosted virtual listening sessions with other organizations, surveyed City of Atlanta residents, and convened stakeholder working groups.

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

Oppose and it's unfortunate that we are at this point. If Buckhead City is created then their share of City Services would have to be paid by the remaining Atlanta residents which could ultimately result in higher and more taxation. However, there is still time to come to the table and find solutions to the issues. Buckhead breaking from the City of Atlanta would be detrimental to all communities including Buckhead. There is nothing that we can’t solve if we sit down at the table together in good faith, identify the root issues, identify strategies and solutions and compromises. It is also important to look at the data so that we can develop data-driven solutions. We need to identify areas of compromise and consensus.

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?

Again, If Buckhead City is created then their share of City Services would have to be paid by the remaining Atlanta residents which could ultimately result in higher and more taxation. However, there is still time to come to the table and find solutions to the issues. Buckhead breaking from the City of Atlanta would be detrimental to all communities including Buckhead. There is nothing that we can’t solve if we sit down at the table together in good faith, identify the root issues, identify strategies and solutions and compromises. It is also important to look at the data so that we can develop data-driven solutions. We need to identify areas of compromise and consensus.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My Blueprint for District 4 is (1) Investing in Our Children; (2) Maintaining Safe and Inviting Neighborhoods; (3) Building Affordable Housing; and (4) Developing our Workforce. We deserve better streets and safe communities. We deserve clean trash free neighborhoods. We deserve street lights that work. We deserve better housing and more job opportunities. We deserve better in District 4. I have the plan … the BluePrint to make District 4 better.

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

The core of the work I do is to serve and advocate for the community. My experience as a City of Atlanta Engineer & Project Director working primarily on the flooding issues in Atlanta led me to my work in the community for the last 15 years. Here are a few other accomplishments:
Worked on the Fulton County Homestead exemption task force to eliminate the need for seniors to reapply at ages 62, 65 and 70 for senior exemptions and increase income limits to allow eligible retired seniors to qualify for exemptions earlier.
Led a District 4 community and business partnership with NPU-Tand APS to open an educational pod in the Washington school cluster to support students and parents impacted by Covid-19 school closings.
Developed a strong Community Benefits Agreement for the West End Mall redevelopment that included a local jobs preference program within a 2-5 mile radius of the redevelopment.
Helped our legacy residents with their tax bills and tax appeals and to protect them against significant property tax increases.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I'm a Christian and faith in Jesus Christ is what sustains me daily. The best advice given to me is to trust the Lord will all my heart and lean not to my own understanding. In all my ways acknowledge to Jesus Christ as My Lord and Savior and he will direct my paths. I try and make this part of my daily regimen and incorporate it in my decision-making.

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

I love the City of Atlanta and Atlanta's District 4. Serving and advocating for my community is at the core of who I am and what I do. We need a Champion in Atlanta's district 4 and I plan to be just that as our next Atlanta City Councilmember for District 4.