Personal Information:

• Married 25 years, two adult children

• Board Member, Central Atlanta Neighbors (downtown neighborhood civic organization)

• Board Member, Beacon of Hope (provides family services in downtown Atlanta including daycare for needy families)

• Owner Operator – O’Terrill’s Irish Pub, Downtown Atlanta

• Licensed Professional Engineer, State of Georgia– Environmental Engineer

• Member, Georgia Society of Professional Engineers

• United States Marine Corps, Honorable Discharge

Dear Fellow Residents:

Atlanta has been my home for over four decades.

I have watched with disgust over the years as city administrations have increased the tax burden on all of us and squandered these revenues through corrupt dealings, mismanagement and foolish endeavors, all the while the services we pay for have been reduced and the crime in our city has increased.

It is my intent to change this.

I am a licensed Professional Engineer and have over twenty-five years experience operating businesses and creating jobs. I will use my engineering and business experience to bring integrity and financial stability back to our city and provide a better quality of life for all Atlanta residents.

Complete Audit of Every City Department

The responsible financial administration of all of the city’s departments is in question. I will initiate a complete audit of all departments so the waste of taxpayers’ money can be eliminated.

Privatize Services

Too often our leaders have chosen to operate many of our city’s departments as “jobs programs” rather than as efficiently run, taxpayer-funded public service necessities. I believe some of the services now provided by the city would be more efficiently managed by private industry.

Atlanta’s International Airport

Atlanta’s taxpayers receive little financial gain from the operations at our international airport. It appears that the only people profiting from our airport are the friends and family members of elected officials. This needs to change. The operation of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport should directly benefit all of Atlanta’s residents. Renegotiating contracts and/or putting the airport under private management must be considered so that political cronyism does not drain financial resources from our city.

City Bidding Process

I will invigorate the bidding process for products and services. By making it easier for private businesses to competitively bid on city contracts, the taxpayers of Atlanta will realize costs savings in the operation of our government.

Underground Atlanta

Underground Atlanta is a chronic money drain to our city. It currently costs the taxpayers of our city over $5 million per year. I will work to make Underground Atlanta the site of the state of Georgia's sole casino with one half of the revenues received from the casino operations going to support Grady Hospital and the other half used to fund Atlanta's public safety and infrastructure improvements.

Property Taxes

Atlanta property owners are overtaxed. They will benefit from the savings of a fiscally responsible city government by a reduction in their property taxes.

Atlanta Police Turnover Rate

The high turnover rate for our police officers threatens our ability to maintain a trained professional police force. Some of the factors contributing to the low retention rate of seasoned officers are the suspension of step pay increases and the perception of cronyism in the force’s promotion processes. I will address these issues so that our police personnel know they are being paid a fair salary and that each member of the force has an equal opportunity for advancement based on their service, abilities and knowledge.

Street Crimes

Street crimes lower the quality of life for all residences of Atlanta, and these are on the rise. A major factor to this rise is the lack of punishment for the criminals. The average perpetrator of street crimes in Atlanta is a repeat offender who has been routinely processed through our judicial system with little or no consequence for his or her crimes. These criminals are routinely released back into our neighborhoods within hours of being arrested because of what the courts say is “jail overcrowding.”

I believe that we can take back our streets by requiring criminals convicted of petty crimes to serve their sentence in public service rather than simply being released back into our community. The public service I envision will be called the “PSR Program,” which stands for the Pick, Shovel and Rake Program. I want these street criminals working 8 AM until 5PM daily Picking up trash along our roadways, Shoveling in and repairing potholes and sidewalks, and Raking and cleaning up our public parks. The guarantee of punishment and the aggressive enforcement of vagrancy, panhandling and loitering ordinances will help to bring order back to our streets.

If you elect me to serve as your mayor of Atlanta, I will do the following:

1. Audit every department to cut the waste of the taxpayers’ money and bring fiscal responsibility back to city government.

2. Privatize services where appropriate.

3. Amend contracts with the Atlanta Airport so that taxpayers directly benefit from airport business.

4. Encourage competitive bids for suppliers throughout the city.

5. Address the high turnover rate for Atlanta police officers.

6. Enforce vagrancy, panhandling and loitering ordinances throughout the city and require community service for all convicted petty criminals.

Thank you, for your support.

Rufus Terrill, candidate for Mayor of Atlanta