You ought to be in pictures, you’re wonderful to see

Late last night in the Ponce Kroger parking lot, a white-haired man approached me and told me Shirley Franklin would arrest him if he asked me anything. When I told him I didn’t have any cash, he told me he could have found me a better black mayor in 1969. He then said some other things I couldn’t really understand but I think implicated me in Mayor Franklin’s ascendancy to office and her subsequent vendetta against this man. “She ain’t my mayor,” he said a few times as he wandered off.

Meanwhile, Shirley starred in an episode of the hit series MayorTV. MayorTV has a compelling premise – “A challenge from America’s mayors to the 2008 presidential candidates: start talking about cities,” given that 80% of Americans live in cities. (via tightgrid)

Her interview on MayorTV is far more interesting and specific than that worthless little narrative in Newsweek for its cover story “Women and Power” earlier this fall. On the one hand – the mayor of Atlanta was on the cover of Newsweek! On the other hand – Rachel Ray was also on the cover of Newsweek, and three times larger than Shirley! E.V.O.O.!

I was really disappointed by that Newsweek piece. It’s not online anymore, but I can tell you what you missed: just Shirley saying, “I didn’t think I would do it. But then everyone was like, ‘Do it!’ So I became mayor.” Now I really have a better understanding of women and power.

I was hoping to glean some inspiration for a life of public service, civic leadership, etc etc from the article and all I walked away with was a vague feeling that perhaps Shirley Franklin became mayor accidentally.