Monthly Archives: October 2009

By Maria Saporta

As we enter the closing stretch of Atlanta’s mayoral campaign, it’s as good a time as any to reflect on how unique this election has been.

Its uniqueness goes way beyond the fact that there’s a white woman who is the odds-on favorite to win the election — either on Tuesday without a run-off, or on Dec. 1.

It goes way beyond the demographic changes underway in our city. And it goes way beyond whether the candidates pass the test of being Democrats, Republicans or Independents. (In fact, pollster Matt Towery said this has been Continue reading →

By Maria Saporta

For those of you who don’t mind watching movies on TV, two films that shouldn’t be missed will air early this week.

The first is: “The People v. Leo Frank,” which will air at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2 on PBS — Georgia Public Broadcasting — which is also Channel 8.

And the second movie is: “By the People, the Election of Barack Obama.” Fittingly, it will air on Election night — Tuesday, Nov. 3 — from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on HBO. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the historic election.

I’ve had the good fortune to see both Continue reading →

By Maria Saporta

Three men made their case this week to be the next chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission — which brings together leaders in the 10-county region — to work on regional issues, such as transportation, water, land-use and the needs of our aging population.

The three declared candidates are Charles Bannister, chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission; Tad Leithead, a citizen member who was an executive at Cousins Properties who now has his own public affairs consulting firm; and Jack Smith, chairman of the Fayette County Commission.
Continue reading →

By Jeff Cochran

Note to readers: Jeff Cochran, a regular contributor to Like the Dew’s website, also sells ads for SaportaReport. Here is a tribute he has written for a dear friend.

The Hot Stove League will be much colder this winter. Bob Woodland, a devoted Braves fan and great friend, passed away Sunday, October 25.

Bob earned a living as an attorney but lived for the joys in his life: his family and friends, his church and the Atlanta Braves. Over 32 years, the Braves were usually the first topic in our thousands of conversations. E-mail allowed even more such banter. Last winter we chatted Continue reading →

By Maria Saporta

Confusion reigned at a hastily-called work session Monday afternoon to discuss the proposed master lease agreement between the city of Atlanta and Delta Air Lines.

Members of the Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee seemed overwhelmed with the complexity of the issues, and they were frustrated that officials from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had not prepared a clear presentation of the thorny issues in the agreement.

Instead of clearly describing the differences of opinion that exist on Continue reading →

By Maria Saporta

For decades, Delta Air Lines and the city of Atlanta have played a delicate dance.

Both have proclaimed their eternal love for each other — crediting each other for their own growth.

That partnership has led to Delta becoming the world’s largest airline and Hartsfield-Jackson becoming the largest and busiest airport in the world.

And yet both have had to balance that love with their own self-interests.

For Delta, that self-interest is to limit the amount of airline competition that comes Continue reading →