Mayor Franklin's Biography

Shirley Clarke Franklin is known for being bold, authentic, intellectual, brave, and compassionate. Elected in 2001 as the first female Mayor of Atlanta and the first black female to lead a major urban city in the south. She was born on May 10, 1945, in Philadelphia, PA. Shirley was surrounded by civil activism at an early age, her father was a Judge, and her mother was an avid Educator, both of whom influenced her trajectory of becoming a staple in American politics. After graduating from college and receiving her undergraduate degree from Howard University and her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, she married David Franklin, an esteemed attorney and political strategist. She and David had three amazing children. Shirley Clarke Franklin continues to be recognized across the globe as a political trendsetter, who is not afraid to make hard decisions.

Shirley is an active member of the Democratic Party, who is called upon frequently to offer strategy and advice to Elected Officials and Corporate CEOs on numerous topics across the Country. In her role as the 58th mayor of Atlanta, Mayor Franklin was tasked with shepherding Atlanta through some of its most difficult times, including several major crises that impacted the Nation such as the great recession between 2007- 2009, the housing crisis, and a failing sewer infrastructure. Shirley never wavered in her commitment to the people of Atlanta; she remained focused and kept a positive outlook even when things were getting worse before they got better.

 Franklin’s professional and political careers are garnered with several “first of and first to be”. Appointed as the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Maynard Jackson in the mid1970’s she offered a new broader perspective on “The Arts” in Atlanta. Subsequently, she was later named Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager under Mayor Andrew Young, in these roles Shirley Franklin broke barriers and augmented the strength of the Young Administration.

In early 2001 Shirley made the ultimate decision to run for Mayor herself, it was her first time running for public office and just like everything she does, it was successful. She won over 50% of the vote with several popular candidates in the race, including seasoned politician, Robb Pitts. Shirley won without a run-off, succeeding Mayor Bill Campbell who was completing his last term in office. Facing a massive and unexpected budget deficit, Franklin quickly moved into action, she reduced the number of government employees and increased taxes to help balance the budget as quickly as possible, both of which were extremely hard decisions to make. Franklin’s attention immediately turned to the condition of the city’s sewer system which was in a state of emergency. 

Atlanta's combined sewer system was in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act. The City of Atlanta was burdened with fines from the Environmental Protection Agency, in addition to the concerns of having safe drinking water for Atlanta taxpayers. In early 2002, Franklin announced an initiative called "Clean Water Atlanta" to address the problem and begin improving the city's sewer system immediately. This initiative was necessary and a proven success. She has also been applauded for her efforts to make the City of Atlanta "GREEN." Under Franklin's leadership Atlanta went from having one of the lowest percentages of LEED certified buildings to one of the highest. 

In 2005, Time named Franklin one of the five best big-city American mayors. In October of that same year, she was included in the U.S. News & World Report "Best Leaders of 2005" issue. With solid popular support from the community and strong backing from the business sector, Franklin was reelected Atlanta Mayor in 2005, with a whopping 90% of the vote. Her popularity led to an increased speculation that she may be a viable contender for a future Georgia governor's race. In February 2006, The White House Project named Shirley Franklin one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and/or be elected president in 2008, this was a huge honor. She was the only person on the list to not be a governor, senator or presidential cabinet member, and one of two African-American women on the list; the other was United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

She remains active in the business community as a former member of the Board of Directors for Delta Airlines and current member for Mueller Water Products. In addition to serving on Corporate Boards and various roles in academia, Mayor Franklin was appointed as an ad hoc member of the Department of Homeland Security special task force for a 60-day review of the Homeland Security Advisory System. She was appointed with Frances Townsend and Judge William H. Webster. Shirley remains a loving mother and dedicated grandmother to her grandchildren. She is an Honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.