Atlanta Mayor Says City And State's Relationship Should Be A Model For The Country

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Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Washington D.C. could learn from how the city and state work together. / AP

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Friday the relationship between the city and state should be a model for the country. 

Earlier this year, legislation made its way through the state capitol building that would’ve created the Georgia Major Airport Authority, giving the state control over Atlanta’s airport.  At the time, Bottoms called the move an “act of war.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms joins GPB's Rickey Bevington for her monthly "Ask The Mayor" conversation.

But she said since then, she has had a good working relationship with Gov. Brian Kemp and state legislators.

"We don't agree on a number of issues,” Bottoms said on Friday on GPB’s “Ask the Mayor.” “But those things that we do agree on, we've been able to meet in the middle in a way that works best for our city and best for our state."

She said Washington D.C. could learn from how the city and state work together, especially since she and Kemp have different political leanings, such as their views on abortion.

“But on a lot of things related to economic development, and tourism and attracting new businesses, we continue to have a great working relationship with the economic development arm from the state of Georgia,” she said.

Bottoms also weighed in on the idea of completely banning e-scooters from the city.

"We're not there yet,” Bottoms said. “There are many people who've said they rely on them and that it helps with that last mile of connectivity. So, we are respectful of that.”

Four people have died in scooter accidents in Atlanta since May. The mayor responded by issuing two executive orders, one banning new permits from being issued to scooter companies and the other a nighttime ban.

The city asked operators to take their scooters offline between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

During her conversation with GPB’s Rickey Bevington, Bottoms provided updates on some of the city’s finances, specifically where the rainy day funds stood and her affordable housing pledge.

Bottoms said this year, the city added another $4 million to the reserve funds and are already $200 million into her billion dollar affordable housing plan.

You can watch the full conversation between GPB’s Rickey Bevington and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms below. It’s part of her monthly conversation, “Ask the Mayor.”