Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has become the favorite featured speaker for graduating WIN Leadership Academy Classes during the past decade and she never fails to inspire as she encourages the next generation of WINning Women leaders.
She spoke Monday evening during a reception which followed the annual “Day at the Dome” experience for the 30 plus members of the 2025 class. During the Manuel’s Tavern reception, members of the 2024 class received their graduation certificates.
In reflecting upon current headlines, Mayor Franklin said it is important to recognize American history demonstrates it is possible to come to bi-partisan agreement on some issues. “While it may not seem possible right at the moment, it is in this moment we must seek opportunities for collaboration where we can,” she said. “Then, we must fight like hell on the other issues and never give up!”
“Our Democracy and the country really depends on women in every election,” she said.
Looking back on her first campaign for mayor, the first time her name was ever on a ballot, Franklin said her first priority when elected was to “be sure that I left the door open for other women to follow and to do whatever it took in my service to demonstrate leadership from a woman’s perspective.”
She also prioritized gaining and maintaining the public trust, by “getting the work done in a way which meets with ethical, moral and legal standards no matter how tough that might sometimes be.” She encouraged class members considering a run for office to think about what they hope to accomplish in terms of the values which motivate them to run in the first place. “How you conduct yourself in the political environment ought to pass the test of your values,” she said.
Humility and transparency were the values Franklin used as the guide for her public service, she said. “It is very easy to get a title and all of a sudden be the person who knows it all — I tried very hard not to act like this. Humility brings with it a respect for other people.”
She said in her eight years as mayor and 13 years as CEO or COO, most of the innovations she became known for began as ideas proposed by others such as construction of an international airport terminal, the Atlanta Beltline, and setting aside greenspace for the west side park. “If you don’t have humility and respect for other folks, you miss those opportunities. We’re much better off when everybody is contributing. People contribute when you are humble enough to embrace them and their ideas.”
Mayor Franklin said all elected officials “say” they wish to be transparent. “It is so much easier to say and so much harder to do so,” she said, noting that transparency also requires having “checks and balances” on those aides serving as “gatekeepers.”
“Transparency means having opportunities for people to reach you and to communicate with you regardless of their position, or whether they voted for you before, or whether they will vote for you again, and even whether they’re going to say something that you don’t want to hear,” she said.
She encouraged class members who are considering a campaign to fully rely upon and expand their personal networks as they establish a campaign operation. “Politics is about addition not subtraction. You want to keep the folks you already have and add to them – not substitute one group for another. You must find new allies and partners.”
Mayor Franklin said she built her first campaign for mayor based on an initial group of 25 people who each tapped their own networks to expand her reach and continue building a network which allowed her to “barely” win the Mayor’s race without a runoff – which had not happened in Atlanta since before William Hartsfield, except when Maynard Jackson sought his third term.
She emphasized the importance of being a candidate who will “listen” to citizen concerns during grassroot conversations. She said voters feel a need to believe they are included in the campaign and when campaign volunteers feel empowered, they “go the extra mile” to push for victory. She also said campaign strategies and best practices are always evolving. “What worked in 2020 may not work in 2025 or 2026,” she said.
Mayor Franklin cautioned “timing is everything” when choosing what to run for and when. “It’s very hard to distinguish yourself politely from an incumbent,” she said. “The best race is always an open race.”
“Maynard Jackson gave me a lot of great advice, but the main thing is that there is only one name on the ballot. As the candidate you must own your own campaign,” she said.