Atlanta mayoral candidate advocates eminent domain
Lisa Borders, a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta, voiced her support of eminent domain to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:
Atlanta mayoral candidate Lisa Borders says she'll use eminent domain powers to take land from owners who poorly maintain their property.After mentioning it on Twitter, Borders, or one of her campaign lackies, responded to me:"We need to take it from them," said Borders, the City Council president.
Borders said in an interview Wednesday she recognized eminent domain is a controversial issue, but it can be a useful tool, particularly in blighted areas of the city. Abandoned properties and overgrown lots have been a constant problem in the city.
LBorders @JaseLP the taking would be from absentee landlords and returned to the citizens with urban parks and green space - not private industry.Over at Creative Loafing, Andisheh Nouraee says, "if city residents think eminent domain is gonna help clear their neighborhoods of rotting, abandoned homes, I believe many will support it."
That may be true, however, Borders took it further than abandoned properties. She is on record promoting taking the property of homeowners that "poorly maintain their property." It's not just someone so lightly tossing around the use of eminent domain, it's also the fact that zoning laws can be used to force people out of their property if the city doesn't like how it's being used through zoning laws or even working with the Georgia Municipal Association to lobby for a loosening of eminent domain.
Remember, Georgia's eminent domain law is not as set in stone as some believe it is or would like for it to be. The constitutional amendment passed in 2006 lacks any real teeth and points to general law for the definitions of blight. This means the law can be changed whenever the legislature is in session.
I don't live in Atlanta, so I don't have a dog in this race. If I did have a vote, it would not be for Lisa Borders.
