Atlanta’s Fire Classification Rating In Danger of Falling
Decatur Metro | June 2, 2009The AJC reports this morning that Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commish – and gubanitorial candidate – John Oxendine announced Monday that the city of Atlanta’s fire safety rating had fallen from a “2” to a “4” in a recent insurance services report. As a result the city has nine months to improve services or the city’s rating will drop to a “3”.
Aside from suffering from poorer service, city residents would also see insurance premiums rise.
Aside from just imparting the news, Oxendine took the opportunity to slam the city for recent cuts in service and asked them to consider making “life safety a priority.” The Atlanta City Council returned the complement by pointing out the fact that the Fire Safety rating in Oxendine’s own county of Gwinnett was currently a “4.”
Happily, as Steve pointed out in an email this morning, Decatur’s fire safety rating remains a solid “2.” According to Steve, Alpharetta is the only other entity in the metro area with such a high rating.
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I don’t see how Oxendine is going to survive the scandal that keeps unfolding in the AJC. The guy is clearly as crooked as possible. But this is Georgia, so I guess his election to Governor would not surprise me.
Atlanta’s insurance rating has nothing directly to do with Oxendine. The ISO makes the decision, not him. He is, however, using the situation to get some face time.
The things in the paper about him are not much different from most other politicos – his just happened to get in the paper.
I just love how these state lawmakers spend all day every day finding ways to slash and burn the budgets for our public services (including schools and transit) – and justifications for their actions – and then bash the agencies that administer the services for not providing enough. Their ultimate goal is to dismantle government and its vital role in society at all costs. They seem to be finding a lot of success in GA nowadays.
But they can’t have it both ways – you can’t starve something and expect it to flourish. Since they aren’t going to change their fanatic love-affair with the free-market at the expense of the common good, then they need to offer up some solutions about how they expect citizens to get these types of services without the funding for our government-run agencies.
Maybe we can all jump in the back pockets of huge corporations! If we could, I would sell out in a heartbeat. Where do I sign up? and who’s bringing the kool-aid?
GAK, might be a good idea to read the aicle before going on that diatribe. Oxendine did not bash the fire department. He criticized the budget cuts.
Thanks dem. I read the aRTicle before I posted. I was talking in general terms about the state of things. Everything I said still stands. Of course he criticized the budget cuts out of one side of his mouth, but his (and his cronies) actions speak louder than their words and their pathological attempts to dismantle the state government cannot be overlooked no matter what they happen to say because they are running for state office.
I see, the article directly contradicts your point, but the point still stands. Oxendine’s “cronies” in this case are the Atlanta City Commissioners who passed the budget cuts for the fire department? They’re all Democrats. Are they trying to dismantle the government?
No.
I’m trying to make a larger point and will agree that I didn’t sufficiently connect the dots. The point being that folks like Oxendine and many of our state legislators refuse to support our public services with proper funding and then complain that they don’t provide the proper services. Any thing else I can clear up for ya?
It seems that Oxendine is doubling up–he’s the commissioner of Georgia INSURANCE and Fire Safety, right?, and he’s using the INSURANCE Services Office report to show all of Georgia that he’s on our side, what a guy. He asked for the review–one that hasn’t been done since 1974 (now why is that, I wonder). Uhm, let see, an INSURANCE commissioner using an INSURANCE review office to point out city budget shortfalls–and let INSURANCE companies know that fire safety is down, therefore opening the door for higher rates, thank God for honest economic politics (maybe, if elected, he’ll help us all by praying for rain whenever there’s a fire). I don’t know, seems pretty cozy to me.
My favorite part of the story was not Oxendine’s grandstanding, but the defensiveness and excuse-making from the paraphrased “city official.” Basically, the response is “we’re still not as crappy as other parts of Ga.”
It’s Franklin’s problem in a nutshell. No problem is a actually a problem. It’s just haters and harpies unfairly criticizing her administration.
“we’re still not as crappy as other parts of Ga.”
Does that also translate to: “we’re still not as crappy as Alabama, Mississippi, and, Gawd forbid, South Carolina”?