Larry Carter is currently a project manager for the U.S. Census Bureau. Prior to that, Carter served as President of Ashview Height Community Association and the VICE Chair of the Neighborhood Planning Unit. He moved to Atlanta in 2004. The Lancaster, PA-born/Norfolk, VA-raised candidate, has lived in the District 4 since 2009. Should Mr. Carter win, he would be the only candidate in this race to have recorded an R&B album and whose works were being reviewed for consideration for a Grammy.
Challengers: Cleta Winslow (incumbent), Jason Dozier, Rogelio Arcila, and Kim Scott.
Website: www.larrycartermovingforward.com
Twitter: Larrycarter4atl
Instagram: Larrycarteratl
linkedIn: Larry B. Carter II
What he shared with us.
PrideIndex (PI): Why did you decide to run for Councilman of District 4?
Larry Carter (LC) I am running to making sure families have affordable, inclusive, and safe places to call their home, no matter their income or their makeup. I am running to protect legacy residents and businesses from displacement. I am running to strengthen small businesses through collaboration and coalition building. I am running to ensure there are complete streets throughout District 4. I am running to create healthy communities throughout Atlanta City Council District 4.
PI: What makes you qualified to hold this office?
LC: I have lived in District 4 since 2009, I served as President of Ashview Height Community Association, Vice-Chair of Neighborhood Planning Unit T, and on the board of West End Neighborhood Development. In these roles, I have acquired leadership experience, earn the trust of the community, and advocated for the community and their needs. As an educator and Diversity Coordinator in Atlanta Public Schools, I have had the opportunity to serve families in a different capacity. I have the first-hand experience in working with families to create solutions for the issues they face day to day in the City of Atlanta. In my current role, as a National Partnership Manager for the U.S. Census Bureau, I create and maintain thriving relationships with Corporations and Non Profit Organizations. I bring with me all those skills and relationships to serve District 4
PI: What is your vision for District 4?
LC: My vision for District 4 is affordable, safe, inclusive communities. I want to bring access, opportunity, and growth to the District. Envision the community members show be leading the growth happening in their community.
PI: How do you plan to address the issues of District 4?
LC: The three greatest issues facing the City of Atlanta are Affordability, Public Safety, and lack of Inclusive Development. I would use a mixture of place-based and people-based strategies. My Affordable Housing Plan has to be approached in serval different ways.
1. Expanding the requirements of affordable units in all of the new projects in the city.
2. Work with state legislators to calculate City of Atlanta property tax the way Muscogee County Property Tax Freeze. Taxing homeowners at the time of purchase assessment as opposed to market assessment. This way legacy residents will not be taxed out of their homes and the City will draw more revenue from the more expensive home sales.
3. While rebuilding property tax legislation for homeowners we can address owners of rental properties. If a rental property is being rented affordability (30%-60% AMI) we will create an affordable rental homestead. This way landlords do not have to raise their prices to keep meeting the demands of rising taxes. We can build a portal where the lease and tenant paycheck stubs and be submitted yearly to maintain the affordable rental homestead. We have to use land that is owned by the City and Atlanta Public Schools to create new affordable housing. This way we can move people into places that already have the services and structure at a fraction of the cost. All the APS own land would remain owned by Atlanta Public School but the tax revenue collected from those sites would all go to Atlanta Public Schools. We would create Affordable units around all MARTA stations to ensure access to transportation.
My Public Safety plan has several different approaches as well:
1. Investment in infrastructure. We need to have complete streets. All street lights operational, sidewalks connecting while also being ADA accessible, traffic lights working, traffic calming devices. Municipal broadband to bridge the digital divide with the City of Atlanta’s Digital Automation Cloud.
2. Create more @Promise Center to engage youth. While also creating a paid internship for all Atlanta Public School Teens.
3. Educate about and Expand the PAD Program. Have more officer community engagement. Inclusive Development would engage community members at the beginning, middle, and end. The Community is involved every step of the way.
PI: What similarities and differences do you see between yourself and your opponent(s)?
LC: I would like to believe we all want to make the District a better place. I want to make it a better place for all people, no matter your age, skin color, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
PI: What should the city of Atlanta do to address the issues of the homeless and underserved?
LC: There is a need to create housing for unsheltered people. I believe housing is a human right. I think we can think strategically and use dollars to create container housing with solar panels and other alternatives to have shelter for all.
PI: Should you win, what do you plan to do to address the needs of your detractors?
LC:I will work with all people in the district and let my work speak for itself. There is power in criticism, you have to take what you can use and leave the rest. Taking what will make me a better representative, leaving the noise.
PI: What is your position regarding funding for affordable housing and/or the sky-rocketing costs of living in Atlanta?
LC: Lower property taxes require more affordable units in new development and leverage city-owned land.
PI: What are your suggestions for building a better relationship between the police and people of color and the LGBTQ+ community?
LC: In a city like Atlanta, exposure and proximity are key. Using affordable housing for officers to build community with them. More training for officers will be a pivotal part of bridging the gap. Strengthen and educating people on our Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative, while maintaining a strong focus on community policing. Atlanta currently has an LGBTQ officer liaison, I have a strong relationship with him. I want to both sides to the table and find ways to work together.
PI: How should the city address funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and education?
LC: There are currently several programs throughout the city however having an HIV/AIDS liaison that is solely focused on bringing those programs together to have a stronger impact. We also need to streamline access to services to ensure people are getting what they need with fewer hoops to jump through. Most importantly making sure we improve how we process funding for those who need housing. Our HOPWA program needs attention to address the deficiencies.
To see the out LGBTQ candidates running for office in the November 2, 2021 election in the Atlanta area click on the names below. Check back for updates.
Antonio Brown, Larry Carter, Jason Hudgins, Brandon Cory Goldberg, Liliana Bakhtiari, Jereme Sharpe, Kelly-Jeanne Lee, Devin Barrington-Ward, Keisha Waites, Courtney DeDi, Alex Wan, Khalid Kamau and Mike Russell.
