Holding Atlanta City Government Accountable

Attachment to a broadcast email sent by Charlotte Gillis, Board Member for MLPA and NPU-F : July 31, 2008 Dear Mayor Franklin, I understand that Mr. Tom Coffin, Senior Arborist and one of our most valuable city employees (from the perspective of tax-paying citizens who want their trees protected), was fired on July 29, 2008 by Mr. Ibraham Maslamani. Based on information I have received, there was no appropriate process by which a supervisor (Mr. Maslamani) informs an employee (Mr. Coffin) of performance problems and advises that employee of the required changes necessary to keep the job. I have worked with Mr. Coffin for over six years in my capacity as the Chair of the Environmental Affairs Committee for Morningside Lenox Park Association (MLPA) and as the Chair of the Tree Committee for NPU-F. I am fearful that the efforts of Mr. Coffin to bring the Arborist Division and its staff into compliance with the City Tree Protection Ordinance led to his dismissal. Please see the attached fi...

Attachment to a broadcast email from Tom Coffin on July 31, 2008: To Mayor Shirley Franklin, City Council members, Tree Conservation Commissioners and concerned citizens: On July 29 I was summarily fired from my position as Sr. Field Arborist for the City of Atlanta. I have heard no complaints about my work from my supervisor, Ainsley Caldwell. The only meeting I have had with Bureau of Buildings Director Ibrahim Maslamani since I was hired was the one in which I was fired, without cause, without explanation, without a semblance of due process. Though I know no specifics of my firing, I do know the context. I have been attempting to address (1) the lack of accountability to the tree protection ordinance expected of my field arborist colleagues in their day-to-day work of hazard tree evaluations and building permit postings, and (2) the near total abdication of enforcement of the tree protection ordinance by my colleagues in the more difficult areas of correction notices on construction...

An email from Gordon Certain, President of the North Buckhead Civic Association: From: Gordon Certain Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 2:23 PM To: sfranklin@AtlantaGa.gov Subject: Arborist Tom Coffin Dear Mayor Franklin, I understand that City Arborist Tom Coffin was dismissed yesterday. I have known and worked with Tom since 1998, when he was serving on the Tree Conservation Commission. He later became an arborist with the City and I have had the pleasure of working with him on a number of occasions. Sheldon Schlegman (first chair of the Tree Conservation Commission) and I worked to represent residential interests in numerous meetings of several tree protection ordinance task forces over the last ten years. Tom frequently attended those meetings and was always an authoritative resource on what was best for the City’s trees, what was practical to enforce, and what would be fair to both property owners and environmental interests. I was impressed by Tom’s integrity – he politely told peop...

From: deLille Anthony Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 11:52 PM To: 'sfranklin@atlantaga.gov'Cc: 'hshook@atlantaga.gov'; 'mnorwood@atlantaga.gov' Subject: Tom Coffin's firing Dear Mayor Franklin, I understand that Tom Coffin, one of our most valuable city employees (from the perspective of tax-paying citizens), was fired today by Ibraham Maslamani. Please look into this and see what can be done to reverse the decision to fire Mr. Coffin. I understand that he was given no explanation for his dismissal which is inexcusable given his years of outstanding performance. Mr. Coffin has been the City Arborist assigned to my Buckhead neighborhood for the past year, and during that year I have not seen more exemplary service from a city employee. Prior to his work in Buckhead, he handled the east section of Atlanta in which I own rental property. I have had several dealings with Mr. Coffin, and in each situation I have found Mr. Coffin to be extremely responsive, knowledg...

From: sheldon schlegman Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 6:10 PM To: mayor franklin Subject: Tom Coffin fired! Mayor Franklin: I was Atlanta's first chairman of the Tree Conservation Commission (TCC). It was a difficult job because Mayor Campbell, who had not appointed a single commissioner his 1st term, did not want a Tree Commission. It interfered with his questionable relationships with developers. After getting the TCC operational and serving as Chairman for 2 1/2 years I was not reappointed for another term. It was obvious to all that I was interfering with the Mayors cronies usual method of doing business with the city. History is unfortunately repeating itself. Tom Coffin arborist supervisor, was relieved of his responsibilities today by Ibraham Maslamani without explanation. I have known Mr. Coffin since our days as Commissioners on the 1st TCC. He served admirably in that position and was later hired as an arborist. His knowledge of the Ordinance and application of it to prot...