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Julian Bene

@julianbene.bsky.social

1.5K followers 970 following 1.1K posts

Let's reform the Atlanta Way to use resources for an equitable city. Former 'tax break naysayer' on Invest Atlanta board & Gulch RedLighter, I campaign against wasteful revenue giveaways that favor billionaires at the rest's expense.

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Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 9h

APS should absolutely sic their bulldog lawyers on this. Long overdue. (Are some board members in hock to donors repping commercial trophies?)
Harder for private taxpayers, I believe.
I met with a senior elected official yesterday who mused that such a lawsuit might be coming.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 11h

"Courtney English [ATL mayor's #2] said underassessment of commercial real estate costs Fulton County, APS and the city more than $100 million each year."
It's closer to $500m/yr. Would be nice if our mayor made the County fix this disgrace.

www.axios.com/local/atlant...

Atlanta's bid to extend tax districts draws skepticism

The city has identified $5 billion in revenue from tax allocation districts that could fund projects in its Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 11h

Know what's even crazier than the $186M investors paid for Krog Mkt #GApol?
The $36M that Fulton county values it at.
That appraisal malfeasance costs us all $2.5M a year. And it's typical for trophies.
You wish your home was appraised at 20% of what it sells for.

www.ajc.com/business/202...

How much did investors pay for the Krog Street Market district? A lot.

The price makes the sale one of the most expensive commercial real estate transactions of the past few years in Atlanta.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 11h

#GApol Wondering what @peterhubbardga.bsky.social would bring to the party at our monopoly power regulator?
Skim through this interview. You'll be sold on why we so deperately need him on the PSC.

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 13h

Today on Volts: hey listen up! The most important election of the year is happening in Georgia next month. Two seats on the (currently all-GOP) Public Service Commission are up & rising electricity prices are on everyone's mind. This is a bellwether for next year's governor & midterm elections!

Pay attention to the most important political race of 2025

With energy affordability set to dominate national politics, Peter Hubbard and Brionté McCorkle explain why a down-ballot Georgia race is ground zero for the fight.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 11h

#GApol
If you're a Georgia voter, next week you can kick the bums out who have been letting your power bills skyrocket.

Shelley Powers @burningbird.net · 13h

Savannah resident here:

Current PSC members are loathed. Power increases have been extreme, and people hurting.

But did NOT KNOW that the board members aren't even Georgia Power customers.

I didn't know it was possible to loathe them even more, but I was wrong.

Sharing this. Everywhere.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

#GApol

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 7d

On Friday, I'm talking with Peter Hubbard, who is running for one of the two open seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC -- the state's utility regulator). This is an extremely important race! Not enough people are paying attention!

Got any questions?

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

I was at the dress rehearsal for the TAD extension scam at Fulton Commission in July.
Eloisa lined up non-profit client execs to plead that TAD $$ were vital to their projects.
Untrue: TAD $$ fund a v low % of project costs. Also, project budgets are insanely high per home created.
Grifts, imho.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

They are in on the grift

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

Or your owner is in on the grift and you better not write anything critical?

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

Access? Nice lunches?

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 7d

Media stenography for Atlanta mayor's $5 Billion tax hike to create an unaccountable slush fund.
Why do reporters fall for the magic money tree?
#GApol #ATLsky

Rough Draft @roughdraftatlanta.com · 8d

Mayor unveils $5 billion neighborhood reinvestment plan for Atlanta

Key Points• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announces $5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. • The goal of the program is to bring opportunity, jobs, business growth, and choice to underserved areas in south and west…

Mayor unveils $5 billion neighborhood reinvestment plan for Atlanta

Key Points• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announces $5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. • The goal of the program is to bring opportunity, jobs, business growth, and choice to underserved areas in south and west Atlanta. Mayor Andre Dickens has announced an ambitious plan for "direct, purposeful investments" in communities in south and west Atlanta that have been left behind due to decades of neglect. According to a press release from the city, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is a key pillar of Dickens’ Moving Atlanta Forward agenda by making the city the best place to raise a child while bringing opportunity, jobs, business growth, and choice to underserved areas.

roughdraftatlanta.com

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 8d

It's a $5 Billion tax hike on Atlanta residents to create a mayoral slush fund.
The entire promise, when the TADs began, was that our Schools & Public Services would get a big revenue boost after 25 years. Now residents are hung out to dry?
#GApol
www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/09/30/c...

Atlanta mayor unveils $5 billion neighborhood reinvestment plan

The Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative will begin in seven neighborhoods the city says suffer from historical disinvestment.

www.atlantanewsfirst.com

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 8d

And TAD affordable housing projects waste money irresponsibly. $700k per unit is not a viable approach. That's the budget for the white elephant 2 Peachtree and Alabama St (AJC bldg) projects.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 8d

Atlanta News First's Patrick Quinn interviewed me this pm. This is a $5 Billion tax increase on regular Atlanta residents for an unaccountable mayoral slush fund. The taxes belong to schools & public services. If siphoned off, the public will pay to make it up or teaching & services will suffer.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 20d

Half a billion a year that #ATL commercial trophy properties get away with not paying. When will local electeds fix this scandal?
This was me urging mid Fulton Dems to demand better.

Andes Castro @castroforgeorgia.com · 21d

Increasing commercial digest efficiency could generate an extra dollars annually for Atlanta's schools, city, and county. #Atlanta #revenue #economy #taxes #money @julianbene.bsky.social

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 22d

@atlshakespeareco.bsky.social

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 22d

I was so fortunate attend the closing performance of Free Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT on Sunday at the revitalized Delacorte. Sensational theater, freely shared, and a testament to the importance of public arts in NYC.

Zohran backstage with the cast of TWELFTH NIGHT in full costume.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 26d

#GApol federal grant cancelled

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 26d

Apologies — Auburn mentioned above is the Reconnecting Sweet Auburn project in Atlanta.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 28d

It must be a very slow news day for @ajc.com to waste this many words on a Mainor nuisance.

Jason Holland @muaddib1825.bsky.social · 28d

Look at this fucking idiot. We remember what you did. We remember how awful you were to your colleagues. #gapol #atlanta #noway

www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Ex-Democrat Mesha Mainor launches GOP bid for state school superintendent

Mainor lost her reelection bid to the state House after switching parties. Now, she is challenging Richard Woods, who is also a Republican.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 28d

Same old playbook. Kasim Reed touted MB Stadium public subsidy as "only $200M." The actual public subsidy: $900M. ($30M of hotel-motel tax a year for 30 years.) #GApol #ATL

Reporting would be better if medias' owners weren't billionaire pals of team owners.

J.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.bsky.social · 28d

Reporting on stadium deals has to improve. Almost no details have been provided, yet it's being reported that the stadium will be "privately financed" when it absolutely is not. Folks are already saying, "well, this sounds like a better deal." Well, if they start off with lies, it's probably not.

Field of Schemes @fieldofschemes.bsky.social · 28d

By announcing a site and a "no new taxes" promise now, the Broncos owners can hope to anchor people's expectations for a new stadium by 2031, leaving only mere details about what tax breaks and public infrastructure spending will be needed to get it done.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 29d

You got that right!
Not a lawyer, but it sounded like he really knew his stuff. He, Don Samuels and one or two other defense lawyers ran rings around Carr's dimbulbs.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 29d

I mean, it's an easy slip. After all, the AG only brought the case for RW cred, cos he's fighting the LG to be next governor.

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 29d

You mean the AG, not the LG?

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 29d

This piece puts its finger on how badly the US has allowed manufacturing capability to atrophy. We need these visa-cheating Koreans because the technology was developed in Korea and they're not going to share it with us.
saportareport.com/the-hyundai-...

The Hyundai raid: If only we knew how to do, you know, complex things - SaportaReport

Read The Hyundai raid: If only we knew how to do, you know, complex things by Tom Baxter for SaportaReport here.

saportareport.com

Julian Bene @julianbene.bsky.social · 29d

Friendly amendment? The US was cooked when its auto companies fled the field, ceding it to S Korean competitors.

S Koreans now capture all the skilled jobs applying new technology.
That leaves American workers with the crumbs of unskilled manufacturing work, at least until robots replace them.

Kim Wexler's Ponytail 🐝💛🎗 @madisonkittay.bsky.social · Sep 9

Yeah, we're cooked.

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8S8pVQq/

Reposted by Julian Bene

Third Act Georgia @thirdactga.bsky.social · Sep 8

Georgians!
Statewide Election!
Vote Oct 14-31 (early voting), or Nov 4th.

We need new Public Service Commissioners (PSC) if we want cheaper energy bills and less dirty fossil fuels.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!