Peter Aman likes to fix things. That's a good thing, because for the next three years, Aman will be leading the charge to do a turnaround for the city of Atlanta.

Aman, an Atlanta partner with Bain & Co., has persuaded his company to dedicate a team of consultants to work with the city for free until January 2005. It is a stunning level of involvement for any company, particularly one that is a newcomer to the city.

Aman, 35, and his wife, Lisa, moved to Atlanta in May 1996 when Boston-based Bain opened an office in Buckhead. They moved into a house just outside the city limits in unincorporated Fulton County and focused their energies on work and family. They have three daughters, ages 4 1/2, 3 and 1.

In short, neither he nor the firm had lots of time to pay much attention to what was going on in city government. Then, the 2001 mayoral election got under way, and they decided to offer some help. "That's when we really got engaged," Aman said.

Kasim Reed, Shirley Franklin's campaign manager, listened to all offers. "We wanted to capture the goodwill that we experienced when she first got elected."

On the day after Thanksgiving, Aman offered a team of Bain employees to work with the city (on a project of its choice) for the next 90 days, a donation worth about $1 million.

"Why don't you help us with the budget?" asked Franklin, who had growing concerns about the financial condition of the city she was about to inherit.

When Franklin said Bain, a global consulting firm that specializes in corporate turnarounds, couldn't seek a city contract for at least a year after the pro bono work was complete, Aman didn't flinch.

"I told Shirley that as long as you're mayor, we will not do any work for the city," Aman said. "We don't want there to be any appearances of improprieties. We won't seek, solicit or accept any paid work from the city."

Working days, nights, weekends, Aman and his team discovered a budget gap that was far greater than any had suspected - $82 million, or nearly 20 percent of the city's annual budget.

"It was a ton of work," Aman said. "There were a lot more problems, both fiscally and otherwise, than we knew about. We were all surprised by the magnitude."

When the three months were up, Aman requested a meeting with the mayor. Sitting in her library at City Hall on March 7, Aman looked Franklin in the eye and asked, "Are you personally committed to turning the city of Atlanta around?"

The mayor convinced Aman of her commitment. That's when he told her that Bain would like to help her for the next three years.

"There was a long, stunned silence," Aman said. Then Franklin asked, "What?" as if she hadn't quite heard him the first time.

So that's how the city and Bain agreed to a three-year partnership, which Aman estimates will represent $5 million of work. "I didn't feel like the job was done," Aman said. "We like to fix things, and it's going to take a while to fix the city."

As Franklin said, "I think that once we did the budget, Peter and his team realized that it was just the tip of the iceberg."

Bain's next report, due out at the end of May, will be a turnaround plan for the city. Then Aman, project manager Chris Nielsen and other team members will work on "whatever is most critical, whatever is most broken," Aman said.

Aman attributes his interest in city government to his parents, who live in Wayne, Pa., the town where he grew up. "My parents have always been very, very involved in the community.

He went to Duke University, getting a degree in public policy in 1988 and immediately joining Bain upon graduation. He later took two years off to go to the Wharton business school at the University of Pennsylvania for his MBA.

"I've always been interested in knowing how government can help people," Aman said. "I like fixing things, and that's why I went into consulting."

When he's not working, Aman can be found at Home Depot, buying items for fix-it jobs around the house (sometimes fixing things successfully). He is clearly putting down roots in town.

"Atlanta is a great town; it's become my adopted home," Aman said. "There's a tremendous amount of potential in Atlanta. I actually think a turnaround is achievable, because the city has a lot of corporate resources. That's why it's so important to have an open and honest government with the highest standards and operational efficiencies. You can't have the best-in-class city and have sewage in the streams."

Just one more thing for Aman to help the city fix.