About Atlanta Intown. (Sandy Springs, GA) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2017)
A ON THE AGENDA A8 , 26 MEETINGS The Atlanta City Council meets March 6 and March 20 at City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. For agendas and more information, visit citycouncil.atlantaga.gov. The Midtown Review Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the fifth floor conference room at 999 Peachtree. For more information and to see agendas, visit midtownatl.com. NPU-B, which covers the neighborhoods of Brookhaven, Buckhead Forest, Buckhead Heights, Chastain Park East, Garden Hills, North Buckhead, Peachtree Heights East, Peachtree Heights West, Peachtree Hills, Peachtree Park, Ridgedale Park, Pine Hills and South Tuxedo Park, meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road. NEWS Two contractors, Elvin "E.R." Mitchell and Charles P. Richards, have pled guilty for bribing unnamed City of Atlanta officials to receive lucrative building contracts. A federal investigation was still ongoing at press time. The City of Atlanta will allocate $3 million in TSPLOST revenue this yearto build the first segment of the ProctorCreek Greenway, a seven-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail spanning from Maddox Park to the Chattahoochee River. Mayor Kasim Reed announced during his Feb. 2 State of the City address that Atlanta will pursue a referendum for I a one-tenth of a penny sales tax fora dedicated source of funding for the arts. Thirty-five new security cameras have been installed at Atlanta University Center (AUC) as part of the Westside Security Plan, a collaborative effort between the Atlanta Police Foundation and Atlanta Police Department. Leadership Roles Nonprofit Elect Her wants women to run for office By Clare S. Richie Above: From left, Jina Sanone, Jenny White, Renitta Shannon, and Armina Velarde at the first meeting of women involved with Elect Her. (Photo by Colleen Lynott) Bottom Left: Jina Sanone (Photo by Robin Davis) to partners that offer training, like Georgia’s Win list and Vote Run Lead. Simultaneously, Elect Her is building a list of districts using election results and new research to map out opportunities where women can win at the city, county, state or federal level. Women’s leadership and politics has always been in Sanone’s blood. During her 17 years at Delta, she founded She Leads, an organization that brings awareness to barriers women leaders face in their careers. Prior to that she worked for a polling firm that specialized in candidate and issue strategy. Through Elect Her, Sanone will focus on the 2018 elections but recognizes this effort is a marathon not a sprint. “Targeted recruiting can move the needle, drive results and elect more women,” Sanone said. For more details, visit electher.org. QD such as alumni of leadership trainings or referrals from advocacy groups. Since the presidential election more women are starting to raise their hands. “Women are coming to us — motivated right now by national politics but wanting to also have a local impact,” Sanone said. Sanone and her growing team, which includes newly elected state representative Rennitta Shannon (District 84), are ready to provide guidance to help women decide whether or not to throw their hat into the ring. Elect Her will help each potential candidate think through, “What does she want to accomplish? What interests her — local, state or federal office? What does she have to run on?” Sanone explained. When applicable, Her will refer these women Before the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and the 2017 women’s marches that followed, Jina Sanone put her corporate career on hold to pursue her lifelong interest in women’s leadership. After a year of researching national and local efforts, finding her niche and forming partnerships, she’s ready to launch Elect Her. It’s a nonprofit focused on the targeted recruitment of progressive women in viable districts to run for elected positions in Georgia. “We don’t have enough women representing us in government,” Sanone explained. Georgia ranks near the bottom on that score. No woman currently serves in an elected statewide office in Georgia, and the state has never elected a woman governor or woman senator. At the state level, women comprise just a quarter of the General Assembly. “It’s really about building a pipeline,” Sanone said. “Women need to be asked and often aren’t.” Elect her will recruit accomplished women active in their communities, City Council votes to return deeds on 10 schools By Collin Kelley The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously last month to turn over deeds it has held on nine vacant school properties to Atlanta Public Schools. The vote came after January’s agreement to hand over the deed to George W. Adair Elementary School in southwest Atlanta. APS wants to sell off the property for redevelopment. The city and APS have been wrangling over the school properties for years, with the issue eventually winding up in court. Last year, Mayor Kasim Reed said he would not turn over the properties until APS adopted the affordable housing policy similar to the city’s own. The issue of ownership dates back to 1973, when the city created the Atlanta Board of Education to maintain and operate its public schools. The properties approved for quick claim deed include Adair, Anderson Park Elementary, Preston Arkwright Elementary, Milton Elementary, West Atlanta Elementary, Rosalie H. Wright Elementary, Claire Drive Facility, Daleview Drive Facility, Adamsville Primary School and Frederick Wilson Benteen Elementary. “I am pleased that we are coming to a resolution on the future ownership of these properties, most of which are vacant properties,” said City Councilmember Joyce Sheperd, sponsor of the authorizing legislation. “If we can develop a viable economic development plan for these properties in conjunction with the surrounding communities, APS and potential buyers, it will certainly be a win- win outcome for all of us.” Last May, the Atlanta City Council adopted an affordable housing policy for the purpose of promoting opportunities for mixed-income housing developments throughout the city and promoting housing affordability to minimize the number of households that must pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent or mortgage payments and to encourage the development and preservation of mixed- income residential areas. A developer has already released plans to redevelop the historic Adair property in the Adair Park neighborhood. The school has been closed since the early 1970s. The developer is proposing to convert the circa-1911 school building into a mixed-use facility that will include artist studios and retail on the ground floor with housing for artists on the top floors. Shepherd said the developer is committed to “restoration” in addition to renovation, concentrating on preserving the historical character and context of the building and affordable housing. 03 8 MARCH 2017 | [d AtlantalNtownPaper.com
