Plan 2040 forums underway: Great turnout in Tyrone; coming soon to Conyers, Decatur, Suwanee, Marietta

Staffers from The Civic League and Atlanta Regional Commission headed to Tyrone in Fayette County last week for the first of five forums on Plan 2040, the comprehensive plan for accommodating regional economic and population growth over the next 30 years. More than 60 people attended; most were from Fayette County but a few South Fulton and Coweta residents were there as well.

“Lively” does not begin to describe the evening’s discussion, with many attendees having strong feelings about transportation and regional planning. As in any community, though, not everyone agreed on everything, and we left with a range of thoughtful ideas on how limited resources for transportation should be maximized across the region and what local projects should be included in the project list for the 2012 regional transportation sales tax referendum.

Feedback from all five forums will be included in a summary report to be released in late April. Make sure to get your two cents in by joining us at one of the four remaining Plan 2040 Neighborhood Forums:

March 22 - J.P. Carr Services Center, Conyers

March 31 - Manuel Maloof Auditorium, Decatur

April 14 - Suwanee City Hall

April 19 -- Mansour Center, Marietta

All Neighborhood Forums run from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. and are free and open to the public, though reservations are requested to ensure that we have enough materials for all participants. Directions to each location can be found on our web site. Questions? Please contact us at info@civicleagueatlanta.org or (404) 413-0331.

What's Right with the Region! A great night with great friends

February 24 was a great night at the Cobb Galleria Centre where The Civic League welcomed more than 275 guests to its annual What’s Right with the Region! dinner. Georgia Tech president Dr. Bud Peterson gave the keynote address, and we recognized Atlanta Regional Commission chair Tad Leithead, former Fayette County Commission chair Jack Smith, StoryCorps Atlanta and Sustainable Norcross, Inc., all for their contributions toward building a better region.

We are especially grateful to our Platinum Sponsor, AT&T, and Gold Sponsors, Bank of North Georgia, Cox Communications and Georgia Power, and to our hardworking Host Committee co-chairs Rob Garcia and Delores Crowell. These individuals and organizations made this year’s event a tremendous success.

Atlanta Planning Advisory Board to hold Citizen Leadership Seminar

On Saturday, March 26, the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board will hold a Citizen Leadership Seminar at Atlanta City Hall (55 Trinity Street) from 9 AM to 1:30 PM.  This training session for citizen engagement will help create a service culture where citizen leadership can thrive and increase citizen's knowledge base of city services and governance. 

It is free, but you'll need to RSVP to apabatlanta@gmail.com

New year, new leadership

The Civic League is pleased to welcome 2011 chair, Clair Muller. A longtime Atlanta resident, Clair launched her career in public service as a neighborhood activist and went on to serve for 20 years on the Atlanta City Council. As a councilmember, she was lauded for her leadership on tough, not-so-glamorous but oh-so-critical issues like Atlanta’s aging sewer system and the creation of the city's recycling program. She was also recognized for her work on local and regional transportation issues and served as the city’s representative on the Atlanta Regional Commission for many years. As chair of The Civic League, Clair will play a key role in the organization’s policy initiatives, fundraising and leadership development.

Clair is joined on The Civic League executive committee by vice chair Trey Ragsdale, a DeKalb County resident who is Government and Community Relations Manager for Kaiser Permanente; treasurer Mike Worley, who lives in Douglas County and is Manager of Non-Metro Community Development for Georgia Power; and secretary Patty Smitherman, a Cobb County resident and owner of Communicata Language Services.

The League also welcomes new committee chairs and co-chairs: Denise Billups and Barrett Krise – Board Development; Ginny Rainey – Events; Sam Pettway and Midge Sweet - Fundraising; Zayra Fosse’ – Membership; and Charles Walker – Neighborhood Summit. Bob Bunker and Cain Williamson continue as chair and co-chair of our Research Committee.