Fairness appears to be at the heart of a College Park resident whose advocacy addresses a broad swath of issues of people who are underserved.
Dom Kelly said he sees inherent problems arising in College Park from a lack of transparency in the local city government’s activities and separately in overall public care for people with disabilities.
He has become a voice in both arenas.
Kelly is co-chair of United College Park, a political action committee that wants to ensure the public has a voice in the policies and actions of its local government. And he is co-founder, president and CEO of the nonprofit New Disabled South which advocates for people with disabilities to have services that allow for a thriving future.
“I have cerebral palsy,” Kelly said, “It’s a physical muscular disability. I’ve had it my whole life… I’ve noticed that in my work in disability rights and justice, we face so many issues.”
Among many other things, people with disabilities can legally be paid “pennies per hour” for work,” Kelly said.
His advocacy work has resulted in many honors, including Kelly being selected for the 2025 Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity program at George Washington University.
He will be one of 15 people from across the world looking critically at health equity challenges, a September article on the Atlantic Fellows website states.
“… [With] all sharing a common vision of creating a fairer, healthier, more inclusive society,” the article reads.
Kelly has been engaged in organizing spaces across the south for 15 years, he said. Locally, the organization of United College Park came about organically, he and his neighbors said.
Numerous issues got neighbors talking like unusual city council meetings where disagreements appeared to lead to councilmen’s absences, officials approving ordinances to silence Mayor Bianca Motley Broom, a surprise vote approving rezoning for a lithium-ion battery storage facility and a $1.6 million payment from the company building the project.
“We wanted to figure out what was happening behind closed doors,” Kelly told VOICES of College Park podcast. “The way that decision was made. The way that the voices of the most impacted were ignored, and the way that money was accepted by the city… seemed very suspicious and very concerning to us.”
Neighbors learned that Kelly has expertise in grassroots organizing and an affinity for fairness. He was a senior advisor on Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign and was an advisor in her voting rights organization, Fair Fight Action.
“Dom, he’s an asset and a prize to grassroots organizers who are trying to find their way into politics,” resident Mose James said. “He’s a wealth of knowledge… I don’t know when he sleeps… For us, we’re blessed that he chose College Park to [call home.] I’m confident that College Park is going to be a better place because he’s here.”
Members of United College Park, including Kelly and James, are on a Committee to Recall Councilwoman Jamelle McKenzie for alleged actions that the group said violated the oath of office.
McKenzie has rejected all accusations and called the recall effort “laughable.” To stop the recall effort, McKenzie filed a lawsuit against James, who submitted the petition, and the deputy city clerk, who verified the signatures collected for the form.
Following a Wednesday court hearing, a Fulton County Superior Court judge is considering the matter. If McKenzie wins the lawsuit, a second attempt to recall her is likely.
Kelly also said the recall effort is the first step in United College Park’s effort to replace two other council members when they run for reelection next year.
It’s not easy “speaking truth to power,” he said. “It’s not easy when you want someone to be the best that they can be and unfortunately, they’re not.”
The interviewer appeared to be biased and not supportive of the Counsel. It may have been better service to the College Park Citizens if the interviewer was natural and looking to present the concerns of both sides of the conflict. She fuels the disunity.