As Egbert Perry walked up to the stage to accept the Council for Quality Growth’s Four Pillars Award, he was overtaken with the spirit of reggae artist Bob Marley. As the song “One Love” was playing, Perry began dancing across the stage. “Bob Marley’s music was transformational,” Perry said. “Because of that infectious rhythm, the […]
Category: Maria’s Metro
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says he’s focused on implementing transit plans
The Atlanta region has had plans to expand transit for decades and decades. Now we have another opportunity to move forward with rail transit with the Atlanta City Council voting unanimously to implement light rail on the 22-mile Beltline corridor. We also have Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in an exclusive interview with SaportaReport after the […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Health Connect South still connecting after 13 gatherings
One of my favorite annual events is Health Connect South. It brings together a rich array of people all interested in the same goal — improving health outcomes for everyone. The energy inside and outside the meeting rooms is undeniable. Part of the magic of the day is planned – introducing the most influential and […]
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Atlanta’s Kelsea Bond on Beltline light rail: ‘We need to get back on track’
All signs point to a growing consensus for rail along the Atlanta Beltline. The latest development? A proposed resolution by Atlanta City Councilperson Kelsea Bond of support for light rail all along the corridor is being co-sponsored by 10 of her colleagues. Originally, eight councilmembers signed on to the non-binding resolution: Liliana Bakhtiari, Michael Julian […]
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Everyone agrees: more people need to live downtown
Shortly after he bought Underground Atlanta in 2020, Shaneel Lalani acquired a nearby downtown high-rise office building, 34 Peachtree St. It took him years to figure out what to do with the 1960 building – convert 20 of its 30 stories to housing. “I think we came up with the right mix for what downtown […]
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BoardWalk Consulting: recruiting civic leaders to Atlanta and beyond
In October 2012, Crystal Stephens was looking to lead an Atlanta nonprofit. A friend told her to visit with Sam Pettway, the founding director of BoardWalk Consulting, an Atlanta-based search firm specializing in the nonprofit sector. It didn’t take long for Pettway to ask Stephens if she would consider working for BoardWalk. Stephens had spent […]
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Vision to dramatically increase passenger rail in metro Atlanta
Sometimes an idea is so grand it takes one’s breath away. That’s the Grand Plan — creating a rail bypass around metro Atlanta to free up hundreds of miles of track that could be used for passenger trains. Compare this idea to I-285, which became a conduit for trucks to bypass the central city. We […]
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Economic mobility lessons from 30 years ago — post-96 Olympics
Let’s travel back in time to 1996 when an influential group of business and civic leaders developed a strategy to feed Atlanta’s economic momentum following the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. An initiative to develop a strategy to solidify the city’s economic base was led by Roberto Goizueta, then the CEO of Coca-Cola Co., working with […]
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MARTA’s new CEO will set the tone of the transit agency’s future
Three finalists for the top MARTA job were announced Aug. 10, including Jonathan Hunt, who has been serving as the interim CEO for more than a year. The other two finalists are Cleveland Ferguson III of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Leroy Jones of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Whoever is named CEO on […]
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Atlanta’s tree canopy hits new low
The City of Atlanta set a goal in 2023 to have a tree canopy of 50 percent. At the time, the Atlanta City Council said the city’s tree canopy “is a well-recognized integral part of the City’s identity, as the city is frequently described as the ‘City in the Forest.’” It went on to cite a 2018 […]
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Developer Jim Irwin is creating a city within a city
One could call Jim Irwin an accidental developer. Today, at the young age of 47, Irwin is one of the most respected developers in Atlanta because of his commitment to creating spaces and places where people want to visit, live and work. A motto for Irwin: “Let’s build a city I’d want to live in.” […]
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A personal reflection: My parents to me: ‘We are citizens of the world’
As the city was celebrating the FIFA World Cup finale at the Showcase Atlanta celebration at Piedmont Park on July 19, Mayor Andre Dickens paid tribute to when Atlanta held the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games exactly 30 years earlier — to the day and almost the actual minute. “Today’s a special […]
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World Cup spotlights downtown and Atlanta’s global flavor
So far, so great! After speaking with more than a dozen civic leaders, the consensus has been unanimous. Atlanta has shined brightly during the past month of hosting the FIFA World Cup. That includes MARTA, Centennial Olympic Park and Fan Fest, the streets and sidewalks, the attractions and the people. “It’s been a fun atmosphere,” […]
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Charlotte’s Sherri Chisholm: ‘We were a victim of our own success’
Once again Atlanta can look to Charlotte, N.C. for insights into improving the region’s economic mobility ranking. But the recent decision to sunset Leading on Opportunity, the organization that spearheaded Charlotte’s economic mobility efforts, may come as a surprise. Sherri Chisholm, executive director of Leading on Opportunity since 2020, shared her thoughts in a candid […]
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At 250, American democracy is in turmoil
As we’re about to turn 250 years old, let’s ask ourselves: Can a divided nation celebrate a united birthday? The United States will turn 250 years old on Saturday, reinforcing its place as the world’s longest-living republic with a constitution. It’s a time to pause and reflect on where we’ve been, where we are and […]
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Atlanta gains ground as a city for bicycles
PeopleForBikes gave the City of Atlanta a score of 33 in its 2026 ratings, released on June 17. This is up from just 23 in 2020. The Boulder, Co.-based organization also declared Atlanta as one of the eight cities to watch. An adage applies to the latest ranking: “What gets measured gets improved.” Time and time again, we’ve seen how […]
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Mayor Andre Dickens: ‘This is a special moment for us’
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is turning 52 on June 17, and he is taking stock of everything he’s experiencing leading up to his birthday. After the quarterly meeting of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) at the headquarters building of Invesco on Friday, June 12, Mayor Dickens sat down for an exclusive interview with SaportaReport, […]
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Another blow to local news — nonprofit Atlanta Civic Circle shuts down
The closing of the Atlanta Civic Circle feels like a death in the family. SaportaReport helped launch the Atlanta Civic Circle in 2018, providing a place where journalists could do “deep dive” reporting on issue of critical importance in the Atlanta region. (We announced the concept at a Commerce Club event in December 2017). ACC received […]
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Justin Cutler to mayor: Atlanta should strive to reach ParkScore’s Top 10
Justin Cutler’s last day as Atlanta’s commissioner for parks and recreation was May 29, completing nearly four years in that position. In an exit interview with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Cutler offered advice on selecting his successor. The mayor should share his love for parks and recreation. Then Dickens should set a challenge: try to […]
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Georgia eliminates key economic development incentives and tax credits
For the past 12 years, Area Development Magazine has ranked Georgia the No. 1 state for business. Now economic developers in the state are concerned that Georgia’s business-friendly reputation could be at stake after the General Assembly eliminated about a dozen tax incentives and tax credits used to attract investment to the state. Among the […]
