Guest column by Doug Shipman,
Executive director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights
When Billy Payne stated during a speech in 2006 that the opportunity to build a civil and human rights oriented institution was bigger than the Olympics, more than a few heads turned.
Only recently has an understanding of the opportunity Atlanta and Georgia now possesses come into clear focus. Great places have a theme that binds their collective memory and current action together.
Enough already.
State legislators need to stop trying to take control of MARTA or Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Some legislators just don’t get it. They keep orchestrating plots or plans or bills for the state to take over our largest public transit system and the world’s busiest airport.
These are the same state leaders who have done virtually nothing to support either.
When I was growing up, Atlanta and Georgia were viewed as beacons of progress in the South.
On virtually every level, Georgia outpaced its sister Southern states — largely because its leaders stayed focus on what was best for the state’s economic development future.
Now, one bill in the state legislature threatens to reverse Georgia’s progressive reputation — a bill that would outlaw embryonic stem cell research in our state.
Guest Column by JIM JACOBY,
Developer of Atlantic Station
With the passage of time, it is easy to forget the economic insecurity and fear that followed Sept. 11, 2001. The appalling human tragedy of that awful moment in our nation’s history dwarfs the financial market shock of Sept. 15, 2008.
But one cannot avoid a sense that we have been here before. I am confident that we will rise to the occasion once again.
What a mess.
The political puzzle at the Georgia Capitol these days resembles a Rubik’s Cube — especially when it comes to transportation issues.
The Georgia Senate, which is led by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle,
Guest Column by SAM WILLIAMS,
President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Georgia desperately needs a voter-approved transportation sales tax to deal with congestion in metro Atlanta and provide more resources around the state.
That is the answer to a call that has both been set forth in many transportation reports and by frustrated motorists in the metro area.
However, we first need the legislature to give us the tools we need to take action
Striving for great architecture has been hit and miss in Atlanta. Take the mediocre 17th Street bridge, a far cry from the alternative fanciful design by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava.
By Guest Columnist Kevin Green
Executive Director of the Clean Air Campaign
With the headlines piling on more bad news, sometimes it’s tough to notice the good things. The dialogue about our bleak economy, mounting job losses and state budget crises commands our attention like a bad car wreck on the side of the road. There are certainly tough times ahead, much of which is beyond our ability to influence in the short term.
But let’s stop rubbernecking for a moment and acknowledge some encouraging
MARTA needs help.
The largest public transit agency in Georgia may have to dramatically cut service and raise fees and fares in July unless the state legislature votes to give MARTA more flexibility on how it spends its own money.
MARTA’s needs can’t be forgotten in all the legislative
By Guest Columnist JOE BANKOFF;
president of the Woodruff Arts Center
People sometimes politely wonder why I would leave the law practice to work in a large not-for-profit arts organization like the Woodruff Arts Center. Me included. If timing is everything – then (with apologies to Charles Dickens) it is both the worst of times and the best of times.
The events of September 2008 are having even greater impact on our society than those of September 2001. In 2001 we had an instantaneous shock and a common foreign enemy. Today we are living with a series of “after shocks” that are getting more – not less – intense.
Aaaaaaagggghhh!!!!!!???!!!
Gov. Sonny Pedue’s proposal to restructure Georgia transportation bureaucracy is analagous to a surgeon performing a hip replacement when a patient needs a heart transplant.
The measure doesn’t address our long-standing, most pressing problem — congestion in the Atlanta region. In fact, it could make the situation worse.
By Guest Columnist LYNNETTE YOUNG
CEO of Damespoint Consulting, which manages Sustainable Atlanta
What does “sustainability” really mean? And how does it apply to what we do everyday? Can businesses working together accomplish sustainability for themselves as well as our city?
Good questions. And ones we get asked often at Sustainable Atlanta. So let me start by sharing what green business is all about, and then I’ll let you in on some really good news!
It just isn’t true.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is saying that if Amtrak and other passenger trains can’t use the BeltLine corridor that borders Piedmont Park, then commuter and high speed rail (including Amtrak) will not be able to serve the central city.
This position not only is without merit, but it also seems as though GDOT is trying to punish the city of Atlanta for challenging the future use of the BeltLine.
For starters, remember Atlanta’s very existence comes from the convergence of three railroad lines intersecting near the Five Points MARTA station. That’s why regional and city leaders stragically have planned to build a multimodal train station in the heart of downtown.
Stay tuned to this space to read commentaries and analysis from many of our region’s civic leaders and interested citizens. If you have ideas you would like to share, or if you know of someone who can contribute to improving our region and state; please let me know. Email me at: maria@saportareport.com. It would be great to have color photo of those contributing to this feature.
Welcome to SaportaReport, a site I hope will be a thought-provoking venue in making metro Atlanta and Georgia a great place to live, work, play and study.
For readers who are familiar with my writings at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this column will be similar in scope to the one I wrote for the Horizon section for about a decade.
This will be my outlet to share perspectives of our region and our state, and to weigh in on how we can do better. My topics will range from transportation, the environment, the arts, philanthropy, urban design to leadership.
