Category: Sections

By Maria Saporta

If only more male CEOs were as supportive of women as is John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Brock spoke at last week’s annual dinner meeting of the Board of Directors Network, an organization that promotes more women on corporate boards and more woman as executive officers on Georgia’s public companies.

CCE’s Brock was invited because that out of its 12 directors, four are women. It is the first year where there’s been some increases in the percentage of women on public company boards.

“The numbers are encouraging,” Brock said of the numbers showing that “there

By Maria Saporta

One of the key holdovers from Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s administration in Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration — Luz Borrero — is leaving City Hall.

Borrero, the City of Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer, has submitted her resignation, effective. Oct. 31.

“I will be joining the executive team of Purpose Built Communities as a senior manager,” Borrero wrote me in an email. “Purpose Built Communities is a non-profit corporation dedeicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in neighborhoods across the United States through a comprehensive redevelopment strategy based on the successful East Lake model in Atlanta.”

By Maria Saporta

A year ago, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood told Georgia leaders that they didn’t have their act together.

And LaHood’s perspective helped explain why Georgia couldn’t seem to get any major federal transportation dollars out of the Obama administration.

So LaHood’s comments on Wednesday morning were particularly poignant.

“We are here today because you all have your act together,” LaHood told the coalition of Atlanta business, civic and government leaders as he handed over a gigantic check of $47.6 million for the Atlanta Streetcar project.

By Maria Saporta

Two of metro Atlanta’s top regional leaders are leaving their positions, according to a press release sent out Monday afternoon.

The Atlanta Regional Commission, the planning agency for the 10-county region, announced that two of its key department directors will leave the agency on Dec. 31.

Tony Landers, the ARC’s director of community services; and Tom Weyandt, director of comprehensive planning, will leave to “pursue other ventures,” according to the release.

Landers, who joined the commission in 1973, led several key ARC initiatives: the annual Regional Leadership Institute

By Maria Saporta

Friday, Oct. 15. The end of an era.

That’s the day when the Commerce Club served its last meal in its historic building at 34 Broad St. The lunch room was packed as many of the Commerce Club’s most loyal patrons paid homage to the place where Atlanta history was made.

The Lane Room on the 16th floor was so busy that the buffet tables had to be moved out in the lobby area.

Pete McTier, retired president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, was sitting in the upper area having lunch with his wife. Bill Todd, president of the Georgia Cancer Coalition, was in the

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Wins!

At long last, Atlanta will get a streetcar thanks to persistent efforts to go after federal funding.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ office has just sent out the following press release:

U.S. Representative John Lewis Elated Over Funding for
Atlanta Streetcar Construction

Atlanta, GA – Congressman John Lewis, 5th Congressional District Georgia, is pleased to announce the funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) of more than $47 million to construct the Georgia Transit Connector;

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is still keeping his fingers crossed that the city will win federal funding for a streetcar that will connect Centennial Olympic Park with the King Center.

“I feel good about where we are,” Reed said Wednesday morning after a Metro Atlanta Chamber breakfast with more than 30 ambassadors from around the world. “We are going to continue to push through Friday.”

Reed said he had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Tuesday. That followed a meeting Reed had on Monday with LaHood, President Barack

By Maria Saporta

With only three weeks left to go before the Nov. 2 election, the three gubernatorial candidates faced each other in a debate at the Temple — showing their sense of humor as well as their frustrations.

The first question posed by moderator Julia Wallace, editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was what three traits should the next governor have.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes, the Democratic candidate, answered: “honesty, integrity and transparency.” Then Barnes, in a direct reference to his opponent — former Congressman Nathan Deal — went on to say: “I don’t believe you can lead this state unless people know

By Maria Saporta

In Atlanta, the word “festival” is synonymous with Holly Mull.

Mull was the godmother of several of Atlanta’s most popular festivals — such as the Inman Park Festival, and the coordinator of festivals all over the city — including the recent inaugural Midtown Arts Festival that took place a couple of weeks ago.

So it was only fitting in a sad kind of way that at the end of today’s Gay Pride Parade — perhaps Atlanta’s most colorful festival — I learned that she had passed away suddenly on Thursday.

My friend, Nick Gold, asked me if I had heard about Holly. It’s rarely good news

By Maria Saporta

The theme of the Galloway School’s Speaker Series was supposed to be fearlessness.

So who better to ask that Ted Turner, Captain Courageous.

But when Turner was asked whether he was fearless, he quickly answered: “I was scared all the time. Fearlessness doesn’t make sense. You should have some fear.”

Later in the question and answer period, Turner came up with another line: “I was afraid of losing so much that I worked so hard that I won.”

Then Turner said one shouldn’t confuse

By Maria Saporta

Both top candidates for governor strongly support spending lottery dollars on Pre-K education programs, and they believe it’s at least as important as the popular HOPE scholarship.

The candidates addressed the “Early Education Summit” held Tuesday at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The Pre-K program and the HOPE merit-based college scholarship were implemented after former Gov. Zell Miller was able to pass the Georgia Lottery with education as its beneficiary.

“Zell Miller said it correctly,” said former Gov. Roy Barnes, the Democratic candidate for governor. “Pre-K is more