By Maria Saporta
A regional effort to build a regional arts and cultural mindset is losing its leader.
Flora Maria Garcia, CEO of the Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture Coalition, will become the new president and CEO of the United Arts of Central Florida starting May 29.
Garcia has been CEO of MAACC since 2007, when she succeeded Bill Nigut, who is now the Southeast Regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
By Maria Saporta
Washington, D.C. — Education reform is alive and well in the nation’s capital.
Members of metro Atlanta’s LINK delegation were enamored with Kaya Henderson, the chancellor of Washington, D.C. public school system, after she addressed regional leaders about the change underway in one of the highest-profile systems in the nation.
Henderson joined the staff of the Washington, D.C. public schools in 2007 as part of the Michelle Rhee administration.
By Maria Saporta
Washington, D.C. — Cobb Chamber of Commerce President David Connell humbly stood before members of the metro Atlanta LINK delegation Thursday morning after to apologize.
The day before, as Connell was going through security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, he was detained for having a handgun in his bag. He subsequently was arrested and taken to the Clayton County jail.
Connell finally rejoined the LINK delegation Thursday morning, and he went to the podium to address what had been the buzz of the trip on Wednesday.
By Maria Saporta
Washington, D.C. — The nation’s capital is enjoying a burst of population growth, Mayor Vincent Gray told the metro Atlanta LINK delegation Wednesday evening.
Gray welcomed Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and about 100 other civic leaders at dinner held at the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
After losing population for several decades, Washington, D.C. added 30,000 residents between 2000 and 2010.
By Maria Saporta
Baltimore — A 100 civic leaders from Atlanta, on the 16th annual LINK trip, arrived in the largest city in Maryland Wednesday witnessing a city that has strategically sought to be an economic leader in bio-science and cyber security.
Although Baltimore can be overshadowed by the Washington, D.C. metro area, the city also recognizes that its economic strength can be attributed in great part to the ample presence of federal dollars in the community.
By Maria Saporta
Few people realized how many institutions of higher learning were clustered in metro Atlanta until Mike Gerber came to town 14 years ago.
Gerber, who has been serving as president of the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE) since 1998, announced via email that he is resigning his position effective June 30.
By Maria Saporta
Proponents of transit in metro Atlanta will be kicking off the Fast Track Forward Initiative to inform voters on what is at stake when they go to the polls on July 31.
The Livable Communities Coalition of the Metro Atlanta will be holding a kick-off event on Wednesday April 25 at the restaurant, Shout, at Colony Square from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Doug Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, will be the keynote speaker.
Several efforts are underway to publicize and promote the one percent regional transportation sales tax referendum in July.
By Maria Saporta
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is disappointed that MARTA did not get the legislative assistance it needs during the 2012 General Assembly.
But he is not giving up by any means that the situation can be resolved in 2013.
MARTA had sought to permanently remove a state restriction that requires that half of its sales tax revenues go to operations and half goes to capital investments. The state had waived the 50/50 rule for three years, but that time frame runs out on June 30, 2013.
By Maria Saporta
It’s a first for the Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta.
For the first time since the school was founded by my mother, Nora Saporta, in 1963, the Alliance now has a suburban location.
A week ago, the Alliance held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new satellite location at 735 Jones Dr. in downtown Roswell — a charming, stand-alone location where classes will begin on April 16. People will be able to take Beginner or Intermediate French classes as well as classes in Grammar or Conversation.
By Maria Saporta
The City of Atlanta now aims to be a “top tier” sustainable city rather than a “top 10” sustainable city, according to Denise Quarles, the new director of sustainability.
After three months working at the city, Quarles addressed several environmental organizations Wednesday at a luncheon at Hyatt Regency Atlanta
During her talk, Quarles said the city is “refreshing” it strategic sustainability plan. And that should be unveiled in the fall.
By Maria Saporta
Developer and urbanist Chris Leinberger delivered a “wake-up call” Monday at the Rotary Club of Atlanta — “Hot-lanta is no longer hot.”
Leinberger has been coming to Atlanta an average of once a month for the past 30 years, and he’s seen the metro area blossom during the boom times. And now he’s witnessing an Atlanta that is losing ground to such “left wing cities” as Dallas, Houston, Salt Lake City, Denver and Charlotte.
He remembers the developers of the past generation — from Blaine Kelley, Ron Terwilliger, John Williams, John Wieland and Tom Cousins.
By Maria Saporta
The MARTA board is exploring all options to meet a potential shortfall in operating dollars in 2013 as a result of the state legislature not acting to remove the 50-50 restriction in how the agency spends its sales tax revenue.
When MARTA was created, there was a stipulation that 50 percent of its budget go towards capital spending and 50 percent towards operating. Since MARTA has been unable to expand the system, it has sought the flexibility to spend more of the tax revenue on operating expenses.
By Maria Saporta
It gets so bloody depressing.
Once again, MARTA has gotten screwed. This time, it was at the hands of the State Rep. Mike Jacobs, State Rep. Steve Davis and other misguided colleagues who have lost sight of what being a legislator is all about — to act in the best interests of the state.
In the closing minutes of the 2012 legislative session, political motives and missteps failed to remove the noose around MARTA’s neck that forces the transit agency to spend 50 percent of the sales tax it collects on capital improvements and 50 percent on operations.
By Maria Saporta and David Pendered
What an amazing turnaround.
Just hours after the Atlanta Urban Design Commission unanimously voted to deny a demolition permit for the historic Atlanta Daily World newspaper building on Auburn Avenue, the developer and building owner said they are dropping their plans to demolish the building.
In a statement, Alexis Scott, publisher of the Atlanta Daily World; and Valerie Edwards, executive vice president of the Integral Group, said they would not appeal the decision of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.
By Maria Saporta and David Pendered
The red brick building on Auburn Avenue that once housed the Atlanta Daily World newspaper is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball.
A developer’s proposal to tear down all but the front portion of the building was rejected unanimously by a powerful Economic Review Panel that reports to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.
The commission later voted unanimously to accept the panel’s report and deny the demolition permit.
By Maria Saporta
Going to Atlanta Housing Authority board meeting can be surreal.
After having not met since Jan. 5 and despite having several lingering thorny issues (see previous post) on its plate, the AHA board met Wednesday as though nothing was out of the ordinary.
For starters, the chairman — Dan Halpern — was on vacation. And only four of the seven board members were present — enough for a quorum.
By Maria Saporta
When the Atlanta Housing Authority board meets on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., it will be the first time in nearly three months.
This is the same board that placed restrictions on Renee Glover, AHA’s president and CEO, last fall.
The board said she could not hire or fire any employees. It also stipulated that she could not enter into any contracts worth more than $10,000 without board approval.
By Maria Saporta
After 19 years at the helm of VOX Teen Communications, Rachel Alterman Wallack is stepping aside as the nonprofit’s executive director but will take on a new role as director of strategic initiatives.
Wallack, who founded the organization that has become metro Atlanta’s premier writing program for teens, has been serving as a part-time (75 percent) executive director for the past six years so she could spend more time with her family and raising her three children.
Now she and the VOX board believe it’s time for the nonprofit to focus on long term strategic plan and put in place a new leadership model.
By Maria Saporta
It was so Dennis Creech.
Upon being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2012 Environmental Awards breakfast Friday, Creech said the honor really belongs to all the people he has worked with for the past 34 years.
Creech, who was a founder of Southface in 1978, has been advocating for green building practices for more than three decades. Due to his leadership, metro Atlanta has become a leader for green building with some of the highest concentration of LEED certified buildings in a metro area.
By Maria Saporta
We are in mourning at SaportaReport over the passing of Furman Bisher, our beloved colleague who was the legendary sports columnist for the Atlanta Journal, and later the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Although Furman was 93, outliving so many of his contemporaries, it still came as a shock to hear he had passed away on Sunday. We all thought that Furman was immortal — that he would live forever.
There are many Furman Bisher stories, and Michelle Hiskey will share some with you in her column next week.
Meanwhile, we wanted to let you know about the upcoming services honoring Furman’s rich and storied life.
