Posted inTom Baxter

Election year set to start with a bang

The upcoming election year is shaping up to begin in a very interesting, not to say painful, way. The question is how interesting what’s going to happen in January will seem in November.

The federal grand jury investigating the commission formerly known as the State Ethics Commission is scheduled to meet Jan. 14 to receive documents related to its investigation of complaints against Gov. Nathan Deal going back to his 2010 race for governor. Deal and his attorney, Randy Evans, have so far taken a “who, me?” position to the news that three current or former ethics commission employees have been subpoenaed by the federal panel, speculating that the grand jury probe must be about the mishandling of documents at the commission, even though the documents are about Deal’s 2010 campaign.

A federal grand jury investigation is not something to pass too lightly over, particularly in an election year when you have primary and general election opponents waiting.

Posted inUncategorized

Radical Southern women – Part 1: Eliza Frances Andrews

Two spirited Georgia women of the post-Civil War era are remarkable for the clarity of their voices, their roots in the state, and their achievements. If in some ways they are alike, they are also profoundly different.

Eliza Frances (“Fanny”) Andrews was born in 1840 in Wilkes County; Kathryn Du Pre Lumpkin was born in 1897 in neighboring Oglethorpe County. Each benefited from the prominence of their families.

Posted inColumns, Michelle Hiskey & Ben Smith

At Beatles v. Stones, the anchoring power of music and memory

Living in uncertain times, we’re all looking for anchors. Nostalgia is a powerful one, as is music and lending a helping hand.

Friday night, more than 800 people showed up in Midtown to hear 13 bands who tried to recreate the time of peace, love and understanding known as the 1960s through the songs of two iconic bands: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The music of these bands is now timeless, but in its day it was revolutionary, and the gray heads in the audience may have flashbacked like I did to a time when rock first moved us and when some of us sought to move others.

Beatles vs. Stones reminded me of my own altruistic early rocker roots in Staunton, Va. I played with a hastily assembled band called Ravenscroft in my first gig in a church basement.

Posted inMaria's Metro

MARTA defies the odds — seeks new metro partners as it improves service

Just when I feel like giving up on Atlanta, a ray of sunshine gives me hope.

This past week, that ray of sunshine was MARTA — our beleaguered, unappreciated transit agency.

(Thought I needed to have a more uplifting column this week because Mayor Kasim Reed said my last column almost made him cry. More on that below).

Keith Parker, who has been MARTA’s general manager for exactly one year, used his anniversary to give a “State of MARTA” report to community stakeholders on the morning of Friday the 13th. For metro Atlanta, it was a day of good tidings.

Posted inLatest News

Gov. Nathan Deal seeks reforms to help prisoners re-enter society

By Maria Saporta

Georgia Gov. Nathan  Deal plans for the next legislative session to complete the third leg of his criminal justice reform stool — supporting transition and re-entry into the community for people who have been in prison.

Deal spoke to the Rotary Club of Atlanta Monday when he gave a preview of the 2014 legislative session as well as the messages that likely will be part of his re-election campaign next year.

“There are other things at work in our society — things that are not the most pleasant things to talk about,” Deal said. “We took on criminal justice reform — not something that a Republican governor should do.”

Posted inEleanor Ringel Cater

‘Nebraska’ – a movie that is less about a state than a state of mind

Bruce Dern never was much of an actor, and all the critics’ accolades for “Nebraska” don’t make him one.

With “Nebraska,” director Alexander Payne wanders into Coen Brothers territory. That is, a foray into black-comedy Hicksville — in this case, the titular state, where Payne was born, and for which, Payne insists, he still has much affection.

Well, if this is a movie about some place he likes, I’d be interested in seeing what he does to a place he doesn’t.

Actually, “Nebraska” is less about a state than a state of mind. Woody Grant (Dern) is a grumpy old man who long ago crossed the line into cantankerous old coot. Apparently, he was a cantankerous young coot as well. Now an elderly alcoholic with a sharp-tongued wife (June Squibb), Woody is convinced he’s won a million dollars. He just needs to get from Billings (Montana) to Lincoln (Nebraska) to claim it.

Posted inGuest Column

Believing in ‘the buc’ as metro surveys show increased desire for transit

By Guest Columnist JIM DURRETT, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District

Last month the Buckhead Community Improvement District, or “CID,” now 14 years old, celebrated 10 continuous years offering free bus service for workers, residents and visitors, featuring our shuttle, which we named “the buc.”

The purpose of this transit service is to augment existing MARTA bus service on Peachtree and Piedmont, and offer “last-mile connectivity” for commuters using MARTA to get to and from work.  Why did the Buckhead CID choose to do this?

Posted inDavid Pendered

Mayor Reed in 2014 may try to trigger up to $250 million in public works construction projects across city

The stars may be aligning for a vote in Atlanta in 2014 to raise money from taxpayers to hasten repairs of the city’s broken sidewalks, streets, bridges and other public infrastructure.

The bond referendum to which Mayor Kasim Reed recommitted himself Friday could be called in a year large numbers likely will turn out to vote for a U.S. senator and state governor. The timing has pros and cons.

In addition, calling the referendum in 2014 would capitalize on a public awareness campaign on pedestrian safety the state is paying PEDS to conduct in metro Atlanta. The $67,000 grant announced Dec. 12 also is to enable the pedestrian safety advocacy organization to provide technical assistance to governments.

Posted inDavid Pendered

MARTOC chair praises MARTA’s GM for trajectory of transit agency

Keith Parker is ending his first year as MARTA’s general manager with glowing remarks from the chair of the state legislature’s committee that oversees MARTA.

“I really appreciate everything that is going on right now at MARTA and look forward to an excellent second year, as we have had an excellent first year under Mr. Parker,” said state Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven), who chairs the joint House-Senate committee known as MARTOC.

Jacobs delivered his remarks Friday, during MARTOC’s final meeting of the year. The meeting ended a full day for transit leaders, who hosted a “State of MARTA” breakfast at the agency’s headquarters.

Posted inLatest News

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed looks to second term, COO Duriya Farooqui headed to Bain Consulting on Jan. 31

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, in a wide-ranging interview Friday morning, said the priority in his second term will to get an infrastructure referendum passed by voters that will be between $150 million and $250 million.

But that initiative will have to be implemented without his top lieutenant — Duriya Farooqui, who has been serving as his chief operating officer for the last two years and as deputy COO from the beginning of his first term.

Farooqui has been his point person on virtually all major efforts in the Reed administration.

Posted inLatest News

Atlanta architectural firms merging – Stevens & Wilkinson and RWH

By Maria Saporta

Two veteran Atlanta architectural and design firms are joining forces.

Stevens & Wilkinson and Richard Wittschiebe Hand (RWH) are announcing that they are combining their practices to establish a “collaborative culture and a focus on smart design solutions,” according a press release.

Stevens & Wilkinson, founded in 1919 in downtown Atlanta, has a long history of architectural and engineering design services. By merging with RWH, the firm is looking forward to a future with a strengthened, combined practice.

Stevens & Wilkinson has practiced for 94 years throughout the Southeast, and it has offices in Atlanta and Columbia, SC.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Millennials favor coal-fired power plants, Georgia Power rate hike, says poll released by Sierra Club

Young Georgia voters strongly favor the proposed Georgia Power rate hike and fewer than half support shifting from coal to renewables to generate electricity, according to a results of a poll by the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club.

The polling company advised against reading too much into results from the millennials because the margin of error for the age bracket is 13.2 percent, compared to 3.23 percent for the total poll. The broader results of the poll show widespread opposition to the proposed rate hike and strong support for shifting away from coal-fired power plants.

Georgia Power is requesting to hike its rates in order to raise $873 million. Georgia’s Public Service Commission is slated to vote on the proposal Dec. 17, following a decision Thursday morning by a PSC committee to schedule the matter for a vote by the full commission.

Posted inATL Business Chronicle, Maria's Metro

Column: Metro Atlanta Chamber celebrates legacy, leadership

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on December 6, 2013

At the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Dec. 3 annual meeting, it was a day to celebrate both new leaders while honoring the legacy of the past 17 years.

It was the day that 2013 Chamber Chairman Paul Bowers, president and CEO of Georgia Power, happily passed the reigns to Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines, who is chairing the Metro Atlanta Chamber in 2014.

Posted inLatest News

Atlanta BeltLine outlines its future 17 years — plans to own entire 22-mile corridor within the next five years

By Maria Saporta

As a guide to see where it’s been and where it’s going, the board of the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. Wednesday unanimously adopted a new Strategic Implementation Plan that will guide the ambitious development through 2030.

“For the first time, there’s a plan to complete all the elements of the plan by 2030,” said Paul Morris, CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc. “What excites me is that the public’s awareness of the BeltLine is moving to a position of inevitability. That’s a real turning point in any great project.”

The Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile rail corridor that encircles downtown Atlanta, is being developed on multiple levels. Multipurpose trails for pedestrians and cyclists are being built. New and expanded parks are being developed along the ring — a feature that has been called an “Emerald Necklace.”

Posted inLatest News

Park Pride donates $625,000 in grants to 17 parks in Atlanta and DeKalb

By Maria Saporta

Park Pride is giving away a record of $625,000 in matching grants to 17 parks, the organization announced Wednesday morning.

It is the largest amount that that the nonprofit has ever given in one grant cycle, exceeding last year’s total by more than $75,000. Since it began its Grant Program in 2004, Park Pride has granted more than $2.8 million for playgrounds, land acquisition and other capital improvements to Friends of Park groups seeking to revitalize their community’s green spaces.

“The grants are only part of the story,” said Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s executive director. “Given the requirement for matching dollars to be raised locally, the actual impact on these parks is more than double the size of the grant. Working together with local communities and government partners, we are achieving results that could never be accomplished working in isolation.”

Posted inSaba Long

Metro Atlanta’s rising young leaders bring “energy, passion” to charities

Here is a Georgia statistic we can be proud of. The Chronicle of Philanthropy notes the state ranks sixth nationally in charitable giving, with $4.8 billion in total contributions, averaging 6.2 percent of total income given.

As Georgians aged from 20 years to 44 years make up more than 35 percent of the total population, and those under 20 year nearly 29 percent, not-for-profit organizations are actively recruiting younger donors and finding creative ways to tap into their discretionary spending.

Posted inEleanor Ringel Cater

Mandela, apartheid and the movies

The passing of Nelson Mandela has touched us all. For once, media overkill doesn’t seem to say enough about this extraordinary man. I’ve heard or read so many pronouncements over the past few days, I can’t keep them all straight. But  here’s a quote I especially like: “In Mandela we saw what we seek to see in ourselves.”

There is a powerful Mandela movie that’s already in limited release and will open in Atlanta before the end of the year.  Called “Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom,” the film initially seems pedestrian. However, the power of Mandela’s story is such that, by the end, you’re grateful to the director, Justin Chadwick (“The Other Boleyn Girl”), for not getting in the way. Plus, the picture offers expert performances by  Idris Elba in the title role and Naomie Harris as his wife Winnie.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Atlanta pays about $1 million a month in worker’s comp claims, a higher rate than national average

Atlanta taxpayers have paid more than $44 million over a 45-month period for a worker’s compensation program that is significantly more generous than those of other state and local governments, according to a city audit.

The cost per worker is 58 percent higher than the national average. The number of claims filed by city employees also exceeds the national average for local governments – by 2.5 times, the audit shows.

The situation results from a system that puts claims administration ahead of risk management, according to the audit. For example, Atlanta does not address safety practices with new employees, though it does inform them of how to submit claims and what benefits to expect.

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