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What a joy it is to have the Atlanta Dogwood Festival back in its rightful home — Piedmont Park.

And we need the city of Atlanta to do everything it can to protect and nurture the festival for years and years to come.

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival helps mark the coming of spring — an annual ritual that breathes life back in the city and kicks off our festival season — Inman Park Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Virginia-Highlands Festival, the National Black Arts Festival, and of course, the Peachtree Road Race.

It was a moment when eyebrows went up.

At Wednesday’s annual luncheon meeting of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin took the podium as the last time in her current role.

“I want to congratulate you for hanging tough in tough in tough times,” Franklin told the hospitality community.

And when she acknowledged the presence of

Atlanta business leaders had a brainstorming meeting this morning on a strategy to get more accountable state elected officials.

The executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber spent its enire monthly meeting talking about the breakdown during this year’s legislative session and how to prevent that from happening again.

For Sam Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the meeting demonstrated the level of frustration that exists in the business community.

So much political intrigue.

The news that Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle will stay put rather than run for governor is causing several politicians to rethink what their next move will be.

Folks who had been thinking about jumping in the lieutenant governor’s race now are seeking alternative races because few want to take on an incumbent.

But here’s the discouraging reality.

Not surprisingly, the Metro Atlanta Chamber plans to devote its entire executive committee meeting Thursday morning on state legislative issues.

The meeting follows a particularly disappointing session of the General Assembly that ended earlier this month without resolving a number of issues critical to the Atlanta business community.

Among the issues high on the chamber’s list include: the lack of progress on a bill that would allow voters to pass a one-cent sales tax for

The late Robert W. Woodruff would have taken special pleasure in today’s announcement that the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University had received a formal designation by the National Cancer Institute.

Woodruff, president and leader of the Coca-Cola Co. for decades, actually was the center’s “first benefactor,” according to Vicki Riedel, executive director of development for the Winship Cancer Institute.

“It was his first gift to Emory,” Riedel said.

Americans and the French view racial equality through different lenses, according to French journalist Nicole Bacharan.

Bacharan spoke Friday evening at Georgia Tech on behalf of the Alliance Francaise d”Atlanta and the European Union Center of Excellence at the Sam Nunn School of International Studies.

For example, affirmative action is France is referred to as positive discrimination. While Bacharan said affirmative action has been fairly

The Atlanta Regional Commission today showed what true leadership can do.

The ARC’s Transportation and Air Quality Committee voted unanimously to pursue using up to $25 million in federal stimulus funding to help cover MARTA’s anticipated operating shortfall during the next fiscal year.

If the resolution is passed by the ARC’s board at its May meeting, then MARTA should be able to continue providing its current level of service through May, 2010.

Georgia State University today named W. Bartley Hildreth as the new dean of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies beginning July 1.

Here’s my hope. Perhaps Hildreth can put “urban” back into focus at the GSU School.

Currently, Hildreth is the Regents Distinguished Professor of Public Finance at the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs at Wichita State University. From the release that came out today,

Usually, I’m not one to gloat, but I can’t help myself.

Today’s ajc.com says that City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell is withdrawing from the mayor’s race so he can enter the race for City Council president.

That information was posted last Thursday on SaportaReport.

Also, my front-page piece in the Atlanta Business Chronicle broke the story about Lisa Borders

The strangest part of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s address to the Atlanta Press Club today was his opening talk, which lasted nearly 15 minutes.

During that whole speech, every reference Cagle made about the tumultuous recent legislative session was positive. Could that be because Cagle is running for governor and doesn’t want to make any new enemies?

“This was an exciting session,” Cagle said without discussing the

So sad.

Today, when I was walking my dogs at Piedmont Park, I found out that Roy Clark had died two weeks ago.

Roy Clark, a frail man, had worked at Piedmont Park for 46 years, picking up trash and lovingly taking care of the its grounds.

Although he was understated person, he was always a friendly, daily presence in the park. I would see him there working nearly every day of

At tonight’s Atlanta mayoral forum at the Uptown Restaurant and Lounge, the real story was not about who showed up, but who didn’t.

Four candidates did attend the forum sponsored by Newsmakers Live!: Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood, State Sen. Kasim Reed, Attorney Jesse Spikes and Glenn Thomas, an executive manager.

Atlanta City Councilman Ceasar Mitchell was a no show, and the word at the forum was that he was dropping out of the mayor’s race.

The Commerce Club board, at its monthly meeting, gave the green light to proceed with negotiations to merge with the 191 Club.

But the two parties haven’t yet reached a final agreement.

“What I asked for and got was approval to complete negotiations consistent with the term sheet passed at the last meeting,” Ratcliffe said.

That approval means that unless some of the major terms change, Ratcliffe and his executive team can complete the agreement with Club Corporation of America, the owner of the 191

Dear readers,
I wanted to share with you the latest email blast from one of my favorite organizations — the Livable Communities Coalition. There’s a lot of great information and valuable links to several topics of significance to our region.
By the way, click here to link to the coalition’s website.
Maria

TRENDS URGE CHANGE; AND NEW POLICY GOALS SHOW WAY FORWARD

With the first round of projects already sent to Gov. Sonny Perdue for his approval and

Just to keep everybody up to date, I did hear back from John Carter, president of the Georgia Tech Foundation about whether his organization will keep trying to get a permit to demolish the historic Crum & Forster building.

In a 3-0 vote last month, the City of Atlanta’s Board of Zoning Adjustment upheld a decision by the Bureau of Planning that denied Georgia Tech’s request to demolish the building at 771 Spring St.

“Yes, we plan to appeal,” Carter wrote me in an email last week (sorry to be so late posting this). ”Georgia Tech is still evaluating all its options for expansion of Technology Square, which includes