The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Inside City Hall
WHAT A NEW POLICE PRECINCT SAYS ABOUT CITY-STATE RELATIONS IN 2022
The official ribbon-cutting for a new Atlanta police mini-precinct drew quite the assortment of people — and political agendas — to the swanky Buckhead Village area last Wednesday.
The mayor and interim police chief were there, of course, along with their staffs and a couple City Council members. The governor was there, as well.
We also spotted a number of big-time corporate leaders, as well as former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. In the crowd was also over a dozen residents who support the controversial effort to create a new city out of Buckhead, with one sign reading “still not enough officers.” (As our friends at The Jolt noted last week, the future of the cityhood movement looks bleak.)
Gov. Brian Kemp and Mayor Andre Dickens both thanked each other and spoke of the importance of collaboration between local and state governments. The bipartisan nature of the event was notable given that Kemp is in the midst of a bitter reelection campaign against Democrat Stacey Abrams, whom Dickens is sure to support. But “public safety has no political boundaries,” the governor said.
The event was also a sign of how much tensions have cooled between Atlanta City Hall and the governor’s office. This weekend will mark exactly two years since former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enacted a citywide mask mandate, leading to a bitter legal feud. It marked a rift in the fabled city-state relationship that Dickens worked to rebuild when he took office, as the looming Buckhead cityhood effort posed an existential threat to City Hall.
What a difference two years makes.
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There’s a very good reason Mayor Dickens didn’t run in the AJC Peachtree Road Race on Monday.
Dickens fractured his foot during warmups at Wednesday’s Midnight Basketball event, he posted on Instagram last week, coupled with a chuckle-worthy photo of the mayor looking down crestfallen at a basketball. He said he’ll be wearing a boot on his left foot for the next few weeks. “I guess this is why Midnight Basketball has an age limit,” Dickens wrote, adding the hashtags, #Thisis48 #stayinmylane Dickens still attended the world’s largest 5K on July 4.
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Some critical roles at City Hall are starting to be filled with permanent hires. Dickens announced on June 23 that Jaideep Majumdar was hired as the city’s new chief procurement officer, and last week said Justin Cutler will lead the parks and recreation department.
Majumdar comes to the city from the private sector, while Cutler currently works for the city of Seattle. Both will be Cabinet-level officials with their work cut out for them. Dickens has promised to reform and speed up the city’s procurement processes, and Cutler will be responsible for implementing $100 million in parks improvements that Atlanta voters approved in May. --We have more details
on what a redevelopment at The Mall West End could look like. The Prusik Group and BRP Companies, the latest in a line of developers to try and take on the site, recently gave a presentation to West End Neighborhood Development, a neighborhood organization, that propose a mix of retail, housing and possibly a hotel.
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Last week, the Grove Park Foundation and Columbia Residential hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Columbia Canopy at Grove Park, a new mixed-income apartment community featuring 1, 2 and 3-bedroom units. Of the 110 units built there, 56 are priced for people who make 60% of the region’s median income, which is $48,200 for a family of four. Another 34 units are priced at 50% of the median income. The development on West Lake Avenue was the second affordable housing complex in Grove Park to celebrate a grand opening in the last month.
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The Atlanta City Council named a City Hall veteran as its new staff director. Santana Kempson Wright, an Atlanta native who has worked for the city for 17 years, will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the City Council staff.