April 2019

Don't Forget

Senator Rhett!

Georgia

District 33

Visit Senator Doc Rhett Here!

Watch Senator Doc Rhett

Representative Gilliard

Pass

House Bill 79

in the

Georgia S enate.

A civil rights bill for blind parents pertaining to their rights as parents, guardians, child custody

etc.

Next Stop the Governor's desk!

Read Here

Video Here!

Doc Rhett's Senate Bill 31

Police rescue of people and pets in locked cars.

"Hot Dog" Bill!

Next stop the Governor's desk!

Read Here

For Info call:

Staton Winston 678.787.4981 / Doc Rhett 404 788 6404

A portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to the

American Legion Post 296 youth programs

Congressman David Scott's

16th Annual Jobs Fair

When: Friday, April 12, 2019, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Where: Georgia International Convention Center | 2000 Convention Center Concourse | College Park, GA 30337

Call 770-432-5405 for more information.

MOON, Rev. Walter Dean Age 78, of Marietta, passed away April 4, 2019.

Hanley-Shelton Funeral Directors, Marietta, GA.

Service

Turner Chapel AME Church

April 11, 2019

11:00 A.M.

What's Happening

in

Georgia State Senate District 33

April 13 @ 9am

Adopt A Mile Cleanup - Old Powder Springs Road

Meet Jeff Padgett, MIC's Adopt A Mile leader and other MIC volunteers at 9am at the Mableton Pentacostal Church, 1000 Old Powder Springs Road, for the quarterly trash pick-up. It's not glamorous, but it's a great way to lend a hand and just make Mableton look better!

More information

STING College Tour 2019

cars traffic street transportation la-traffic-cars.jpg

Cobb Forward

Comprehensive Transportation Plan

Public Meetings

MDJ Source

Cobb County last completed a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) in 2015-and much has changed in that time! Population has increased, and transportation needs and opinions have shifted within the County and region. At the same time, new technologies and transportation solutions are now available that can enhance and transform Cobb's future transportation system. To update the CTP and leverage these new tools and strategies, the County and the Cities are embarking on Cobb Forward-the County's CTP for 2050.

Cobb Forward will result in a series of project lists that will position the County and Cities for future implementation. Some projects will form the transportation basis of the County's next Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) while other projects may be identified for potential future funding sources. Some projects may be elevated for consideration in the Regional Transportation Plan and compete for federal and state funds. Additionally, the Cobb Forward will include County transit recommendations that can be incorporated into the region's transit vision, which will be developed and managed by the newly formed Atlanta Transit Link Authority (The ATL).

Attend one of the upcoming nine meetings near you:

Wednesday, April 10 | 7-9 p.m.

District 1

West Cobb Senior Center, 4915 Dallas Hwy, Powder Springs, GA 30127

Wednesday, April 17 | 7-9 p.m

City of Smyrna

Community Center, 200 Village Green Cir SE, Smyrna, GA 30080

Thursday, April 18 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.

District 2

East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Rd, Suite 510-B, Marietta, GA 30068

Monday, April 29 | 7-9 p.m.

City of Marietta

Cobb Senior Wellness Center, 1150 Powder Springs St, Marietta, GA 30064

Tuesday, April 30 | 7-9 p.m.

City of Austell

Threadmill Complex

5000 Austell Powder Springs Rd SW, Suite 101, Austell, GA 30106

Date TBD | 7-9 p.m.

City of Acworth

Acworth Community Center, 4361 Cherokee St, Acworth, GA 30101

Tuesday, May 7 | 7-9 p.m.

District 3

East Cobb Senior Center, 3332 Sandy Plains Rd, Marietta, GA 30066

Wednesday, May 8 | 7-9 p.m.

City of Kennesaw

Ben Robertson Community Center, 2753 Watts Dr., Kennesaw, GA 30144

Thursday, May 9 | 7-9 p.m.

District 4

South Cobb Community Center, 620 Lions Club Dr., Mableton, GA 30126

The Cobb County Board of Education

Thursday approved a $14.5 million contract

construct the Cobb Career Academy,

seen in the above rendering,

the campus of Osborne High School.

MDJ Source

Adults also invited to sharpen job search skills at workshops

Four free workshops will be held in April at CobbWorks Workforce Development Center led by Terence Norman, a veteran human resources professional and director of human resources at Birla Carbon.

Behind the Scenes of Resumes: HR's Perspective
9-11:30 a.m., April 4
Get an inside look on human resources personnel's perspective of your resume.
Getting it Right: Writing a Resume
9 -11:30 a.m., April 11
Learn how to properly write your resume to express your skill set and qualifications.
Resume and Interviewing Alignment
9 -11:30 a.m., April 17
Improve your performance by learning and practicing interview skills.
Interview Techniques
9 -11:30 a.m., April 25
Learn the interview techniques needed to succeed.

Registration is required. To register, call 770-528-4300 or send an email to information@cobbworks.org with your name, address, phone number and workshop selection. The workforce

Free workshops and job fair for teens seeking summer employment

Do you know a teen who needs a summer job or to learn more about the job search and interviewing process? Staff at Stratton Library can help. During spring break, there will be a teen resume workshop, teen interviewing workshop and teen job fair:

Teen Resume Workshop
1-3 p.m., Monday, April 1
Participants will learn how to write a resume and leave the workshop with a completed resume. No job experience is no problem.
Teen Interviewing Workshop
1-3 p.m., Tuesday, April 2
Participants will learn tips to ace the interview, dress for success, make good first impressions, sell themselves and interview etiquette.
Teen Job Fair
10 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday, April 3
Participants can connect with local businesses, meet with employers, apply for jobs and learn about the hiring process.

Stratton Library is located at 1100 Powder Springs Road, Marietta. For more information on any of these events, call 770-528-2522.

Marietta schools system plans office at

historically black school site

AJC Source

Lemon Street High School is no longer standing, but the Marietta City School System wants to incorporate the look of Cobb County's only black high school into its new central office complex.

Although the original school dated to the 1800s, the most recent Lemon Street High School building opened in 1930 and served as the high school for all black students in Cobb County. It closed in 1967 when schools were integrated. The high school was demolished after the graduation of its final class.

The school system has begun planning to build its new headquarters on the site, which is now home to the former Lemon Street Grammar School. However, the school system's plans will be impacted by whether it can save the old grammar school or if it will have to demolish the building. The grammar school opened in 1951 and closed in 1971. It also served as the home of the Hattie G. Wilson Library until the county shut down its operations in January 2013.

Superintendent Dr. Grant Rivera said the proposed 20,000-square-foot office building would feature a replica of the high school's facade to pay tribute to the school's place in the history books. The building would also include a museum, community room and a room for the Board of Education. Rivera said the system has not developed an estimated cost for the construction project.

The Marietta City School System wants to construct a new central office building that would feature a recreated facade of the old Lemon Street High School (Photo provided

Once constructed, Marietta City Schools would relocate its central office staff from its building at 250 Howard Street to the new site. If all goes to plan, Rivera said he hopes to open the new structure in August 2021.

Felicia Taylor, who graduated from Lemon Street High School in 1964, said she is interested in seeing the school system's plans move forward, as it could also prevent a piece of Marietta's history from being redeveloped into expensive homes. Taylor, a member of the Lemon Street Heritage Group, said she and her fellow residents have been working to save the grammar school building from development for some time.

"We just didn't want one more thing to be gone," she said.

Rivera said a report commissioned in 2009 noted there were serious structural issues plaguing the grammar school building. If there's a possibility that it can be saved, Rivera said the system is willing to work with Cobb Landmarks and other historic preservation groups to achieve that goal.

"We are willing to engage anyone and everyone to determine our best options," he said.

The Lemon Street Class of 1966 had 119 graduates. The segregated Marietta high school closed in 1967.

Cobb Landmarks Executive Director Trevor Beemon said his organization is also researching the conditions of the grammar school. Beemon, who said the group didn't know about the plans until last week, added Cobb Landmarks have scheduled a meeting with the Board of Education to learn more about the project.

Beemon said the group would love to see the grammar school saved, but it needs to research the feasibility first.

"If the building has structural damage ... that prevents it from being rehabbed, then what are the next options for the building?" he said of the process.

If the building is beyond saving, Rivera said he will be transparent about the system's next move. "That's really what the next several months are about," he said.

The Marietta City School System is considering whether to demolish the old Lemon Street Grammar School shown here in 2019. (Photo provided by Cobb Landmarks)

To help pay for the construction, Marietta City School system will sell two properties, Rivera said: The current central office building and part of the Allgood School property that houses the Head Start program. The superintendent said the school system is working with the pre-kindergarten program to find another location.

While Rivera said Marietta City Schools has received positive feedback from the community about its plans, there are some who would like to see the system work hard to save the still standing segregation-era grammar school building where black children received an education.

Taylor, who now lives in Kennesaw, said she hopes the school system can save the grammar school, but added it's wise for the superintendent and his team to take into account how much of the public's money will be needed to bring the building up to code.

"I'd love to see the building saved, but I have to be realistic about my tax dollars," she said.

Carson's nonpartisan Cobb judge bills headed to governor; draws criticism from Cobb GOP chair

MDJ Source

The Georgia Senate on Friday passed a pair of bills that would change the offices of the Cobb County chief magistrate judge and probate judge from partisan to nonpartisan.

Both House Bill 284, which aims to change the magistrate judge, and HB 285, which is for the probate judge, passed the Senate by a 35-12 vote. Both local offices are held by Republicans, Joyette Holmes and Kelli Wolk, respectively.

In the Cobb delegation, the votes were split mainly on partisan lines among the three who voted on the measures, with Republican Sens. Bruce Thompson and Lindsey Tippins voting in favor and Sen. Michael Rhett, D-Marietta, the sole opposing vote out of Cobb's six senators. Sens. Jen Jordan, Kay Kirkpatrick and Horacena Tate were marked excused from the vote.

"It's being (opposed) by the Democrats because they see things from an elections standpoint trending their way," said state Rep. John Carson, R-northeast Cobb, who sponsored both bills. "I think it's a good idea because I don't think judges should be partisan, whether you're probating a will or going to magistrate court. It should not matter whether how that judge assigned that case is a Republican or a Democrat."

But the sentiment of approval was not shared by Cobb GOP Chairman Jason Shepherd.

"I know many Republicans, including myself, have expressed a lot of disappointment that Rep. John Carson took up such important legislation and never once bothered to reach out to the Cobb County Republican Party," Shepherd said Friday. "We are tasked with qualifying candidates for local office, including the two offices that he has now made nonpartisan. He has told the press he discussed it with the current office holders but never the representatives of the party these elected officials have qualified for years to run under. Many people complain when legislators made decisions that are seen to expressly benefit their own re-elections, and this was no different."

Partisan elections, Shepherd adds, help voters make more informed choices.

"We have seen judicial elections in Cobb where the election results were in alphabetical order by last name. When a candidate runs as a Republican or Democrat, voters at least know a little about their philosophy," Shepherd added. "Rep. Carson just took that away from voters."

CHALLENGE INCUMBENTS??

Akela Lacy

March 22 2019, 11:35 a.m.

THE DEMOCRATIC Campaign Committee warned political strategists and vendors Thursday night that if they support candidates mounting primary challenges against incumbent Democrats, the party will cut them off from business.

The news was officially announced Friday morning, paired with a statement on the committee's commitment to diversity in consulting - "which, obviously, is just to give themselves cover," a Democratic political consultant who learned of it Thursday told The Intercept. The consultant asked for anonymity given their relationship with the DCCC, and the party organization's professed strategy of blacklisting firms that don't fall in line.

To apply to become a preferred vendor in the 2020 cycle, firms must agree to a set of standards that includes agreeing not to work with anyone challenging an incumbent.

"I understand the above statement that the DCCC will not conduct business with, nor recommend to any of its targeted campaigns, any consultant that works with an opponent of a sitting Member of the Democratic Caucus," the form reads.