FreePress 2-13-15
A weekly newspaper and legal organ for DeKalb County, GA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
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FreePress
FRIDAY, Feb. 13, 2015 • VOL. 17, NO. 42 • FREE
thechampionnewspaper.com
Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
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• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS •
More than 90
sign on National
Signing Day
Sports, 18A
Activists demand
#Justice4KevinDavis
by Andrew Cauthen
[email protected]
K
evin Davis, a cook at
Sawicki’s in downtown
Decatur, would have been 45
on Feb. 4.
Outside of the DeKalb County
Courthouse, a group sang a slow,
somber rendition of “Happy Birthday” to the man who was shot in the
chest by a DeKalb County Police officer on Dec. 29.
The shooting occurred after Kevin Davis called 911 when his live-in
girlfriend was stabbed by a friend
during an argument in their home
on Pine Tree Circle. Kevin Davis
died at Grady Hospital on Dec. 31 as
a result of the shooting.
“We’re praying for justice,” said
Rev. Brady Radford of Oakhurst
Presbyterian Church, during the
all-night protest during which activists spent the night in tents in front
of the courthouse. “We’re praying
for integrity. We’re praying for the
system…to finally work. It’s OK if a
system works and finds somebody
not guilty, but the system has to at
least be put in process.”
The protestors were calling for
an independent investigation by
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Four days later, on Feb. 8, the
DeKalb County Police Department
announced that it has made an official request to the GBI to investigate
the officer-involved shooting.
Attorney Mawuli Davis (no relation to the family) of the Davis
Bozeman Law Firm, who represents
the family of Kevin Davis, said that
after interviewing the witnesses,
including the girlfriend, the person
who stabbed her, and the next-door
neighbor, his firm “came to the conclusion that there was something
that was awry and should be further
investigated.”
Mawuli Davis said although it’s
premature to characterize what happened during the incident, “it does
appear to be a grave injustice that
occurred. It was not Kevin Davis’
intent when he provided aid to his
girlfriend to be a threat to police at
all.”
“Why would he call 911 and then
try to prevent the police from assisting his girlfriend by standing in the
way with a handgun?” Mawuli Davis
said. “It makes no sense. It’s illogical,
but that’s what the police narrative is
right now and that’s what has to be
challenged.”
Witnesses said the officer did not
announce himself when he entered
the house, Mawuli Davis said.
“That’s why the series of events
plays out the way that it does because there is no announcement,”
Mawuli Davis said. “All [Kevin Davis] had to know was that the police,
the help that they had called for, was
finally there. Had they known that,
he would have responded differently.
“But instead, the first thing he
gets is the gunfire and his bleeding
dog coming back to him,” Mawuli
Davis said. “Who would not be
afraid that his life is now in danger?
That’s what precipitated this.”
Nelini Stamp of Rise Up Georgia
said the protestors at the all-night
rally wanted “to celebrate the life
of Kevin Davis but also to demand
justice.”
The support of the protestors is
much needed, said Delisa Davis, a
See Justice on page 12A
championnewspaper
championnews
Protestors have successfully fought for an investigation by the Georgia Bureau
of Investigations into the December 2014 shooting death of a Decatur man by a
DeKalb County police officer. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
championnewspaper
champnews
local
Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
Doraville hires Sears for pool services
by Ashley Oglesby
[email protected]
The city of Doraville
hired a new vendor to operate the city’s pool for the
2015 season at its Feb. 2
council meeting.
Parks and Recreation
Director Rip Robertson
suggested the city approve
Sears Pool Management
Consultants to provide pool
services for an estimated
$28,300.
“Their proposal is very
similar to all the rest, but
they’re middle of the pack
when it comes to pricing,”
said Robertson.
Sears has provided pool
management services to
community pools, country
clubs, municipal pools and
condo associations since
1997.
Robertson said, “Their
references are very good and
not just with their customers.
“I’ve talked to some suppliers and trainers and they all
speak highly of Sears Pool
Management Consultants.”
In addition to regular
pool maintenance, pool
equipment repair and replacement, resurfacing, tiling, coping and deck work,
pool cover installation, pool
furniture sales and repair,
Sears has agreed to provide
up to four lifeguards to supervise public swimming,
swim lessons and other organized pool activities such
as water aerobics.
Councilwoman Maria
Alexander said, “This is
exciting that we are giving someone else a chance.
We’ve heard some concerns
about lifeguard staffing–
safety needs to be concern
number one.”
The lifeguards provided
by Sears also will be responsible for the upkeep and
cleanliness of the pool, deck
and bathhouse. Sears will
provide a supervisor as well
as a pool manager that will
meet with Doraville officials
twice a month to report on
the facilities.
According to the company’s reports Sears certifies
their lifeguards through the
American Red Cross Lifeguard Training program.
The training includes
courses on preventing disease transmission and meets
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration requirements.
The Doraville pool will
open on Memorial Day
weekend through Labor Day
weekend.
Water aerobics start the
first week of June and continue until school returns to
session in DeKalb County.
The pool will be only
open on weekends in the
months of August and September while the DeKalb
County schools are in session.
Sears Pool Management Consultants team up to provide services for Doraville.
THE CELEBRATION LASTS 28 DAYS;
THE CONTRIBUTION, A LIFETIME.
No amount of time would be sufficient to recognize all of the
trailblazers who saw what no one else could, did what no one
else dared and gave us all what we needed most. Georgia Power
is proud to honor the achievements of African-Americans
throughout Black History Month and more importantly beyond.
Connect With Us
georgiapower.com
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
local
Page 3A
Business association sees expanded
role for scholarship breakfast
by Kathy Mitchell
The South DeKalb Business Association (SDBA) has for seven years annually provided scholarships to aspiring
students at Georgia Piedmont Technical
College. Starting last year, the scholarships have been presented as part of a
breakfast event that organizers say involves more than eggs and toast.
“We decided the best way to continue moving south DeKalb in the right
direction and undergird the work we do
at the association is to help those who
are likely to be its future business leaders,” explained SDBA President Milton
Kirby. “We want the event to be more
than a presentation program. We want
it to be a source of information and inspiration. That was the thinking behind
making the event a business forum as
well as a scholarship breakfast.”
“We asked ourselves how we can
best support small businesses—especially female- and minority-owned
businesses,” added board member
Anna Henderson. “We asked what we
can do to help our young people be
the business leaders of tomorrow. We
decided to put them in the room with
people who have valuable information
for them.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Cassius Butts, regional administrator of
the U.S. Small Business Administration, an independent agency of the
federal government created in 1953 to
assist those who want to start or build
independent businesses. Kirby noted
that the Small Business Administration
works with the types of businesses that
are prevalent in south DeKalb.
“Fourth District Congressman
Hank Johnson will be there as well,
and we’re expecting him to bring several members of his staff, who will be
on hand to advise on specific concerns
business owners may have,” Kirby
added.
There will be representatives of the
business community, including Willie A. Watkins, president and CEO
of Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home,
and Mitchell A. Martin, manager partner of Martin, Harps, & Syphoe Inc.
and cofounder of Global Concessions.
“We want future business leaders as
well as those now operating businesses
to hear some of the success stories right
here in our community,” Kirby said.
This year the program also includes
seniors at Redan High School, with
scholarships being awarded to students
who have chosen a curriculum in business or entrepreneurship. The number
and amount of the scholarships will
be determined by the amount raised,
according to Kirby. “We have several
corporate sponsors who have helped us
in the past, but the final numbers aren’t
in for this year. We’re committed to give
two to three scholarships at a minimum. Last year we gave four. We hope
to do more,” he said.
“In deciding to present the scholarships as part of an event we also saw
the opportunity to raise the profile of
the organization. We have been around
more than 36 years, and we have a full
calendar of activities throughout the
year, yet many in south DeKalb don’t
know who we are or what we do,”
explained LoyLene Jefferson-Shaw,
SDBA immediate past president. “Holding an event with prominent speakers
and guests is a way of increasing awareness of us.” Planners anticipate approximately 200 attendees at this year’s event.
As part of the application process
each scholarship seeker is required to
write an essay. “This not only helps us
determine which applicants are most
likely to make good use of the opportunity we’re helping to provide, it encourages young people who want to go into
business to think through in a detailed
way what they want to accomplish and
where they see themselves headed in
the future,” said board member Linda
Mayhand.
This year’s event will be on Friday,
Feb. 20, 8:30 – 10 a.m. at St. Philip
AME Church, 240 Candler Road, SE,
Atlanta. For more information, visit
www.sdba-inc.org.
Cedric Alexander, DeKalb’s top law enforcement official, said he supports an
independent investigation of a police-involved shooting death. See related story
on page 12A. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
Police department describes
police-involved shooting
Cedric Alexander, DeKalb
County’s deputy chief operations officer of public safety,
called a Feb. 6 news conference
“to clarify some incorrect information…that has been reported” about the police-involved
shooting death of a Decatur
man.
According to Alexander,
on Dec. 29, 2014, Officer Joseph Pitts was dispatched to
an apartment on 100 Pine Tree
Circle, at approximately 9 p.m.
“Upon Officer Pitts arriving to the scene, and as he
approached that apartment,
he could hear screaming and
yelling coming from inside” the
apartment, Alexander said.
“Let’s keep in mind: he
was responding to a 911 call of
someone being stabbed,” Alexander said.
Hearing the screaming,
Pitts, “according to witness
statements, banged on the door
of that apartment…and announced himself ‘DeKalb Po-
lice, DeKalb Police,’” Alexander
said.
When there was no response, only “continual yelling
and screaming from inside
that apartment,” Pitts, felt that
someone inside that apartment
may be in danger, according
to Alexander. When he slowly
pushed the unlocked door
open, “a large pit bull…charged
at officer Pitts,” Alexander said.
Pitts retreated back into the
hallway, followed by the “growling and aggressive,” dog.
Pitts “fired multiple shots,
striking the dog…[which]
retreated back into the apartment,” Alexander said.
Pitts still heard “yelling and
screaming coming from the
inside,” Alexander said. As he
walked back to that apartment,
Pitts was approached by Kevin
Davis and April Edwards, the
stabbing victim.
Pitts ordered Davis, who
was carrying a firearm, to drop
his weapon, Alexander said.
See Police on page 10A
The Champion Free Press, Friday Feb. 13, 2015
opinion
Page 4A
A better name than ‘Greenhaven’ needed
This letter is in response to
the Feb. 6 article about the
“Proposed South DeKalb city
named Greenhaven”, p14A.
by Ed Williams
Please select another
name for the city of South
DeKalb. I know that there
has to be a better name than
Greenhaven.
The process of picking
the name was not inclusive
and not very democratic.
The name does not represent the creativity, inspiration or productivity that
the Concerned Citizens
Cityhood of South DeKalb
(CCCSD) claims that this
new city would foster.
The name Greenhaven
for a new city is not a good
logo for any future sports
teams or marketing name. If
we are going to be the mecca
of the South, then the name
has to be on point.
The name Greenhaven
sounds like a church or rest
home or funeral home. It
sounds like a country town.
The CCCSD might have
selected the name Green
Acres, just like the TV show
from the ’60s and early ’70s.
There are a few cities with
the word “green” in their
name: West Green, Ga.;
Greenwood, S.C.; Greenwood, Miss.; and Greensboro, N.C. I do not want to
live in any of these cities.
This was an opportunity for the organization to
Ed Williams, Decatur
show and demonstrate some
creativity and talent and
leadership, and it failed. The
CCCSD should have had a
naming competition to select the name.
The proposed new city
would have a lot of houses of
worship so let’s call it “Heaven Gate.” This cityhood
effort is like a story, and it
goes like this,
“Once upon a time, there
was a city called Greenhaven. It was created from
a lot of little communities in
South DeKalb. There [were
a] few financial institutions,
a lot of fast food restaurants,
places of worship, and hair
and nail shops. The people
in the community did not
create or grow anything. It
was to be a vibrant suburb
city that competed with
the city of Atlanta. It would
have its own mayor, and
city council. The citizens
would not have to pay any
additional taxes for the key
to the new city. The found-
ers promised its citizens that
there would be economic
development, and better
municipal services. The jobs
would come from the fact
that the new city would have
to create a downtown, airport, stadium, courthouse,
jail, and police department,
etc. The city would have its
own downtown and be a haven for businesses and people to move, and we would
live happily ever after.”
I have been searching
all over the country for
evidence of the existence
of such a city, with similar
demographics and I cannot
find it.
It made me think of the
quote “A rose by any other
name would smell as sweet”
from William Shakespeare’s
play Romeo and Juliet.
The reference is often
used to imply that the names
of things do not affect what
they really are. I do not like
the name Greenhaven.
CCCSD does not represent the citizens and it
did not represent the citizens in picking the name.
This group is pushing an
idea without any study or
consensus from the citizens. The effort led by the
CCCSD does not seem to be
supported by the business
community.
This group thinks that
it is making a gumbo soup.
They are proposing to just
take a lot of neighborhoods
and lump them together and
call it a city.
The citizens should say
“No thanks.”
South DeKalb does not
have the tax base and the industries to support a city.
Our leaders should work
on improving community
police, schools and bringing
businesses into the community.
I think the citizens of
DeKalb would be better
served if the CCCSD would
file a court case against the
county and the other cities
in regards to the tax liabilities and pension obligations
that are not being shared by
all the property owners of
the county.
How a new city such
as the city of Dunwoody
or Brookhaven can not be
equally responsible for pension and bonds that were
already obligated prior to
their cityhood makes no
sense.
I do not believe that
the name Greenhaven will
transform the community
and provide sustainability
and abundance. The name
has no history and no link to
a vision of the future.
It seems to me that since
the leadership of DeKalb
county became AfricanAmerican, some of the
citizens in the county have
sought to gain local autonomy from the county. Much
of the county had been
structured the same way
since 1822. After the DeKalb
County citizens elected the
first Black CEO, many local
communities have sought
to become more locally
controlled by creating cities
that would control more of
its services from the county.
The local control movement
is a legacy of the changing
demographics of DeKalb
County and similar stories
throughout the metro area
region of Atlanta.
It seems that shotgun
cities are appearing all over
DeKalb County. Who will
pay the county bills once all
the local communities become cities? Will the county
file bankruptcy and then
north DeKalb merge with
Milton. What is the master
plan? I would suggest that
the state Legislature stop this
cityhood movement in the
county. The county needs
leadership on this issue. The
citizens should not remain
silent on this issue. The
cityhood efforts I believe
are a Trojan horse. There is
a hidden agenda, and the
citizens in the DeKalb, north
and south will be grabbled
up by the political realignment that is really going on.
We need leadership from the
state legislature. Where are
the community organizations on this issue?
I would like to be overjoyed by this cityhood effort,
but I cannot at this time and
moment.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
opinion
Page 5A
One Man’s Opinion
Exercise the excise tax
“Before the income tax
was imposed on us just 80
years ago, government had
no claim to our income.
Only sales, excise and tariff
taxes were allowed,” perennial candidate and conservative Alan Keyes (1993), who
would later run for President
three times and lose his race
for U.S. Senator of Illinois to
then State Senator Barack
Obama in 2004.
A regular weekday rush
hour commute across metro
Atlanta can be pretty challenging, but when you have
three horrific pedestrian
fatalities on I-285, and an art
project mistaken for a potential bomb threat shutting
down the downtown connector as well as a series of
multi-vehicle pile-ups over
a period of three weeks, the
real frailties of our existing
transportation network are
beginning to show.
Most parties knowledgeable of Georgia’s transportation woes put the price tag
of replacing existing and
deteriorating infrastructure
and making the improvements and expansions to
improve congestion and
traffic flow at roughly $1
billion per year in new
spending. Though we are
all enjoying these lower gas
Bill Crane
[email protected]
Columnist
prices, our motor fuel tax
is a conglomeration of sales
and excise taxes. Sales taxes
are tied to each dollar within
the gallon price, meaning
lower gas prices mean lower
tax revenues. And in Georgia, currently only three of
every four cents collected
in gas sales taxes are being
budgeted back toward transportation expenses.
The Georgia Constitution obligates all state excise
taxes collected on motor
fuels to be spent solely on
transportation and related
expenses. Excise taxes are
fixed fees or duties charged
on the sale of specific merchandise, such as a gallon of
gasoline, diesel fuel or cigarettes and alcohol (the latter
often being referred to as sin
taxes). Yet finding or creat-
ing an unspent billion is no
easy task.
So, though it may in
some respects seem like
a shell game to some, the
GOP House leadership has
proposed a healthy bump in
the gasoline excise tax, closer to the amounts charged
in our neighboring states of
Florida and North Carolina,
while eliminating the state
sales tax on gas. Existing
SPLOSTs will be allowed
to continue through their
respective sunsets, and the
MARTA penny collected
in DeKalb, Fulton and now
Clayton counties will remain
untouched.
Before the ink dried on
this House proposal, many
cities and counties were crying foul on what they perceive as a tax shift. Though
both local government entities would be allowed to replace lost sales tax proceeds
with local excise taxes on
fuel, they are arguing both
the requirements to make
those hikes and the distribution mechanisms for divvying up the dollars collected
from the excise fees.
Governor Nathan Deal
is weighing in, favoring a
greater exercise of the excise tax, but also holding
up a yellow caution light on
House calls for $100 million
in additional bond funds for
mass transit expense and
another bond package for
bridges and major one-time
infrastructure needs. Deal
does not want to leave Georgia strapped with massive
new bonded debt as well as
the reserve cupboards bare,
as he found things upon
his arrival in the governor’s
mansion.
And though Lieutenant
Governor Casey Cagle and
the State Senate have yet to
weigh in on their version
of a transportation funding plan, they have already
made clear that doing nothing is not an option and that
Georgia now has a responsibility to begin partial funding and a series of longer
conversations on its proper
role in mass transit planning
and construction.
So, not unlike heading into rush hour traffic
knowing that some teeth
grinding, horn blaring and
general frustration are heading your way...we can expect
several weeks of similar
back and forth under our
Gold Dome, while we also
have great hope that before
things end in “sine die,” this
General Assembly will bite
the bullet, take the lead and
lay out a plan to fund and
build for Georgia’s future
transportation needs, not
just the BandAid-type solutions driven by the challenged financial resources
of our Great Recession.
And expanding an already
dedicated revenue source is
a practical and achievable
common sense solution,
without the long odds of a
constitutional amendment.
Exercise and expand the
gasoline excise tax. If we can
give $3.50 a gallon to BP
after that massive oil spill,
I don’t mind handing $2.50
again to the state of Georgia,
if it can help improve traffic flow and get me home in
time for prime time.
Bill Crane also serves as a
political analyst and commentator for Channel 2’s Action
News, WSB-AM News/Talk
750 and now 95.5 FM, as well
as a columnist for The Champion, Champion Free Press
and Georgia Trend. Crane is
a DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale. You
can reach him or comment
on a column at bill.csicrane@
gmail.com.
F ree P ress
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to publication date.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributing editors do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers. The Publisher reserves the
right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. The Publisher is not responsible
for unsolicited manuscripts.
Publisher: John Hewitt
Chief Financial Officer: Dr. Earl D. Glenn
Managing Editor: Andrew Cauthen
Production Manager: Kemesha Hunt
Photographer: Travis Hudgons
Staff Reporters: Carla Parker, Ashley Oglesby
The Champion Free Press is published each Friday by ACE III
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Statement from the publisher
We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and
any issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was
founded in 1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse
for all community residents on all sides of an issue. We have
no desire to make the news only to report news and opinions
to effect a more educated citizenry that will ultimately move
our community forward. We are happy to present ideas for
discussion; however, we make every effort to avoid printing
information submitted to us that is known to be false and/or
assumptions penned as fact.
local
Page 6A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
Storm Harvey
Storm Harvey is a
freshman at Agnes Scott
College and one of three
students in North America
selected to receive up to
$8,000 toward her education from the Cochlear
Americas Anders Tjellström
scholarship award.
Harvey was born three
months prematurely, weighing less than two and half
pounds, and without a left
ear canal which caused her
to be deaf in her left ear.
“This scholarship means
a lot to me, because honestly, there are very few perks
to being hearing-impaired
and it was awesome to be
able to turn something that
has been a hindrance to me
into something to help me
achieve my future goals,”
Harvey said.
When Harvey turned
6 years old, a tumor was
discovered in her right ear.
she had to undergo surgery
to replace one and a half
of the three middle bones
with prosthesis. Harvey said
she was left with moderate
hearing loss in her right ear.
“When I was 9 years
old, I received a Baha hearing implant behind my left
ear. For the first time, I
heard the sound of my own
footsteps, birds singing, rain
on the roof and understood
why people complain when
a baby cries a lot in a restaurant,” said Harvey.
She said the biggest effect the hearing aid has had
is in her social life.
Throughout middle
school Harvey said kids bullied her.
“The other kids started
to notice that if they came
up behind me and poked
me I would jump in surprise, as I could not hear
them. It was one thing the
doctors did not expect
when they were done doing
the best they could to fix my
hearing,” Harvey said.
“When one kid calls
your name in front and distracts you while another kid
creeps up behind you, only
to grab your shoulders a few
seconds later, it rattles you
to the core.
“It is the equivalent of
someone coming up behind
you in a dark alley in the
middle of the night and
grabbing you from behind;
it makes you really paranoid.”
Harvey said it was at
the South Carolina Governor’s school for science
and mathematics that she
learned her hearing impairment did not define who
she is.
“I believed that if I lived
around my classmates almost 24/7 they would, in
essence, be forced to accept
me,” she said.
Harvey said that she
made 10 friends during the
first week of school.
Now a freshman at Agnes Scott College, Harvey
said she has learned to accept her hearing impairment and live her life without shame.
“Yes, it is a part of me
and a part I am more than
willing to share with anyone. But my hearing impairment is not equal to who I
am. I am Storm, a first-year
student at Agnes Scott College, a horse and Disney
movie lover, a fanatic about
the color orange and, of
course, purple and I just so
happen to also be hearing
impaired,” Harvey said.
Harvey makes jewelry
when she has free time,
loves thrift shopping with
her best friend on the weekends and is involved with
several clubs on campus.
She’s received numerous academic recognitions.
Harvey won first place for
a written and oral presentation at the South Carolina
Junior Academy of Science
based on an eight-week
study at Dr. Mark Eckert’s
lab at the Medical University of South Carolina.
She also won the advanced placement (AP)
scholars with distinction
award for the number of
AP classes she enrolled in
as well as her scores on AP
exams.
If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthen
at [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.
Chamblee official recognized
by Ashley Oglesby
[email protected]
Chamblee Mayor Pro
Tem Dan Zanger was
recently re-elected and on
Jan. 25 awarded a certificate
of achievement by the
Georgia Municipal Training
Institute at the Georgia
Municipal Association
(GMA) annual mayors’ day
conference.
“I am honored to be reelected by my peers on the
council to serve as mayorpro-tem, honored to receive
this recognition from the
University of Georgia
Carl Vinsion Instituite and
the Georgia Municipal
Association, and humbled
to represent the citizens of
Chamblee and serve on the
city council,” Zanger said.
He added, “I’m very
proud of this achievement
Chamblee Mayor Pro Tem Dan Zanger recently received a certificate of
achievement by the Georgia Municipal Training Institute.
and proud to serve the city
of Chamblee. I am fortunate
to be part of a council that
recognizes and respects the
value of municipal training
and continuing education.”
The Georgia Municipal
Training Institute was
established as an effort of
GMA and the University
of Georgia’s Carl Vinson
Institute of Government
to provide a nationally
recognized series of training
programs for elected city
officials.
The Georgia General
Assembly passed legislation
in 1990 that requires city
officials elected after July
1991 to complete training
on administration and
operations of municipal
government.
Because state law
mandates that city officials
attend and complete
training courses pertaining
to their duties, each official
must register and fulfill
their required courses.
Additional courses are
also offered pertaining to
local government finance,
economic development,
ethics and other areas of
personal and professional
development.
Once a newly elected
official takes office, he or
she must enroll in their
required courses within the
first 12 months.
According to the GMA
courses are typically offered
in February or March of
each year, depending on the
number of newly elected
officials. If an elected
official has served before
and has been re-elected
he or she is still required
to take the newly elected
officials institute again.
To receive a certificate of
achievement, a city official
must complete a minimum
of 72 hours of training,
including at least 36 hours
from the required list. The
training program consists
of a series of more than 50
courses.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
local
AroundDeKalb
Atlanta
Musuem invites witches and
wizards to new exhibit
The Public is invited for a variety
of fairy tale and mythology themed
activities that explore how poisons
have shaped stories throughout
history. In conjunction with Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s
The Power of Poison exhibit, the
museum will host a witches and
wizards day. The event will take
place on Feb. 21, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
All activities planned will be included with the museum’s admission and are free for members.
calling (404) 727-6118.
Clarkston
Black History Month assembles
youth
Women Watch Afrika Inc,
Clarkston Interfaith Group and
the Community Building Group
will present its Black History
Month youth assembly on Feb. 14.
The event will take place at the
Clarkston Community Center at
3701 College Avenue, 1 - 4 p.m.
This event is free, open to the
public and wheelchair accessible.
Individuals needing additional
accommodations should contact
Glory Kilanko at (404) 759-6419
or [email protected].
Decatur
Sons of the Union Veteran
FRIDAY, Feb. 13, 2015 • VOL. 17, NO. 42 • FREE
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• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS •
More than 90
sign on National
Signing Day
Sports, 18A
Activists demand
#Justice4KevinDavis
by Andrew Cauthen
[email protected]
K
evin Davis, a cook at
Sawicki’s in downtown
Decatur, would have been 45
on Feb. 4.
Outside of the DeKalb County
Courthouse, a group sang a slow,
somber rendition of “Happy Birthday” to the man who was shot in the
chest by a DeKalb County Police officer on Dec. 29.
The shooting occurred after Kevin Davis called 911 when his live-in
girlfriend was stabbed by a friend
during an argument in their home
on Pine Tree Circle. Kevin Davis
died at Grady Hospital on Dec. 31 as
a result of the shooting.
“We’re praying for justice,” said
Rev. Brady Radford of Oakhurst
Presbyterian Church, during the
all-night protest during which activists spent the night in tents in front
of the courthouse. “We’re praying
for integrity. We’re praying for the
system…to finally work. It’s OK if a
system works and finds somebody
not guilty, but the system has to at
least be put in process.”
The protestors were calling for
an independent investigation by
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Four days later, on Feb. 8, the
DeKalb County Police Department
announced that it has made an official request to the GBI to investigate
the officer-involved shooting.
Attorney Mawuli Davis (no relation to the family) of the Davis
Bozeman Law Firm, who represents
the family of Kevin Davis, said that
after interviewing the witnesses,
including the girlfriend, the person
who stabbed her, and the next-door
neighbor, his firm “came to the conclusion that there was something
that was awry and should be further
investigated.”
Mawuli Davis said although it’s
premature to characterize what happened during the incident, “it does
appear to be a grave injustice that
occurred. It was not Kevin Davis’
intent when he provided aid to his
girlfriend to be a threat to police at
all.”
“Why would he call 911 and then
try to prevent the police from assisting his girlfriend by standing in the
way with a handgun?” Mawuli Davis
said. “It makes no sense. It’s illogical,
but that’s what the police narrative is
right now and that’s what has to be
challenged.”
Witnesses said the officer did not
announce himself when he entered
the house, Mawuli Davis said.
“That’s why the series of events
plays out the way that it does because there is no announcement,”
Mawuli Davis said. “All [Kevin Davis] had to know was that the police,
the help that they had called for, was
finally there. Had they known that,
he would have responded differently.
“But instead, the first thing he
gets is the gunfire and his bleeding
dog coming back to him,” Mawuli
Davis said. “Who would not be
afraid that his life is now in danger?
That’s what precipitated this.”
Nelini Stamp of Rise Up Georgia
said the protestors at the all-night
rally wanted “to celebrate the life
of Kevin Davis but also to demand
justice.”
The support of the protestors is
much needed, said Delisa Davis, a
See Justice on page 12A
championnewspaper
championnews
Protestors have successfully fought for an investigation by the Georgia Bureau
of Investigations into the December 2014 shooting death of a Decatur man by a
DeKalb County police officer. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
championnewspaper
champnews
local
Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
Doraville hires Sears for pool services
by Ashley Oglesby
[email protected]
The city of Doraville
hired a new vendor to operate the city’s pool for the
2015 season at its Feb. 2
council meeting.
Parks and Recreation
Director Rip Robertson
suggested the city approve
Sears Pool Management
Consultants to provide pool
services for an estimated
$28,300.
“Their proposal is very
similar to all the rest, but
they’re middle of the pack
when it comes to pricing,”
said Robertson.
Sears has provided pool
management services to
community pools, country
clubs, municipal pools and
condo associations since
1997.
Robertson said, “Their
references are very good and
not just with their customers.
“I’ve talked to some suppliers and trainers and they all
speak highly of Sears Pool
Management Consultants.”
In addition to regular
pool maintenance, pool
equipment repair and replacement, resurfacing, tiling, coping and deck work,
pool cover installation, pool
furniture sales and repair,
Sears has agreed to provide
up to four lifeguards to supervise public swimming,
swim lessons and other organized pool activities such
as water aerobics.
Councilwoman Maria
Alexander said, “This is
exciting that we are giving someone else a chance.
We’ve heard some concerns
about lifeguard staffing–
safety needs to be concern
number one.”
The lifeguards provided
by Sears also will be responsible for the upkeep and
cleanliness of the pool, deck
and bathhouse. Sears will
provide a supervisor as well
as a pool manager that will
meet with Doraville officials
twice a month to report on
the facilities.
According to the company’s reports Sears certifies
their lifeguards through the
American Red Cross Lifeguard Training program.
The training includes
courses on preventing disease transmission and meets
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration requirements.
The Doraville pool will
open on Memorial Day
weekend through Labor Day
weekend.
Water aerobics start the
first week of June and continue until school returns to
session in DeKalb County.
The pool will be only
open on weekends in the
months of August and September while the DeKalb
County schools are in session.
Sears Pool Management Consultants team up to provide services for Doraville.
THE CELEBRATION LASTS 28 DAYS;
THE CONTRIBUTION, A LIFETIME.
No amount of time would be sufficient to recognize all of the
trailblazers who saw what no one else could, did what no one
else dared and gave us all what we needed most. Georgia Power
is proud to honor the achievements of African-Americans
throughout Black History Month and more importantly beyond.
Connect With Us
georgiapower.com
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
local
Page 3A
Business association sees expanded
role for scholarship breakfast
by Kathy Mitchell
The South DeKalb Business Association (SDBA) has for seven years annually provided scholarships to aspiring
students at Georgia Piedmont Technical
College. Starting last year, the scholarships have been presented as part of a
breakfast event that organizers say involves more than eggs and toast.
“We decided the best way to continue moving south DeKalb in the right
direction and undergird the work we do
at the association is to help those who
are likely to be its future business leaders,” explained SDBA President Milton
Kirby. “We want the event to be more
than a presentation program. We want
it to be a source of information and inspiration. That was the thinking behind
making the event a business forum as
well as a scholarship breakfast.”
“We asked ourselves how we can
best support small businesses—especially female- and minority-owned
businesses,” added board member
Anna Henderson. “We asked what we
can do to help our young people be
the business leaders of tomorrow. We
decided to put them in the room with
people who have valuable information
for them.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Cassius Butts, regional administrator of
the U.S. Small Business Administration, an independent agency of the
federal government created in 1953 to
assist those who want to start or build
independent businesses. Kirby noted
that the Small Business Administration
works with the types of businesses that
are prevalent in south DeKalb.
“Fourth District Congressman
Hank Johnson will be there as well,
and we’re expecting him to bring several members of his staff, who will be
on hand to advise on specific concerns
business owners may have,” Kirby
added.
There will be representatives of the
business community, including Willie A. Watkins, president and CEO
of Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home,
and Mitchell A. Martin, manager partner of Martin, Harps, & Syphoe Inc.
and cofounder of Global Concessions.
“We want future business leaders as
well as those now operating businesses
to hear some of the success stories right
here in our community,” Kirby said.
This year the program also includes
seniors at Redan High School, with
scholarships being awarded to students
who have chosen a curriculum in business or entrepreneurship. The number
and amount of the scholarships will
be determined by the amount raised,
according to Kirby. “We have several
corporate sponsors who have helped us
in the past, but the final numbers aren’t
in for this year. We’re committed to give
two to three scholarships at a minimum. Last year we gave four. We hope
to do more,” he said.
“In deciding to present the scholarships as part of an event we also saw
the opportunity to raise the profile of
the organization. We have been around
more than 36 years, and we have a full
calendar of activities throughout the
year, yet many in south DeKalb don’t
know who we are or what we do,”
explained LoyLene Jefferson-Shaw,
SDBA immediate past president. “Holding an event with prominent speakers
and guests is a way of increasing awareness of us.” Planners anticipate approximately 200 attendees at this year’s event.
As part of the application process
each scholarship seeker is required to
write an essay. “This not only helps us
determine which applicants are most
likely to make good use of the opportunity we’re helping to provide, it encourages young people who want to go into
business to think through in a detailed
way what they want to accomplish and
where they see themselves headed in
the future,” said board member Linda
Mayhand.
This year’s event will be on Friday,
Feb. 20, 8:30 – 10 a.m. at St. Philip
AME Church, 240 Candler Road, SE,
Atlanta. For more information, visit
www.sdba-inc.org.
Cedric Alexander, DeKalb’s top law enforcement official, said he supports an
independent investigation of a police-involved shooting death. See related story
on page 12A. Photo by Andrew Cauthen
Police department describes
police-involved shooting
Cedric Alexander, DeKalb
County’s deputy chief operations officer of public safety,
called a Feb. 6 news conference
“to clarify some incorrect information…that has been reported” about the police-involved
shooting death of a Decatur
man.
According to Alexander,
on Dec. 29, 2014, Officer Joseph Pitts was dispatched to
an apartment on 100 Pine Tree
Circle, at approximately 9 p.m.
“Upon Officer Pitts arriving to the scene, and as he
approached that apartment,
he could hear screaming and
yelling coming from inside” the
apartment, Alexander said.
“Let’s keep in mind: he
was responding to a 911 call of
someone being stabbed,” Alexander said.
Hearing the screaming,
Pitts, “according to witness
statements, banged on the door
of that apartment…and announced himself ‘DeKalb Po-
lice, DeKalb Police,’” Alexander
said.
When there was no response, only “continual yelling
and screaming from inside
that apartment,” Pitts, felt that
someone inside that apartment
may be in danger, according
to Alexander. When he slowly
pushed the unlocked door
open, “a large pit bull…charged
at officer Pitts,” Alexander said.
Pitts retreated back into the
hallway, followed by the “growling and aggressive,” dog.
Pitts “fired multiple shots,
striking the dog…[which]
retreated back into the apartment,” Alexander said.
Pitts still heard “yelling and
screaming coming from the
inside,” Alexander said. As he
walked back to that apartment,
Pitts was approached by Kevin
Davis and April Edwards, the
stabbing victim.
Pitts ordered Davis, who
was carrying a firearm, to drop
his weapon, Alexander said.
See Police on page 10A
The Champion Free Press, Friday Feb. 13, 2015
opinion
Page 4A
A better name than ‘Greenhaven’ needed
This letter is in response to
the Feb. 6 article about the
“Proposed South DeKalb city
named Greenhaven”, p14A.
by Ed Williams
Please select another
name for the city of South
DeKalb. I know that there
has to be a better name than
Greenhaven.
The process of picking
the name was not inclusive
and not very democratic.
The name does not represent the creativity, inspiration or productivity that
the Concerned Citizens
Cityhood of South DeKalb
(CCCSD) claims that this
new city would foster.
The name Greenhaven
for a new city is not a good
logo for any future sports
teams or marketing name. If
we are going to be the mecca
of the South, then the name
has to be on point.
The name Greenhaven
sounds like a church or rest
home or funeral home. It
sounds like a country town.
The CCCSD might have
selected the name Green
Acres, just like the TV show
from the ’60s and early ’70s.
There are a few cities with
the word “green” in their
name: West Green, Ga.;
Greenwood, S.C.; Greenwood, Miss.; and Greensboro, N.C. I do not want to
live in any of these cities.
This was an opportunity for the organization to
Ed Williams, Decatur
show and demonstrate some
creativity and talent and
leadership, and it failed. The
CCCSD should have had a
naming competition to select the name.
The proposed new city
would have a lot of houses of
worship so let’s call it “Heaven Gate.” This cityhood
effort is like a story, and it
goes like this,
“Once upon a time, there
was a city called Greenhaven. It was created from
a lot of little communities in
South DeKalb. There [were
a] few financial institutions,
a lot of fast food restaurants,
places of worship, and hair
and nail shops. The people
in the community did not
create or grow anything. It
was to be a vibrant suburb
city that competed with
the city of Atlanta. It would
have its own mayor, and
city council. The citizens
would not have to pay any
additional taxes for the key
to the new city. The found-
ers promised its citizens that
there would be economic
development, and better
municipal services. The jobs
would come from the fact
that the new city would have
to create a downtown, airport, stadium, courthouse,
jail, and police department,
etc. The city would have its
own downtown and be a haven for businesses and people to move, and we would
live happily ever after.”
I have been searching
all over the country for
evidence of the existence
of such a city, with similar
demographics and I cannot
find it.
It made me think of the
quote “A rose by any other
name would smell as sweet”
from William Shakespeare’s
play Romeo and Juliet.
The reference is often
used to imply that the names
of things do not affect what
they really are. I do not like
the name Greenhaven.
CCCSD does not represent the citizens and it
did not represent the citizens in picking the name.
This group is pushing an
idea without any study or
consensus from the citizens. The effort led by the
CCCSD does not seem to be
supported by the business
community.
This group thinks that
it is making a gumbo soup.
They are proposing to just
take a lot of neighborhoods
and lump them together and
call it a city.
The citizens should say
“No thanks.”
South DeKalb does not
have the tax base and the industries to support a city.
Our leaders should work
on improving community
police, schools and bringing
businesses into the community.
I think the citizens of
DeKalb would be better
served if the CCCSD would
file a court case against the
county and the other cities
in regards to the tax liabilities and pension obligations
that are not being shared by
all the property owners of
the county.
How a new city such
as the city of Dunwoody
or Brookhaven can not be
equally responsible for pension and bonds that were
already obligated prior to
their cityhood makes no
sense.
I do not believe that
the name Greenhaven will
transform the community
and provide sustainability
and abundance. The name
has no history and no link to
a vision of the future.
It seems to me that since
the leadership of DeKalb
county became AfricanAmerican, some of the
citizens in the county have
sought to gain local autonomy from the county. Much
of the county had been
structured the same way
since 1822. After the DeKalb
County citizens elected the
first Black CEO, many local
communities have sought
to become more locally
controlled by creating cities
that would control more of
its services from the county.
The local control movement
is a legacy of the changing
demographics of DeKalb
County and similar stories
throughout the metro area
region of Atlanta.
It seems that shotgun
cities are appearing all over
DeKalb County. Who will
pay the county bills once all
the local communities become cities? Will the county
file bankruptcy and then
north DeKalb merge with
Milton. What is the master
plan? I would suggest that
the state Legislature stop this
cityhood movement in the
county. The county needs
leadership on this issue. The
citizens should not remain
silent on this issue. The
cityhood efforts I believe
are a Trojan horse. There is
a hidden agenda, and the
citizens in the DeKalb, north
and south will be grabbled
up by the political realignment that is really going on.
We need leadership from the
state legislature. Where are
the community organizations on this issue?
I would like to be overjoyed by this cityhood effort,
but I cannot at this time and
moment.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
opinion
Page 5A
One Man’s Opinion
Exercise the excise tax
“Before the income tax
was imposed on us just 80
years ago, government had
no claim to our income.
Only sales, excise and tariff
taxes were allowed,” perennial candidate and conservative Alan Keyes (1993), who
would later run for President
three times and lose his race
for U.S. Senator of Illinois to
then State Senator Barack
Obama in 2004.
A regular weekday rush
hour commute across metro
Atlanta can be pretty challenging, but when you have
three horrific pedestrian
fatalities on I-285, and an art
project mistaken for a potential bomb threat shutting
down the downtown connector as well as a series of
multi-vehicle pile-ups over
a period of three weeks, the
real frailties of our existing
transportation network are
beginning to show.
Most parties knowledgeable of Georgia’s transportation woes put the price tag
of replacing existing and
deteriorating infrastructure
and making the improvements and expansions to
improve congestion and
traffic flow at roughly $1
billion per year in new
spending. Though we are
all enjoying these lower gas
Bill Crane
[email protected]
Columnist
prices, our motor fuel tax
is a conglomeration of sales
and excise taxes. Sales taxes
are tied to each dollar within
the gallon price, meaning
lower gas prices mean lower
tax revenues. And in Georgia, currently only three of
every four cents collected
in gas sales taxes are being
budgeted back toward transportation expenses.
The Georgia Constitution obligates all state excise
taxes collected on motor
fuels to be spent solely on
transportation and related
expenses. Excise taxes are
fixed fees or duties charged
on the sale of specific merchandise, such as a gallon of
gasoline, diesel fuel or cigarettes and alcohol (the latter
often being referred to as sin
taxes). Yet finding or creat-
ing an unspent billion is no
easy task.
So, though it may in
some respects seem like
a shell game to some, the
GOP House leadership has
proposed a healthy bump in
the gasoline excise tax, closer to the amounts charged
in our neighboring states of
Florida and North Carolina,
while eliminating the state
sales tax on gas. Existing
SPLOSTs will be allowed
to continue through their
respective sunsets, and the
MARTA penny collected
in DeKalb, Fulton and now
Clayton counties will remain
untouched.
Before the ink dried on
this House proposal, many
cities and counties were crying foul on what they perceive as a tax shift. Though
both local government entities would be allowed to replace lost sales tax proceeds
with local excise taxes on
fuel, they are arguing both
the requirements to make
those hikes and the distribution mechanisms for divvying up the dollars collected
from the excise fees.
Governor Nathan Deal
is weighing in, favoring a
greater exercise of the excise tax, but also holding
up a yellow caution light on
House calls for $100 million
in additional bond funds for
mass transit expense and
another bond package for
bridges and major one-time
infrastructure needs. Deal
does not want to leave Georgia strapped with massive
new bonded debt as well as
the reserve cupboards bare,
as he found things upon
his arrival in the governor’s
mansion.
And though Lieutenant
Governor Casey Cagle and
the State Senate have yet to
weigh in on their version
of a transportation funding plan, they have already
made clear that doing nothing is not an option and that
Georgia now has a responsibility to begin partial funding and a series of longer
conversations on its proper
role in mass transit planning
and construction.
So, not unlike heading into rush hour traffic
knowing that some teeth
grinding, horn blaring and
general frustration are heading your way...we can expect
several weeks of similar
back and forth under our
Gold Dome, while we also
have great hope that before
things end in “sine die,” this
General Assembly will bite
the bullet, take the lead and
lay out a plan to fund and
build for Georgia’s future
transportation needs, not
just the BandAid-type solutions driven by the challenged financial resources
of our Great Recession.
And expanding an already
dedicated revenue source is
a practical and achievable
common sense solution,
without the long odds of a
constitutional amendment.
Exercise and expand the
gasoline excise tax. If we can
give $3.50 a gallon to BP
after that massive oil spill,
I don’t mind handing $2.50
again to the state of Georgia,
if it can help improve traffic flow and get me home in
time for prime time.
Bill Crane also serves as a
political analyst and commentator for Channel 2’s Action
News, WSB-AM News/Talk
750 and now 95.5 FM, as well
as a columnist for The Champion, Champion Free Press
and Georgia Trend. Crane is
a DeKalb native and business
owner, living in Scottdale. You
can reach him or comment
on a column at bill.csicrane@
gmail.com.
F ree P ress
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We sincerely appreciate the discussion surrounding this and
any issue of interest to DeKalb County. The Champion was
founded in 1991 expressly to provide a forum for discourse
for all community residents on all sides of an issue. We have
no desire to make the news only to report news and opinions
to effect a more educated citizenry that will ultimately move
our community forward. We are happy to present ideas for
discussion; however, we make every effort to avoid printing
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local
Page 6A The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
Storm Harvey
Storm Harvey is a
freshman at Agnes Scott
College and one of three
students in North America
selected to receive up to
$8,000 toward her education from the Cochlear
Americas Anders Tjellström
scholarship award.
Harvey was born three
months prematurely, weighing less than two and half
pounds, and without a left
ear canal which caused her
to be deaf in her left ear.
“This scholarship means
a lot to me, because honestly, there are very few perks
to being hearing-impaired
and it was awesome to be
able to turn something that
has been a hindrance to me
into something to help me
achieve my future goals,”
Harvey said.
When Harvey turned
6 years old, a tumor was
discovered in her right ear.
she had to undergo surgery
to replace one and a half
of the three middle bones
with prosthesis. Harvey said
she was left with moderate
hearing loss in her right ear.
“When I was 9 years
old, I received a Baha hearing implant behind my left
ear. For the first time, I
heard the sound of my own
footsteps, birds singing, rain
on the roof and understood
why people complain when
a baby cries a lot in a restaurant,” said Harvey.
She said the biggest effect the hearing aid has had
is in her social life.
Throughout middle
school Harvey said kids bullied her.
“The other kids started
to notice that if they came
up behind me and poked
me I would jump in surprise, as I could not hear
them. It was one thing the
doctors did not expect
when they were done doing
the best they could to fix my
hearing,” Harvey said.
“When one kid calls
your name in front and distracts you while another kid
creeps up behind you, only
to grab your shoulders a few
seconds later, it rattles you
to the core.
“It is the equivalent of
someone coming up behind
you in a dark alley in the
middle of the night and
grabbing you from behind;
it makes you really paranoid.”
Harvey said it was at
the South Carolina Governor’s school for science
and mathematics that she
learned her hearing impairment did not define who
she is.
“I believed that if I lived
around my classmates almost 24/7 they would, in
essence, be forced to accept
me,” she said.
Harvey said that she
made 10 friends during the
first week of school.
Now a freshman at Agnes Scott College, Harvey
said she has learned to accept her hearing impairment and live her life without shame.
“Yes, it is a part of me
and a part I am more than
willing to share with anyone. But my hearing impairment is not equal to who I
am. I am Storm, a first-year
student at Agnes Scott College, a horse and Disney
movie lover, a fanatic about
the color orange and, of
course, purple and I just so
happen to also be hearing
impaired,” Harvey said.
Harvey makes jewelry
when she has free time,
loves thrift shopping with
her best friend on the weekends and is involved with
several clubs on campus.
She’s received numerous academic recognitions.
Harvey won first place for
a written and oral presentation at the South Carolina
Junior Academy of Science
based on an eight-week
study at Dr. Mark Eckert’s
lab at the Medical University of South Carolina.
She also won the advanced placement (AP)
scholars with distinction
award for the number of
AP classes she enrolled in
as well as her scores on AP
exams.
If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthen
at [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.
Chamblee official recognized
by Ashley Oglesby
[email protected]
Chamblee Mayor Pro
Tem Dan Zanger was
recently re-elected and on
Jan. 25 awarded a certificate
of achievement by the
Georgia Municipal Training
Institute at the Georgia
Municipal Association
(GMA) annual mayors’ day
conference.
“I am honored to be reelected by my peers on the
council to serve as mayorpro-tem, honored to receive
this recognition from the
University of Georgia
Carl Vinsion Instituite and
the Georgia Municipal
Association, and humbled
to represent the citizens of
Chamblee and serve on the
city council,” Zanger said.
He added, “I’m very
proud of this achievement
Chamblee Mayor Pro Tem Dan Zanger recently received a certificate of
achievement by the Georgia Municipal Training Institute.
and proud to serve the city
of Chamblee. I am fortunate
to be part of a council that
recognizes and respects the
value of municipal training
and continuing education.”
The Georgia Municipal
Training Institute was
established as an effort of
GMA and the University
of Georgia’s Carl Vinson
Institute of Government
to provide a nationally
recognized series of training
programs for elected city
officials.
The Georgia General
Assembly passed legislation
in 1990 that requires city
officials elected after July
1991 to complete training
on administration and
operations of municipal
government.
Because state law
mandates that city officials
attend and complete
training courses pertaining
to their duties, each official
must register and fulfill
their required courses.
Additional courses are
also offered pertaining to
local government finance,
economic development,
ethics and other areas of
personal and professional
development.
Once a newly elected
official takes office, he or
she must enroll in their
required courses within the
first 12 months.
According to the GMA
courses are typically offered
in February or March of
each year, depending on the
number of newly elected
officials. If an elected
official has served before
and has been re-elected
he or she is still required
to take the newly elected
officials institute again.
To receive a certificate of
achievement, a city official
must complete a minimum
of 72 hours of training,
including at least 36 hours
from the required list. The
training program consists
of a series of more than 50
courses.
The Champion Free Press, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
local
AroundDeKalb
Atlanta
Musuem invites witches and
wizards to new exhibit
The Public is invited for a variety
of fairy tale and mythology themed
activities that explore how poisons
have shaped stories throughout
history. In conjunction with Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s
The Power of Poison exhibit, the
museum will host a witches and
wizards day. The event will take
place on Feb. 21, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
All activities planned will be included with the museum’s admission and are free for members.
calling (404) 727-6118.
Clarkston
Black History Month assembles
youth
Women Watch Afrika Inc,
Clarkston Interfaith Group and
the Community Building Group
will present its Black History
Month youth assembly on Feb. 14.
The event will take place at the
Clarkston Community Center at
3701 College Avenue, 1 - 4 p.m.
This event is free, open to the
public and wheelchair accessible.
Individuals needing additional
accommodations should contact
Glory Kilanko at (404) 759-6419
or [email protected].
Decatur
Sons of the Union Veteran
