District 2 Newsletter

by: Melissa Miller

Nov

30

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What's New in 2?

Dear friends and neighbors,

I hope you're all having a great week and looking forward to a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. This month's newsletter provides an update on the City's efforts to address ongoing street racing and an exciting update on Downtown Decides projects which have begun breaking ground! Finally, it's been a busy month for socially-distanced site visits across District 2, some of which I highlight below.

As always, my newsletter is just a snapshot of what our office is working on every day. To learn more, I invite you to follow me on Twitter.

Construction Underway!

Downtown Decides! Breaks Ground

As you know from past newsletters, we have been hard at work making sure that the 17 projects you voted for as part of the Downtown Decides! participatory budgeting initiative are completed in a timely manner.

Last week, we were thrilled to unveil the first two completed builds: wheelchair accessible crossings at both Peachtree St and Williams St (pictured) as well as Ted Turner Dr. and Williams St.

These ideas were submitted by local resident Tony McCarthy, who had this to say when asked why he chose them:

"My wife and I love walking to stay active. Several years ago while taking my granddaughter for a walk in the stroller, I noticed several intersections that didn’t have ramps on the curbs and we were forced to pick up the stroller to cross the street. I immediately thought that this would be impossible for someone in a wheelchair. When Amir introduced “Downtown Decides” at an ADNA meeting, I decided to submit the idea. It’s refreshing to see the city solicit ideas from the community and then take quick action to make it easier for people with disabilities. This was a great program and I would really like to see programs like this continue. The people that live and work in the community can quickly tell you where improvements can be made."

Stay tuned for more updates as we concurrently strive to finish the other 15 builds. As always, a special thanks to both the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District as well as the city's Department of Transportation for being such great partners in this effort.

Together we are working to deliver on our promise to you -- to show that you have a voice in government and that you can trust the city to follow through on its word.

Street Racing Update

New Legislation Passes Council
Since I took office in January 2018, few challenges have been quite as frustrating as street racing. The issue is a persistent quality of life detriment and safety hazard. It has disrupted and endangered thousands of District 2 residents and many others across the city. I take this issue very seriously. Unfortunately, legislative solutions are not as readily at hand as we might like on Council.

Yet, we are making every effort to bolster existing laws where possible. On November 2nd, we passed a bill, which says that if you are arrested for a street racing-related crime you can not immediately bond out of jail until you have gone before a judge, in no more than 48 hours of being booked into jail. This creates an additional deterrent complementing existing laws that prohibit reckless driving, laying drag, etc.

Of course, no laws are useful unless they are enforced. I'm working weekly with APD and ATL DOT to improve enforcement and outcomes.

2021 Proposed IPNA Budget

by: Melissa Miller

Construction Underway!

Street Racing Update

Fulton Voters Can Cast Ballots at State Farm Arena – Georgia’s Largest Voting Site

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