Shawn Tolan

What is your main responsibility?

I joined Canton City Council in January 2020. My main responsibility is all things related to housing. There are many facets. From the Canton Housing Authority to key areas of the city, where additional housing is needed — and helping to drive a healthy mix of housing types and densities — housing in Canton is a massive undertaking and a responsibility that I take very seriously. However, I’m also involved in many initiatives at City Hall.

What is your background?

I graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration from Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina. I spent 25 productive years in the medical device industry, with a focus on sales and marketing. We designed and marketed devices that improved patient safety. In 2009, I opened an executive search business, where I focused on placing individuals into roles in sales and senior management in the medical device, pharma and health care information technology fields.

What do you like most about your role?

Being on council affords me the opportunity to do what I love — working as a team to serve others and getting things done. Our Roadmap for Success guides our focus and serves as a daily reminder that we are here to serve the residents of Canton. We live in a community with good people, many of whom also want to serve, so I’m always energized to hear from the volunteers that serve on our boards and commissions about the work that gets done.

What projects are you looking forward to?

We will be finalizing plans for a North Canton Village site, where people will have opportunities to purchase a home at a reasonable price. This innovative housing community is being designed by a renowned developer, using innovative, proven and state-of-the-art building practices.

An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance was passed by the City Council in 2014. However, residents did not embrace the concept. With a renewed focus on ADUs, and given the high cost of rent and the need for some homeowners to generate additional income, the city is encouraging homeowners to place an ADU on their property (attic, basement or separate, detached building) to provide housing for loved ones or renters seeking housing in Canton. To make the addition of a detached ADU even more attractive, we are offering reduced permitting fees to homeowners. We also will be making cottage building plans and ADU building plans available to anyone who chooses to build them in the city — at no cost.

We are finalizing the details of our first-time homebuyers program and should be rolling it out very soon. This will be part of our Housing Trust Fund, which will be focused solely on housing solutions in Canton. Additionally, Canton recently was chosen to participate in the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program. This three-year program will allow us (17 members, including staff and local community stakeholders) to learn and implement best practices from cities throughout the state that either are currently in the program or have graduated. Alongside the GICH program, we are exploring other initiatives, such as forming a Land Bank, looking at ways of revitalizing various areas in the city and more.

I’ll also be very excited to see our trail system completed soon. In 2024, we will have access to recently approved SPLOST dollars. We will be working on a Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which will continue to bring our parks and the Etowah River to life.

What are your goals?

I want to continue serving the residents of Canton, through my work on council and with the Canton Lions Club, where we work to prevent diseases that cause blindness, as well as promote educational excellence.

What’s something about you not many people know?

I am the fourth of eight brothers (no sisters). Also, I’ve had 11 eye surgeries (retina and glaucoma) since 2017. In October 2019, I was deemed legally blind. (My vision is stable at 20/200.) My only limitation is that I no longer drive a car. I get around on an e-bike and via my family/friends. If you see me riding on my e-bike, give me a quick honk!

How do you like to spend free time?

I love hanging with my wife of over 40 years, Shari. She’s my rock and best friend! I also enjoy spending time with our son, Matt, his wife, Lindsay (pictured to the right of Shawn and Sherri), and his two boys, as well as our daughter, Melissa (pictured left), and her son. I’ve recently started playing golf again. I enjoy staying active and engaged.

Circle of Friends Awarded Grant for New Location

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a grant for Circle of Friends in the amount of $100,000 in May, after receiving federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds will be used to open a second cafe, which will enable the nonprofit to employ more than 10 additional staff members. The Canton, Holly Springs, Hickory Flat and Woodstock areas have been considered as potential locations. Contact Circle of Friends with leads on available space for lease and/or purchase, www.circleoffriendsinc.org.

Cherokee EMS Wing Dedicated to Mabley

For more than 20 years, Dr. Jill Mabley dedicated her time to the growth and success of Cherokee County’s emergency services. Her name will forever live on at the Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services (CCFES) Training Center, as the EMS wing was dedicated as the Jill Ann Mabley, M.D., FACEP EMS Wing in June.

Mabley joined Cherokee County in 2000. In her years as medical director, she became the first (and only at the time) to earn firefighter certification in the state of Georgia.

Fire Chief Eddie Robinson added Mabley also was responsible for implementing the Narcan program with law enforcement, allowing public safety to better combat the opioid epidemic and save lives.

Honored earlier this year at the 2023 Northwest Georgia –Region 1 EMS Awards Banquet, Mabley was presented the Dr. Paul Nassour Lifetime Achievement Award. Although she retired from CCFES in 2022, she’s using her time to learn Russian and chess and assist local fire departments with their EMS training needs.

Warrior Cats Perform at Special Olympics Summer Games

Special Olympics DanceSport was declared an official sport in Georgia in August 2022. Less than a year later, Cherokee County’s Warrior Cats (pictured), the first Georgia Special Olympics DanceSport team, performed at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Summer Games at Emory University in May.

Fitfully Forward founder and Warrior Cats head coach Laura Mikszan, along with Special Olympics dance ambassador Louis Van Amstel, advocated for three years to have DanceSport become an official Special Olympics sport.

Cherokee’s 2023 Top 10 in 10 Honorees Named

The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce recently announced this year’s group of Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals to Watch, front row, from left: Madison Beaulieu, Woodstock’s economic development operations manager; Ashley Witcher, University of Georgia Extension-Cherokee County coordinator/4-H and youth agent; Kristin Norton Green, Canton’s theater events and facilities director; Ashley Polito, Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy principal; Lindsay Harris, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office intelligence unit manager. Back row: Thomas Trawick, Cherokee County zoning division manager; Lt. Michael Sims, Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services; Joshua Cole, Atlanta Area Council-Boy Scouts of America lead district executive; Zack Bobo, owner of Zack Bobo Real Estate; Justin Lamb, Universal Alloy Corp. director of metallurgy and research and development.