COMMUNITY
SECTION B
‘Day of Gratitude’
Honoring the dream
Members of the Lou Walker Senior Center are giving President Barack Obama an appreciative send-off on Jan. 18. A5
While some will take to the streets on Jan. 16 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., others will go forth in a spirit of service. Inside
Put Litter in Its Place Let’s Do Our Part to Keep DeKalb Beautiful
EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER
Copyright © 2017 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.
January 14, 2017
Volume 22, Number 38
www.crossroadsnews.com
Gannon, Rader to lead Board of Commissioners in 2017 By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Gannon last served as presiding officer in 2008. This is Rader’s first time in a leadership Super District 6 Comrole on the board. missioner Kathie Gannon Gannon said she is is the new presiding ofhonored to have been ficer of the DeKalb Board chosen by her peers and of Commissioners and thanked Johnson for his District 2 Commissioner dedicated service. Jeff Rader is her deputy. She said her goal is to Gannon and Rader, improve how the Board of who are white, were electCommissioners, which esJeff Rader ed Jan. 10 to lead the ma- Kathie Gannon tablishes policies, works. jority African-American BOC. “In our form of government, the CEO Gannon replaces Commissioner Larry is responsible for the day-to-day operations Johnson, who has served as presiding officer of the departments,” she said. “The Board of for seven of the past eight years with a break Commissioners establishes policies.” in 2013 when Lee May was presiding. Her election was not without controversy.
Johnson, who sought to retain the position, said he had worked to move the BOC agenda forward to benefit the entire county. “Part of a new day is that we can’t go back to the old ways,” he said. But when District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson and new District 4 Commissioner Steve Bradshaw broke ranks and threw their support behind Gannon, Johnson lacked the votes to retain the office. In a press release a day before the Jan. 10 meeting, Bradshaw announced that he would vote for Gannon. He said that over her 12 years as commissioner, she has “successfully represented a broad cross section of DeKalb County, North/South and black/white.” “Commissioner Gannon has committed
to lead the BOC in a more collaborative way,” he said. “This approach more closely aligns with the way I prefer to operate.” Johnson declined Davis Johnson’s nomination to be deputy presiding officer and announced he plans to work to incorporate District 3 into a city of 150,000 people called Prosperity. Gannon, elected to a fourth term in November, said she will have a retreat to get consensus on issues the BOC will address. “There are plenty of issues we must consider: police retention, dilapidated housing, economic development, funding for roads and transportation, and more. … Then I want to use our committees to focus on them, hear from experts and find solutions.”
DeKalb leaders rallying against Trump agenda 4th District Day of Resistance in Clarkston Jan. 15 By Rosie Manins
DeKalb Democratic leaders and other public officials are standing up against the incoming Trump administration and the Republican agenda. They are hosting a 4th District Day of Resistance at the Clarkston Community Center on Jan. 15. The 2-to-4 p.m. protest rally will be led by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry at the center located at 3701 College Ave. They are expecting to be joined by hundreds of faith leaders, environmentalists, seniors, students and immigration reform supporters. Johnson and Terry are calling on citizens to gather in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ nationwide call to oppose the Republican budget. Opponents say the budget will throw 30 million people off health care, take their insurance away, privatize Medicare, make massive cuts in Medicaid, and give tax breaks to the wealthy. Johnson, whose district includes portions of South DeKalb, is hoping everyone concerned about President-elect Donald Trump and the GOP’s agenda will attend to show a strong united force in opposition. He is worried about the proposed gutting of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare; the rolling back of criminal justice reforms and voting rights; and the backward steps in environmental protections and humane immigration policy as well as plans to privatize Medicare and Medicaid. Johnson is believed to be the only Georgia congressman holding a meeting of this kind, which is why it is being billed as “Our First Stand: A Day of Resistance.” He has created a Facebook page for the
Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry (top, left) and 4th District U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, who are leading the protest rally on Sunday, are expected to be joined by state and local leaders including (bottom, from left) Laura Colbert, state Rep. Karla Drenner, state Sen. Vincent Fort, GALEO Executive Director Jerry Gonzalez, Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson, Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council President Dewey McClain, 6th Congressional District candidate Jon Ossoff, and DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond.
event and invited more than 500 people through that alone. More than a dozen prominent community leaders, representatives and public figures are scheduled to take part. They include state Sen. Vincent Fort; Georgia’s political director for the Bernie Sanders campaign, Daniel Blackman; Planned Parenthood Southeast President and CEO Staci Fox; Laura Colbert of Geor-
gians for a Healthy Future; state Rep. Karla Drenner; GALEO Executive Director Jerry Gonzalez; Georgia NAACP President Francys Johnson; Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council President Dewey McClain; DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond; Georgia Federation of Teachers President Verdaillia Turner; Imam SH Salam Wazir; nationally syndicated radio personality Rashad Richey of V-103 and WAOK; and 6th Congressional District
candidate Jon Ossoff. Members of the Sierra Club, ACLU, AARP, NAACP and GALEO also are planning to attend. Security will be provided and attendees are asked not to bring backpacks or book bags, which will need to be searched. Johnson also is asking attendees to sign up via his Facebook page for the event at www. facebook.com/events/179280729216154.