Editor's Corner
CANDIDATE JANET MATHESON GERDS
ATLANTA CITY COUNCIL - DISTRICT SIX
For most Midtown Atlantans Jannie's announcement this past week to run for the seat in the Atlanta City Council to be vacated by the current occupant Councilmember Cathy Woolard, was a welcoming piece of news. Afterall, she has been a prominent midtown resident. Jannie and her husband Rob along with their dog Wylee make their home on Myrtle Street. And she has been an active member of the Midtown Neighbors' Association, as a member of the Board of Directors and both as an officer (Vice President) and as a Committee Chairperson (Public Safety).
It is always gratifying to see our District promoting its members to higher positions and challenges, as is the case with Cathy Woolard, while bring in fresh new candidates with new concepts and willingness to contribute, as is the case with Jannie. We wish both ladies the very best. You are certainly the pride of District Six.
Jannie has a formidable record of activities and all of her undertakings call for nothing short than high praise and admiration for her efforts to make a difference. She is the Midtown representative to the Alliance for Intown Neighbors, a group founded to stem rising taxes. As a member of Friends of Piedmont Park, she has worked to focus the city's efforts toward caring for Atlanta's greenspaces. She has served for two years as District 6 County Commissioner Nancy Boxill's appointed representative to the Community Development Block Grant citizen appropriations committee, where she helped to equitably distribute federal funds to areas most in need. She is a member of the Atlanta Police Department's Citizens Advisory Council, Zone 5 and the Midtown Alliance Public Safety Committee where she has served since 1998. She was one of the first to support a pay raise for our police officers. She is also the block captain on her street.
Undoubtedly, we are dealing here with a candidate who does not hold back and who is willing to commit herself to a noble cause, or causes, designed to improve life in her community. When asked why she is running, her first reply was "I want to make a difference." And I believe she can. Jannie has been prepared for the role of public servant and she is ready to perform. In her current job, she has been formally trained to find creative solutions to problems and she has practiced this skill with award-winning results for 11 years. The Atlanta City Council can use and benefit from the skills of such a member who can identify a problem and prescribe the right solution to it.
Jannie is going to need all the help from friends, relatives, neighbors, associates and every Midtowner who believes in her. She will need all the support she can get both morally and financially. Contributions can be made to Committee To Elect Jannie Gerds and can be mailed to 728 Myrtle Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30308.
We wish Jannie the very best during her campaign in the months ahead.
James C. Stathis
Associate Editor
|
Issues
