By now you may have noticed a new face sitting in a balcony of the council chamber at City Hall, so let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Riley Bunch and I recently joined the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a City Hall reporter.
I will be tag-teaming with Wilborn Nobles to cover the day-to-day businesses of the Atlanta City Council and the decisions that are made that impact every day Atlantans. We’ll also follow along with Mayor Andre Dickens to watch how he navigates challenges during his first term, and report on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
I studied journalism at Syracuse University in New York, so I am no stranger to the East Coast but I was new to the south four years ago.
Born and raised in Seattle, I moved to Atlanta in 2019 right before the pandemic hit and covered the state legislature for a chain of local newspapers from Dalton to Valdosta. I then moved over to Georgia Public Broadcasting which is why you may recognize me from the station’s morning talk show ‘Political Rewind.’ While working at the statewide NPR station I covered the legislature and the 2022 election cycle.
As I settle into my new role covering the city of Atlanta, please don’t hesitate to send tips, tricks or just reach out to say hello at riley.bunch@ajc.com.
With that, let’s get into it!
---
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Tensions build over police training center: After violent protests rocked the site of the planned police training center in DeKalb County, Atlanta City Council members were briefed last week on the incident. Some City Council members voiced frustration over how conflict has been handled.
Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, the first queer and Muslim person to be elected in the state of Georgia, said that while she doesn’t condone destruction of property, the domestic terrorism charges for 23 people arrested last weekend go too far.
Bakhtiari cited her experience growing up Muslim in a “very racist community” where she was often labeled a “terrorist.”
“I would really encourage us to think twice before using the word ‘terrorist’ in some of these charges,” she said.
---
Short-term rentals debated – again: Two city council committees are coming together this week to rehash proposed short-term rental regulations after efforts to get a handle on the industry have flopped.
Critics of short-term rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO say that the vacation spots are taking over Atlanta neighborhoods. Short-term rental owners argue that they already work to limit impact on communities by setting stringent rules for visitors.
Atlanta City Council’s Zoning and Community Development/Human Services committees will hold a joint meeting on March 30 at 1 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall.
---
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Celebrating women: In the heart of downtown Atlanta on International Women’s Day, politicians and civil rights leaders honored Xernona Clayton with the unveiling of a new statue in her likeness. The Clayton statue is located at the edge of a plaza already named after the civil rights activist and broadcaster.
Our colleague, Ernie Suggs, reported that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told the crowd of hundreds at the unveiling ceremony that Clayton is only the second woman to have a street and a plaza named for them in the city and the first Black woman to have a statue in downtown Atlanta.
...
Employment boost for underserved Atlantans: The mayor’s office announced last week that Worksource Atlanta will receive $700,000 in federal funds to help train unsheltered residents and former offenders re-entering the workforce in high demand industries.
The U.S. Department of Labor grant will help participants land jobs in sectors like transportation, distribution, logistics and construction and continue to provide career guidance once they are employed.
About the Author
