Fulton Commission Chairman John Eaves on Thursday described a litany of accomplishments for the county in 2016, touting expanded early voting, the successful passage of a transportation tax and work to overhaul the local justice system.
In his State of the County address at the Georgia World Congress Center, Eaves said that, by coming together and sitting “side-by-side,” the county has begun to “tackle the tough issues.”
"We have found the will, we have found the determination, to make Fulton the best it can be," Eaves said. "We are black; we are white. We are north; we are south. We are gay; we are straight. We are Christians; we are Jews. With compromise and collaboration, we have found a way to succeed."
In recounting the county’s successes, Eaves cited an “unheard of” number of early voting sites — 24 — and bragged about high voter turnout. Among the decisions at the ballot box was the creation of a new city in south Fulton. Saying the new city’s success is the county’s success, Eaves promised those residents his administration would be there for them.
Voters also approved three transportation measures. Two in the city of Atlanta will pay for road improvements and MARTA expansion. Outside of Atlanta in Fulton County, a three-quarter penny transportation tax is expected to raise $655 million over five years. The improvements that money will pay for are “going to have tremendous impact on all of us,” Eaves said.
“Through collaboration and relationship-building, my friends, we did it,” Eaves said. “We put differences aside and found the common denominator. We agreed that we couldn’t sit back and wait for transportation headaches to get worse.”
The county is also exploring transit expansion. Some mayors and commissioners took a trip to Dallas, Texas, last week to learn about that city's transit system. Atlanta residents voted to expand MARTA, and Eaves said he wants to "see if we can capture that momentum" in the county, as well.
Eaves talked about changes the county is trying to make to the justice system, to reduce the number of people in the jail and help incarcerated people with mental health issues. He also mentioned work to modernize the 911 system, plans to spend more money on juvenile justice and an effort to expunge the records of some people who were charged with a crime, but never convicted.
Eaves also promised to try to eliminate new cases of HIV in the county. He will open clinics on college campuses that will distribute pills to prevent HIV.
He talked about economic development wins, the county’s new libraries and plans to improve digital access and cyber security.
"I want you to know we can do even better," Eaves said. "Together, my friends, we will rise up. We will rise up, and we will move Fulton forward in 2017."
The speech, sponsored by the Council for Quality Growth, is one in a series of State of the County addresses across the region.
Joseph Porter, who lives in Atlanta, said he thinks Eaves and other commissioners “have a laser focus on what the citizens want.” He said he was most pleased to see interest in improving transportation.
“It’s somewhat unusual to have mayors, commissioners and other elected officials have a single focus,” he said. “They understand transportation’s going to be make or break for us. … That they’ve started addressing roads and traffic really makes people happy.”
Maceo Rogers, East Point’s director of economic development, said “everything is looking up.” He said the commission’s leadership has helped improve economic opportunities on the county’s south side. Michelle Taylor Willis, who recently moved to Buckhead from south Fulton, echoed the sentiment, saying the area recently had been buoyed by job announcements by UPS and others.
“It was inspiring,” she said of the speech. “John Eaves always does a good job of positioning the county in a positive light.”
About the Author
