Atlanta attorney Sharon A. Gay has filed paperwork with the city to begin raising funds for a mayoral campaign, according to a report from the AJC. Gay, senior counsel in public policy for Dentons law firm, served as vice president of governmental affairs for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and was deputy chief of staff and executive counsel to former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell. Gay would square off against incumbent Keisha Lance Bottoms and current Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore in the Nov. 2 election.
A portion of Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown has reopened after being closed since last summer, according to Urbanize Atlanta. The “north park” area, which has playgrounds and open expanses of grass, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Public restrooms will remain locked. The “south park,” which includes the Olympic Rings Fountain, visitors center and amphitheater, remains closed. Urbanized noted that the park was mostly open into the summer, then closed after it became a flashpoint during demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd. The park’s operator, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, said the $85,000 monthly maintenance bill for the park was derived from conventions and events – most of which have been on hold for a year.
Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District are seeking volunteers to help count Downtown’s homeless population in order to accurately advocate for and deploy resources. The ATL Downtown Counts: Street Homelessness Survey is scheduled on Saturday, May 1 and will stage at Underground Atlanta. To volunteer, visit this link.