Good afternoon, everyone:
I will begin today by saying that I hope that all the moms had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Of course, this sentiment includes my BOC colleagues who are mothers, Commissioners Mereda Davis Johnson and Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.
And of course, my thoughts on Sunday were for my dear mother Mary Elizabeth Robinson Bradshaw who left us 11 years ago. I do miss her. Cherish your respective mothers while you can.
On April 27 it was great to attend the State of the County Address. The backdrop for the ceremony at DeKalb Peachtree Airport was truly inspiring. As usual, CEO Michael L. Thurmond did an excellent job updating us on DeKalb’s accomplishments and future prospects. And I will seize this opportunity to associate myself with his remarks regarding the unfortunate situation with our DeKalb Board of Education.
Having said that, I know that DeKalb County’s best days are in front of us. And I am proud to be a member of this governing authority.
From April 28 until May 1, it was great to attend the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Annual Conference in Savannah. ACCG is a great organization, and they do an excellent job on our behalf. Also, it is always nice to fellowship with other County Commissioners from around the State of Georgia and benefit from their individual and collective insights.
On May 5 it was a pleasure to tour the area of the Metro South Community Improvement District (CID). As we continue to work on the possibility of standing up a CID on Memorial Drive it is helpful to gain additional insights from others who have been on this path. I want to thank MSCID President Joel Gross, Vice President Wayne Smith and Executive Director Larry Kaiser for taking the time to show us around. I also want to commend Commissioners Larry Johnson and Ted Terry for their support of this enterprise. I stand ready to support your efforts in any way possible.
On May 6 it was great to participate in the DeKalb NAACP annual golf tournament at the great Sugar Creek Golf Course. As an NAACP member it was an honor for me to support this chapter’s efforts. I would like to thank chapter President Lance Hammonds and Secretary Sandy Johnson for hosting a great event.
I would also like to thank my playing partners for putting up with some very mediocre play from me that day. Despite my drag on our team, we still managed to post a pretty good score. Although I think Commissioner Terry’s team scored a little better. I am looking forward to playing again next year.
On May 7 it was great to drop by the Tucker Day celebration in the City of Tucker. It is a very nice event and I always see friendly and familiar faces when I am making the rounds. I commend the Mainstreet Tucker Alliance and all of the event sponsors for putting on a great event.
That evening it was wonderful to attend the National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) Spring Festival and annual Lunar New Year celebration at Canton House in Chamblee. This is the year of the Water Tiger and is equivalent to the year 4720 on the Chinese lunar calendar.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID 19 this was truly a wonderful celebration. The entertainment was excellent, and the food was outstanding. And of course, this event afforded me the opportunity to underscore my support for our Asian communities, as they have been the targets of some serious hate crimes recently.
I would like to commend NACA Chair Lani Wong and President Maggie Mers for hosting an outstanding event. And I would like to thank Chamblee Mayor and NACA board member Brian Mock for the invitation to attend. I am already looking forward to next year’s celebration.
On May 9 it was an honor to attend our Fallen Officers Ceremony. It is altogether appropriate that we pause to remember those who have given their lives in the line of duty here in DeKalb County. This is always a solemn ceremony, and I commend Director Lumpkin and Chief Ramos along with their team for conducting the program in a professional manner. I will underscore my support for our public safety personnel who put themselves on the line for us every day.
Last evening it was a great delight to see the final presentation from the Masters of Urban Design Students at Georgia Tech who chose East Memorial Drive as the subject for study this semester. Simply stated, I was blown away by their innovative ideas and attention to detail. They have afforded us much to think about as we move forward.
I would like to commend Professor Ellen Dunham-Jones, Professor Tarek Rakha and Lecturer Joel Jassu for expertly leading these students through this process. This was very well done. I also want to thank Will Johnston and the team at MicroLife Institute and our own Planning and Sustainability Department for the logistical coordination of this effort. And of course, I would like to thank my BOC colleagues Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Ted Terry for the partnership in funding this effort.
It is deeply gratifying for me to see the renewed interest in Memorial Drive after so many years of neglect and half-hearted attempts at revitalization. This renewed interest can be directly traced to the study that my office funded back in 2018, that we are in the process of
executing now. We are looking forward to continued progress in the future.
If you need any assistance, you may call my office at 404-371-4749 or visit my website at
commissionerbradshaw.com. I will close today by once again thanking the citizens of District 4 and DeKalb County for affording me this opportunity to serve. It is indeed an honor.
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