Good Afternoon Everyone:
On April 14 it was a pleasure to attend the 33rd Annual Compañeros Awards Luncheon hosted by the Latin American Association at the Georgia Aquarium. It was a wonderful celebration of achievement and it was an honor to join my friend Latin American Association CEO, Santiago Marquez who did an outstanding job as MC for the program.
I would also like to acknowledge DeKalb County State Court Judge, Ana María Martinez who was presented with the LAA Pacesetter Award in recognition of her extraordinary efforts that have significantly advanced the Latino Community in Georgia.
It has been my honor to support the efforts of the Latin American Association. And I look forward to future events.
On April 15 it was an honor to attend the 59th Annual Good Friday Breakfast hosted by the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. The honoree for the event was Chick-fil-A Chairman, Dan Cathy who offered some wonderful words of wisdom. Additionally, he displayed his skills as a trumpet player which was a very nice treat.
It has been my honor to support our local YMCA’s at Wade Walker Park and Decatur. And I look forward to next year’s event.
Later that morning we had the chance to tour the West End Production Park in Atlanta. It was a great opportunity to see their operations. And we are very excited about the prospect of the ownership team looking at creating a second location on Memorial Drive. The application is making its way through our zoning process right now. Hopefully, this will end up in a good place.
That afternoon I had the great pleasure of spending some quality one-on-one time with our DeKalb School Superintendent, Cheryl Watson-Harris. Obviously, we have interacted with each other on several occasions, but it was the first time that we spent uninterrupted time together. I really enjoyed our discussion and exchange of ideas. I think we all know how important our school system is to the overall health of DeKalb County. And I want to underscore my support for Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris’ efforts.
On April 16 it was an honor to join our beloved Community Masjid in Clarkston for the Iftar, which is the traditional reception dinner in honor of Ramadan. As many of you may know the Holy Month of Ramadan is reverently observed by keeping a daily fast from pre-dawn to sunset by Muslims all over the world. It was a wonderful event in which we met and interacted with Muslim leaders in our community. And the food was excellent.
It was also great to be with my BOC colleagues Commissioners Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and Ted Terry at the event, as well as other elected leaders here in DeKalb County. I would like to thank Masjid Al-Momineen Board Chairman, Altaf Sulaiman, and my friend Omar Shekhey for the invitation to attend. I look forward to next year’s event.
On April 18 it was a pleasure to join our Community Development Director, Allen Mitchell for site tours of two wonderful facilities that will be coming on line in District 4 in the coming months. The Tobie Grant Intergenerational Recreation Center is located at 593 Parkdale Drive in Scottdale just off North Decatur Road, and should be completed in the next 2 to 3 months. And the District 4 Community and Senior Center at Elam Road and South Hairston should be completed in the December 2022 or January 2023 timeframe.
Both projects are very close to my heart and are the result of persistence and investing in our communities. Once completed these facilities will represent significant quality-of-life enhancements for the citizens of District 4 and DeKalb County. I want to thank Director Mitchell and his entire team for the professional way they have managed these projects. And I look forward to great ribbon cutting ceremonies later this year.
On April 21 I had the honor of addressing the South DeKalb Rotary Club and updating them on happenings in District 4 and DeKalb County. I would like to thank the membership for a very warm welcome and thanks to my good friend and club President Lawrence Sharp for the invitation.
On April 22 we held our regular DeKalb Mayor’s Roundtable meeting. This is an initiative that I started several years ago to enhance communications and build relationships with our municipal leaders in DeKalb County. As usual we engaged in a spirited discussion on a number of issues. I would like to thank Pine Lake Mayor Melanie Hammet, Tucker Mayor Frank Auman, Clarkston Mayor Beverly H. Burks, and Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst for participating. We will continue to hold these meetings on a regular basis for as long as the mayors see value in doing so.
On April 23 we held our second Quarterly in the Fourth Community Breakfast meeting for 2022 (see the recorded meeting here). As usual we engaged the community on several important issues and I thank them for their participation.
I would like to thank our special guests, Dr. Abeer Moanna, Section Chief, Atlanta VA Health Care System for providing important updates on COVID, Shelbia Jackson for sharing DeKalb Entertainment Commission initiatives, Sylvia Smith and Christina Pastore for bringing us up to date on efforts with the 2020 Unified Plan.
Additionally, I would like to thank all the DeKalb County Department heads who participated and lent their expertise to the meeting. I am always appreciative of their support for our efforts. Our next such meeting will be on July 23, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Finally, to Parks Director Chuck Ellis and Division Manager David Flaherty and to my BOC colleagues, I was recently able to conduct an in-depth fact finding mission at the Mystery Valley Golf Course. Thank you for the enhancements at the course. I got some very good comments from some of the players regarding the course and the management of the club house.
And regarding the bunkers, I can attest to the fact that they are much improved. Unfortunately, I got to experience them firsthand, much more than I wanted to.
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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