Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Monday that she was directing the City’s Chief Operating Officer to convene an advisory council to advise the Mayor on measures needed to end the Stay at Home Order and when that time may be appropriate.
“Reopening the city must be executed in a cautious manner that is best suited for Atlanta,” said Bottoms. “The Advisory Council will provide the necessary input and buy-in from Atlanta stakeholders to outline a safe and thoughtful framework to get our economy back on track without endangering public health.”
The advisory council will include representatives from a who’s who of Atlanta brands, including MARTA; Atlanta Public Schools; Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport; the city’s Chief Health Officer; Grady Hospital; Emory University; Morehouse School of Medicine; Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; pro-sports teams the Hawks, Falcons, Atlanta United and the Atlanta Dream; and Atlanta University Center.
The group will be co-chaired by City of Atlanta COO Joshua Williams; Bondurant, Mixson and Elmore, LLP Partner Robbie Ashe; and immediate past National Council of Negro Women National Chairperson Ingrid Saunders Jones. Ashe previously worked in crisis management when he coordinated Atlanta’s response to the displaced individuals and families following Hurricane Katrina – when some 100,000 evacuees showed up in the city. Saunders-Jones previously served as the Chair of the Coca-Cola Foundation and is a staunch advocate for women and children.
Bottoms urged the council to keep in mind vulnerable groups during their planning, including seniors and the homeless. The timeline she gave for the council is to deliver a plan of action to be presented no later than May 15.
A couple weeks later than the few blocks away announcement from Governor Brian Kemp that was basically announced at the same time. Kemp announced that some businesses could begin opening as early as this Friday, with further relaxation at the end of April. Mayor Bottoms was leery of the timeline coming from the governor’s office.
She appeared on ABC News Monday evening as national media began covering Kemp’s announcement.
“I am extremely concerned about the announcement,” Bottoms said following Kemp’s re-opening news from Monday. “It appears the governor’s order supersedes anything that I can do as mayor but I certainly still have my voice that I can use and what I will continue to ask Atlantans is to please stay at home.”
“I have a great deal of respect and regard for the governor. We work very well together. I’m not sure what data the governor is referencing in helping to make this decision,” said Bottoms. “I have not spoken with him, I talked with the mayor of the second most populous city in Georgia, Augusta, and he has not spoken with him so we don’t know what the governor is looking at.”
