My commitment to you is to provide leadership on the Finance Committee of City Council to ensure that the City deliver the best possible services with limited resources, while strengthening the overall financial health of the City.  This will require pension reform and right sizing government to focus on its core mission.

I will not ask you for additional property taxes.  The City must be accountable to you by making the right investments of your dollars and by working with surrounding counties, state and federal agencies to coordinate the investments in infrastructure which literally impact our safety and quality of life.

PUBLIC SAFETY:  Crime diminishes quality of life for all Atlantans as well as visitors traveling here for conventions, tourism and business.  While violent crime may be down, property crimes are up, and many neighborhoods and businesses are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on private security.  We need investments in our public safety that are strategic, and we need new leadership to get the job done.  It is not enough to throw more money at a department without a careful measurement of results.  As a member of the Public Safety Committee, I am committed to providing our Public Safety family: police, fire, courts, and code enforcement, the right resources to make our city safer for families, students and visitors. One of the major initiatives in this year's budget is to add 100 new police officers and a task force is in the final stages of recommending a permanent Chief of Police.

Traffic AND greenspace:  Traffic is unmanageable.  We cannot handle multiple simultaneous events with our existing infrastructure.  Hours are spent in wasted commutes, not to mention the pollution that is created with choked roadways.  Gridlocking “hot spots” choke passage in and out of our neighborhoods, and we are plagued by shoddy road repairs and plates over excavations that never seem to be completed.  It is simply not safe to walk or ride a bicycle in many parts of town.  Investments in our infrastructure will continue to lag during the next twelve months.  Voters will have the opportunity in 2011 to vote on a new transportation tax that can help provide Atlanta with desperately needed resources to invest in roads and bridges.  

Maintaining and expanding the greenspace, parks and trees in our communities are needed to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.  They provide the space we need to connect with neighbors, play with our kids and engage in active lifestyles. In District 8, we are fortunate to have deep commitments from citizens, neighborhood groups and private investment to keep our parks in beautiful condition while providing many sports and leisure opportunities. I am hoping to find opportunities to add greenspace to other parts of District 8 and to building sidewalks to connect our parks to our neighborhoods.  

- Yolanda answering questions at Neighborhood Meet and Greet -

Feel free to phone me if you have any questions or if you want to talk about the challenges we face.  My home number is 404-261-4593.  My email is Yolanda@YolandaAdrean.com. 

Best regards,
Yolanda Adrean