During last year’s competitive city election cycle, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition hosted campaign events that ranged from our interactive and engaging Rolling Town Hall and Atlanta Streets Alive Candidate Row to our formal and insightful Atlanta on the Move Mayoral Forum. Many of the candidates who participated in our events were elected to represent you in City Hall, including Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (Mayoral Forum) and Council President Felicia Moore (Atlanta Streets Alive - Westside), as well as 9 Atlanta City Councilmembers.

As much as we want to have ASA every day and weekly Rolling Town Halls with elected officials, we know that the long, uphill work of advocacy depends on you showing up - at community meetings, neighborhood associations, and, of course, City Hall. That’s why we continue to develop the positive relationships we’ve built over the last 26 years and during the city election campaign to amplify your voice.

The City Election Platform is central to our outreach and preliminary meetings with council. Each meeting with elected officials begins with our top policy agenda items: Vision Zero and the creation of an Atlanta Department of Transportation/Mobility, two issues that received the support of Mayor Bottoms during the campaign.

Since the General Election last November, ABC staff have met with Mayor Bottoms, Council President Felicia Moore, and nearly half of City Council:

• District 2 - Amir R. Farokhi
• District 3 - Ivory Lee Young, Jr.
• District 5 - Natalyn Mosby Archibong
• District 6 - Jennifer N. Ide
• District 8 - J.P. Matzigkeit
• District 9 - Dustin R. Hillis
• District 11 - Marci Overstreet
• Post 2 - Matt Westmoreland
• Post 3 - Andre Dickens

Calendared

• District 1 - Carla Smith
• District 10 - Andrea L. Boone
• Post 1 - Michael Julian Bond

Pending

• District 4 - Cleta Winslow
• District 7 - Howard Shook
• District 12 - Joyce Sheperd
  

(Under the Gold Dome, Executive Director Rebecca Serna met with Rep. Kevin Tanner (R - Dawsonville), Chair of the House Commission on Transit Governance & Funding (HR 848), to request that any new transit funding include first and last mile connectivity.)

(Photo by Joe Stewardson, Saporta Report)

In addition to showing up, our advocacy work depends on informing you about projects, public meetings, and plans that make Atlanta an equitable, safe, and appealing place for biking. One of the ways we hope to do this in 2018 is through the Community Advocacy Toolkit, an online resource that will help you easily follow major bicycle projects in your City Council district, find your Councilmember, NPU, or neighborhood organization, and take action!

Through the Community Advocacy Toolkit, you will be able to sign-up for updates, which we will use to send out targeted advocacy alerts and important information about projects in your district. After the first year, we hope to have a majority of our members in the City of Atlanta signed up and receiving direct communication tailored to their districts.  

As you can tell, we have a lot of work to do this year and we can’t do it without you - or your input!

Not a member? Join right now and make Atlanta better by bike!