As I read Sunday’s cover story “Georgia Often Sneers as Atlanta Struggles”, I was struck by the omission of the history of Atlanta's contributions to the state of Georgia.
It was Atlanta leaders including the mayors and the City Council who fashioned a plan and executed it that today makes Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport the world's busiest passenger airport and the economic engine of the state and neighboring states. The $20 billion economic impact of the airport contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the city's suburbs and exburbs as over 50,000 people are employed in the private businesses it fuels.
It was Atlanta leaders who wrestled with the questions of race, Jim Crow and discrimination in the 1960's giving rise to the national and then international view that the city and by association its suburbs, exurbs and the state were "safe" places to invest because this community aspired to a present and future of reconciliation and progress.
It was Atlanta leaders who joined with their neighbors, Fulton and DeKalb counties to lead the southeast region in recognizing the importance of transit and advocated for a local tax to preserve clean air, to improve job access and to connect communities some 35 years ago which was well before the state and regional leaders thought transit was essential to a healthy economy.
It was Atlanta leaders who campaigned with the Olympic Nine to bring the Centennial Olympic Games to Georgia and by doing so cemented the international image of metro Atlanta as an international megalopolis. These are just a few examples of the capital city’s leadership in the state.
Throughout our history, it was Atlanta's mayors, City Council, civic and business leaders who were less concerned about who in the state benefitted from its efforts but rather it was their visionary leadership that contributed to the health and well-being of the entire state.
What a shame Margaret Newkirk and her editors either don't know Georgia history or don’t care enough to tell the whole story.