Yesterday Mayor Shirley Franklin joined Atlanta City Council president, Lisa Borders, the City’s law department and the Board of Ethics and Internal Auditor’s Office – both independent entities – to announce a new hotline number for employees and the general public to anonymously report illegal activity by City employees.
“We are setting a new standard for Atlanta,” said Mayor Franklin. “We are proud to build a reputation that says that “integrity” is not just a word, but that unethical behavior will be responded to with action.”
The Integrity Line is a critical component of the City’s Integrity Matters education program and supports the City’s tenet to maintain an open and honest government. In 2002, then Mayor-elect Franklin commissioned a task force to address ethics in City of Atlanta government. The task force recommended the City amend its ethics law, create a hotline and hire new staff. The hotline will be managed by the Ethics Office, Internal Auditor’s Office and the City’s law department.
The Board of Ethics will meet with all City departments to educate employees about the expanded ethics program. Integrity Matters information, including wallet cards, will be available in common work areas throughout the City. The general public is encouraged to visit "Integrity Matters" webpage to learn more about the program or view this week’s Video on Demand (VOD) featured story.
Help Select the Atlanta Reads Book: Voting Begins April 21
Beginning Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 30, residents can cast their vote for the first book selection in “Atlanta Reads: One Book, One Community,” the City of Atlanta’s city-wide literacy program.
Mayor Shirley Franklin enthusiastically announced “Atlanta Reads: One Book, One Community” at the inaugural State of the City business address, currently on Video On Demand. “Atlanta Reads” promotes increased literacy among residents by encouraging the common reading of one book city-wide.
Voting locations will be at Atlanta Borders and Waldenbooks stores and the Atlanta-Fulton libraries. On May 9, Mayor Franklin will announce the book selection. All Atlanta Public Schools (APS) rising seniors and senior residents who participate in City Office of Recreation programs will receive a complimentary copy of the selected book. APS will include the book in its curriculum for the 2006-07 school year. In September, the book’s author will host a series of events in Atlanta, including a town-hall book club meeting.
The book choices are: Jimmy Carter’s “An Hour Before Daylight”; Pearl Cleage’s “I Wish I Had a Red Dress”; Ernest Gaines’ “A Lesson Before Dying”; Tony Kushner’s “Caroline or Change”; Ferol Sam’s “Run With the Horseman”; and Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.” The reading period is scheduled from June through August, with special programming during the summer. Programs will include “ATL Reads Week,” and “Senior-to-Senior,” a cross-generational event for the program’s two target audiences – APS rising seniors and senior residents.
Voting for the first book selection in the city-wide literacy program, Atlanta Reads: One Book, One Community begins April 21 – April 30. |
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Bureau of Buildings Hosts Quarterly Developer’s Day
The City of Atlanta Departments of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) and Watershed Management (DWM) partner with the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) to host “Developer’s Day” on Tuesday, April 25 from 7:30 – 9 a.m. at the 191 Club in downtown Atlanta.
Developer’s Day workshops provide an opportunity for the development and real estate community to hear first-hand about progress in the City’s development processes and trends. During breakout sessions, attendees can learn more about permitting, Urban Enterprise Zones, Renewal Community Credits, Brownfield Credits and Grants, Historic Preservation and Impact Fee Exemptions. Information on the City and ADA’s affordable housing programs will also be presented.
ADA president, and Developer’s Day keynote speaker, Greg Giornelli will discuss the impact of high profile developments in Atlanta, specifically the BeltLine, South Atlanta and Fort McPherson areas.
“It’s all about job growth, improving the quality of life for our residents and making Atlanta a vibrant and exciting place to be,” said Giornelli. “By adding residential units with a wide range of price points it gives residents more choices for where they want to live. The City of Atlanta and ADA are committed to creating 2,000 affordable workforce housing units annually.”
Registration for this event is now closed. If you wish to put your name on a waiting list, please contact bshaw@atlantaga.gov.
SAVE THE DATE: Upcoming Developer’s Day workshops will be on July 25 and October 24.
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Local Artists Needed for Atlanta Jazz Festival
The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) is seeking emerging artists to show and sell their work during the 2006 Atlanta Jazz Festival, to be held at Piedmont Park from May 27 – 29.
OCA needs 48 local artists to show and sell their work over the course of the three-day festival. Selected artists will be provided a 10 x 10 display area during one of the festival dates at no cost to them. Atlanta Jazz Festival exhibition hours are from noon – 11 p.m. nightly.
Artists must meet all of the following requirements to participate:
- Must live within the City of Atlanta limits.
- Must be working as a professional artist for five years or less and may not be represented by a gallery.
- All works of art must be originals. NO REPRODUCTIONS OR COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED PRINTS WILL BE ALLOWED.
The OCA is accepting entries now through May 1. For more information, contact Ernesto Cuevas, Jr. at 404.817.6815.
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This week, the City of Atlanta launched a new ethics hotline number that allows employees and the general public to report misconduct by City employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Integrity Line is an integral part of the City’s Integrity Matters program and reflects the City’s commitment to maintaining an open and honest government. Click here to watch this video.
This is just one of the many videos that you can view on the new Video On Demand (VOD) page. Video clips include most programming you see on City Channel 26, like news conferences, groundbreakings and other events, as well as special programs that profile City departments and service.
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Rave Reviews!
- While working at her part-time security job at Turner Field, Vonita Chambliss, an employee in the City Department of Public Works (DPW), returned a lost wallet containing $5,000 in cash to a frantic couple who were visiting Atlanta. During the Atlanta Braves season opener, Chambliss was approached by a woman who found a wallet lying on the ground. Chambliss looked inside for identification, and saw the money as well as credit cards, hotel room keys and personal information. A couple later reported a lost wallet, and after verifying the man’s identity against the identification inside the wallet, Chambliss returned the wallet to the ecstatic couple. “They were so happy, they both started hugging and kissing me,” Chambliss said. “They told me, ‘you are an angel and we will always remember the good people in Atlanta."
While working at her part-time job as a security guard at Turner Field, Vonita Chambliss, an employee in the City Department of Public Works, returned a lost wallet containing $5,000 to a couple who were visiting Atlanta. |
- The Atlanta Commission on Women (ACOW), which recently partnered with the City to host the annual “Women Doing Business in the City of Atlanta 2006” conference, received a proclamation from the Atlanta City Council for its work empowering women. City of Atlanta departments, including Procurement, Law, Aviation and Watershed Management, conducted workshops at the ACOW conference. Aviation and Watershed Management discussed upcoming project opportunities at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) and throughout Atlanta as part of the water and sewer overhaul, respectively. Lynnette Young, City of Atlanta Chief Operating Officer, was the keynote speaker at the conference luncheon.
City of Atlanta Chief Procurement Officer Adam Smith, Esq. (center) receives the Golden Angel Award from the Atlanta Commission on Women (ACOW) chair Vernell Mosley (left) and Susana Chavez, event co-chair (right) during ACOW’s “Women Doing Business in the City of Atlanta 2006” conference and luncheon.
City of Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Lynnette Young delivers the keynote address at the ACOW conference luncheon. |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- In Atlanta, every day is an opening day at … Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Niki in the Garden, on view from Saturday, April 29 – October 31. This exhibition features Niki de Saint Phalle's imaginative artwork including enormous animals, mythical figures, totems, sports heroes and, most famously, her Nanas - oversized, often dancing, powerful women celebrating life. For more information, call 404.876.5859 or visit www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
- The Office of Cultural Affairs will host the 2006 Youth Jazz Band Competition on Saturday, April 22 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Georgia State University Recital Hall. The top three bands will perform on the main stage at the 2006 Atlanta Jazz Festival. For more information, call 404.817.6815.
- On Saturday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m. the City of Atlanta Bitsy Grant Tennis Center will host a public celebration to announce the reopening its recently renovated tennis courts. The celebration will include free tennis clinics, refreshments and prizes. For more information about City of Atlanta tennis centers, call 404.817.6766.
- The City of Atlanta will host Electronic Waste Recycling Day 2006 on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Turner Field (orange lot). E-Waste Recycling Day is sponsored by City Councilmember Carla Smith (District 1), the City Department of Public Works (DPW), Advanced Disposal, Dream Sanitation, Atlanta Recycling Solutions, LLC., Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Turner Field, and Best Buy. Accepted items include computers, cell phones, stereos, televisions and other electronic items that plug in. For more information, visit City Council's page.
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Job Announcments
Each week, we will feature details of a position from the current City of Atlanta job vacancy list.
Featured Position: Equipment Operator Principal
Persons applying must have a high school diploma or GED, and have three years of experience in the operation of medium and heavy construction equipment; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this job.
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Weekly Features
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