Fresh Loaf

Clayton County officials are looking into a county staffer’s claims that Chairman Eldrin Bell made “inappropriate comments” and “inappropriately touched” her.

From the AJC:

County chief of staff Alex Cohilas said the employee filed a complaint last week that Bell “had engaged in inappropriate behavior toward her” during an employee appreciation picnic.

Bell, who’s currently serving his second term as CEO of the beleaguered county, said in a statement released this morning that he was “deeply saddened and disheartened” by the allegations. The matter’s now in the hands of the county attorney.

(File photo by Joeff Davis)

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Bell

Tonight in Clayton County, things might get a little testy.

In early December, the Clayton County Commission voted to create a “chief of staff” position and appointed Fire Chief Alex Cohilas — who is also the county’s interim community development director — to the spot, which came with a $15,000 salary increase. This, in addition to his other duties.

Chairman Eldrin Bell opposed the commission’s move, calling it an attempted usurpation of his elected powers. In January, he filed a lawsuit on the grounds that it was unlawful. If the commission wanted to add a chief of staff to the county payroll, he argued, it needed to follow the proper legal channels. That very well could mean legislation filed not in downtown Jonesboro, but the Gold Dome.

Sounds like some humdrum small-county soap opera that’s not worth your time, huh? Keep your eyes open. Things could get heated in that beleaguered little county just south of Atlanta.

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Transit Implementation Board Chairman Eldrin Bell was not about to let that agency’s inaugural meeting today turn into a boxing match between the City of Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Much to the disappointment — or relief? — of those involved, Bell didn’t allow the two sides to argue whether light-rail or heavy-rail should run along several miles of unused railroad tracks near Piedmont Park. GDOT and AMTRAK argue that the tracks are the only viable options if transit advocates want to see commuter rail and a long-planned downtown terminal. Officials for the Beltline, the planned 22-mile loop of parks, trails and transit, say there are alternatives and that commuter rail drastically alters the design that planners, neighborhoods and developers have crafted for the area.

Bell said he’s hesitant to discuss the Beltline’s future unless all the stakeholders were in the room.

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Clayton County Chairman Eldrin Bell

Clayton County commissioners approved a developer’s request to relocate 311 graves from a historic African-American cemetery next to Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport. On Dec. 16, opponents held a press conference to criticize the decision.

“I’ve seen my daddy dig many graves back there. He hand-dug those graves, so I know where they are.”

— Betty Bowden, who says she has ancestors in the cemetery, in the Dec. 18 Clayton Daily News.

“Some of these developers will put cement over their mama.”

— John Evans of Operation LEAD, an anti-discrimination group, in the Dec. 16 AJC.

“The person who wants to move these graves has met the standards of the state, as well as the board…I have invited the families to monitor [the transfer of the grave sites] as it takes place.”

— Clayton Chairman Eldrin Bell in the Dec. 18 Clayton Daily News.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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A coalition of officials from the state and metro region’s transportation planning agencies have vouched to now take the next step in addressing the issue — moving past pretty blueprints and visions and focusing on the more complex process of actually finding ways to build the mobility solutions.

The Transit Planning Board yesterday, in its final meeting under that banner, unanimously approved a “new year’s resolution” to create the Transit Implementation Board, or TIB. That agency, which will supplant the board, will examine how the region can implement Concept 3 (PDF) — a gridlock-relieving vision of light-rail, heavy-rail and bus routes that would spider throughout metro Atlanta.

The Atlanta Regional Commission, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and MARTA — members of the board — have all passed resolutions in support of Concept 3.

From a press release from the group:

“Two years ago, our region needed to focus on developing a vision for transit that we could all support,” stated TPB and Clayton County Chairman Eldrin Bell. “Today, we’re saying our focus needs to be on implementation. This year has filled me with optimism regarding what our region can accomplish when we work together Now, however, the hard part begins.”

The TIB’s first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29.

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We haven’t seen turnout figures yet for yesterday’s runoffs, but the results in most cases seemed to confirm predictions.

The Democratic Senate nominee, of course, is former Atlanta lawmaker Jim Martin, having trounced DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones 60% to 40%.

Some folks might look at this result as the triumph of funding, since Martin entered the race late, spent little time stumping across the state and instead focused his efforts on collecting enough money from PACs and other sources to wage a TV campaign. That’s all true, but Martin did have high name recognition and none of the negatives that Jones brought to the table.

Martin’s victory opens the door for an aggressive, high-dollar assault on GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss this fall. It all but ensures that top Senate Democrats will attempt to turn Georgia into one of their key battleground states.

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It’s a Tuesday night in early July in Jonesboro, and Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell is still smarting from a weekend dalliance with a pistol.

Bell’s left thumb is wrapped in a cartoon-sized bandage, a reminder of yet another newsworthy moment that made people scratch their heads over the embattled county. Bell – a 33-year police officer and ordained minister who looks and acts decades younger than his 73 years – “burned his thumb” while attempting to fire a .50-caliber handgun at a Fourth of July party at the Butts County compound of strip-club impresario Jack Galardi.

Bell sits on the dais alongside his colleagues, his collar button undone, his red tie tugged loose, his tight, dark curls mussed. Stubble sprouts from his chin and his vivid blue eyes look haggard. It’s 8:30 and Bell’s night is long from over.

Read the rest of this article here.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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A BRIDGE TOO FAR: Study shows that many Georgia bridges deemed “structurally deficient” by inspectors still go years before being repaired, often driving up the costs.

DYLAN: Popular sea turtle is released into the wild after nine years in captivity.

GINGREY DISCOVERS WATER: State Rep. Phil Gingrey took part in the Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority’s congressional cruise Monday, noting that the lake is “a real treasure” and has made him appreciate the importance of water: “After being in a level-four drought, you look at water the same way you look at gasoline.” True. The only difference is we couldn’t live without gasoline, silly.

TAKE YOUR GUNS TO TOWN: And on MARTA, to your business lunch and at the wildlife refuge, starting today. That’s still not enough for state Rep. Tim Bearden, though, who’s filing a federal lawsuit to prevent the city of Atlanta from banning guns at Hartsfield-Jackson, where he says he’ll be packing heat today when he goes to pick up his family.

NOT READY FOR MARTA: Clayton County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell injures his hand firing a gun at a strip club owner’s family outing.

JOSHES: Hawks want and need to keep them, but they won’t come cheap.

OBAMA AND THE SOUTH: In a NYT op-ed today, Thomas Schaller writes that Obama can’t win Mississippi, Georgia or North Carolina, but maybe can win Virginia and Florida.

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At a symposium organized by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce several months ago, the president of Charlotte, N.C.’s chamber said that his city, which is one-sixth the size of metro Atlanta but still a fierce competitor in attracting businesses and residents, enjoyed a distinct advantage over Georgia: Charlotte is more nimble, he said, and learns from the metro region’s mistakes.

Our more-nimble competitor last week showcased one of the perks such an advantage allows and hosted members of the Transit Planning Board, a multi-agency effort that includes some of the bigger noodles in Georgia’s transportation-planning alphabet soup — MARTA, GRTA, ARC and DOT. The centerpiece of the visit was LYNX, Charlotte’s upstart light-rail line. The project began service earlier this year, has seen ridership numbers exceed initial estimates, and was brought to life partly by a funding strategy that allowed a region to levy a local option sales tax on itself. Transit advocates in metro Atlanta hope a similar version currently navigating its way through the General Assembly will jumpstart the region’s lackluster and antiquated transportation situation. The resolution passed the House last week and now awaits tinkering in a conference committee.

The TPB recently unveiled Concept 3, its own multi-year vision for metro Atlanta’s transportation future which also includes light-rail. To view the agency’s plan, click here. Below are upcoming public meetings about the plan:

• April 1, 2008 — Cobb Central Library 266 Roswell Street, Marietta, GA from 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM

• April 17, 2008 — Education Room, Southern Regional Hospital, 11 Upper Riverdale, Road SW, Riverdale, GA from 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM

• April 19, 2008 — Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA starting at 10:00 AM

• April 29, 2008 — Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, 235 Andrew Young International Boulevard, Atlanta, GA from 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM

TPB Chairman Eldrin Bell and MARTA General Manager Bev Scott, who both attended the Charlotte visit, found out about the House’s vote on Friday via BlackBerry. After the jump, view how they reacted to the news.

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