Viewpoints
Displaying Items 106-120 (of 126)
June 13, 2017
Jamil Zainaldin, President, Georgia Humanities
We at Georgia Humanities, one of 56 affiliates of the NEH, believe there is no better way to nurture democracy, seek wisdom and inspire vision than through the humanities— such disciplines as history, literature, philosophy and ethics that help us understand ourselves, others and the responsibilities we have to each other and to our society.
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June 13, 2017
By Karen L. Paty, Executive Director, Georgia Council for the Arts
No matter where you call home, visioning the future of a given place through the arts makes good sense. Last summer, American’s for the Arts conducted a study, which found that 87 percent of the population believes the arts are important to quality of life, and 82 percent believe that the arts are important to local businesses and the economy.
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June 13, 2017
Dallas Mayor Boyd Austin, GMA President
In the movie “The Rookie,” 35-year-old pitcher Jim Morris is in the minor leagues. Missing his family, making little money and with little confidence he’ll get to the major leagues, Jim considers quitting. Reminded of his love of baseball after watching a little league game, he says with newfound enthusiasm to his best friend on the team, “You know what we get to do today? We get to play baseball.”
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May 16, 2017
By Dan Popovic, Co-Founder, cMEcompete
Do you know how well your community stacks up against others? Do you know if community health positively or negatively impacts your local economy? If you know the answers, what kind of plan do you have in place, how are you implementing and tracking the metrics?
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May 15, 2017
By Lamar Norton, GMA Executive Director
Each day we come to work and assume that at the end of the day all things will be fine and ready for the next day. Occasionally, though, something out of the ordinary will occur and we are thrown into a cycle of emergency or confusion! A fire, an unexpected weather event or human error that shuts down the operation for a period of time are just a few of the situations that can occur and throw a city into crisis. When this happens we all hope that the preparation and planning are successful and we can continue business as usual.
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May 9, 2017
By Sen. Renee Unterman
With the Georgia 911 Medical Amnesty Law in effect, the prevalence of first responders carrying naloxone varies depending on the funding available to purchase the naloxone kits in cities and counties in Georgia. Funding solutions should be explored by our counties and municipalities to ensure Naloxone is available to first responders and can be replenished after the kit passes an expiration date or is used in the field.
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April 19, 2017
Tommy Lowmon, Communications & Training Coordinator, Georgia Department of Community Affairs
What was once a one sided press release or publication, from which citizens received information about things happening in their communities after the plan was in motion, is now becoming more of a conversation to which people have the opportunity to add valuable input. This “exchange of information” is a necessary component of the communication process.
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April 10, 2017
By Erika Conleay, Director of Place, NewTown Macon
Coworking space provides a professional environment with low operating costs for startups and a lower commitment than opening a traditional storefront. Another large benefit of working in a shared space is the natural networking and collaboration opportunities that happen when multiple businesses and startups work side-by-side.
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April 10, 2017
Dallas Mayor Boyd Austin, GMA President
The annual festival season begins in earnest with the advent of spring. These local celebrations laud the unique character, products, natural resources and traditions of our individual cities. Later this month, many of our cities will be celebrating Georgia Cities Week, one of GMA’s popular initiatives. “Georgia Cities: In the Mix” is this year’s theme and will be celebrated April 23-29.
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April 5, 2017
Stephanie S. Aylworth, Economic Development Director, City of Powder Springs
Decentralization of civic buildings is not considered a best practice for downtown revitalization. The effects are damaging if not severe to a town or city’s downtown economy.
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March 10, 2017
Paul Hill, Founder, Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington Bothel
President Donald Trump’s voters in rural areas and small towns made a point: they were left behind while a lot of the country made economic progress, and they want that to change.
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March 8, 2017
Lamar Norton, GMA Executive Director
With the Legislature in session it seems we spend a lot of time defending “local control” and fighting “unfunded mandates.” Each year we get a different set of rules that limit our ability to deliver services expected by the taxpayers while doing so with less revenue.
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February 10, 2017
Clarence Anthony, Executive Director and CEO, National League of Cities
In the nation’s capital, the remarkable success of the Republican Party in the 2016 election contradicted expectations and changed the way many in Washington understand campaigns and the electorate.
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January 27, 2017
Michael McPherson, GMA Government Relations Associate
In Georgia, brewers are currently at a competitive disadvantage because they are not allowed to sell to the general public at their production site or associated venue. Georgia’s “three tier system” requirements do not allow for sales on site, while all of the states surrounding Georgia have done away with this specific limitation.
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January 11, 2017
Governor Nathan Deal
Text of Gov. Nathan Deal's State of the State address delivered on January 11, 2017.
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Displaying Items 106-120 (of 126)