On April 19^th Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis kicked off the 2007 City Hall Walkers Club.  The program is designed to encourage Atlanta City Employees to spend at least 30 minutes a day participating in physical activity.  At its kickoff, walkers were given tips on proper attire for warm weather, information on downtown walking paths and tips on the benefits that come from adding fitness into a lifestyle.

After completing the 1.5 mile walk, Willis Walker Club participants received gift bags filled with items donated by Councilman H. Lamar Willis.

The walkers meet together bi-weekly, but walk in smaller groups everyday.  To date the Walkers Club has explored 4 challenging paths in the downtown area.  The program will continue throughout the month of June and culminate with special recognition of those who have participated.

Below are a few of the benefits that can be achieved with membership in the City Hall Walkers Club:

• Increased Metabolism
• Reduced Cholesterol
• Improved Blood Circulation
• Improved Cardiovascular Fitness
• Reduced Risk for Heart Attack
• Lowered Blood Pressure
• Reduced Risk for Diabetes
• Reduced Atherosclerosis
• Increased Energy

For details on when the next Walkers Club activity will take place please call the Office of Councilman H. Lamar Willis at 404-330-6041.

This year Mayor Shirley Franklin proposed a $645.3 million budget; on Monday, June 4, 2007, the Atlanta City Council sat down to make their final decisions on this FY08 Budget.  

At the council meeting, the members agreed to distribute funds in an efficient manner that calls for the greater improvement of our city as well as fair compensation for all its employees. The city’s continuing strides to improve the safety of citizens resulted in the allocation of funds to provide for more and better paid police officers and firefighters. The Atlanta Fire and Rescue department received the most dramatic increase toward overall maintenance and improvements. Also the advent of 18 new firefighting positions created in this budget have increased the staffing level necessary to place four firefighters on each fire engine – a goal the city has been striving toward for years.

Councilman H. Lamar Willis’s ordinance to fund a Citizen Review Board, an independent board with the power to investigate and subpoena allegations of police misconduct, was successfully passed. Other improvements within this budget allow for increased street maintenance and technology for field crews; new year-round Trash Trooper positions to help keep the city’s streets clean; continued advancement toward improved park maintenance and security; and finally enhanced funding for the materials, tools and parts for maintenance and improvements in our city’s transportation infrastructure.

In order to increase spending for these much needed agendas, spending had to be cut in other areas. The Department of Corrections suffered cuts in an effort to steer away from reactive incarceration and shift more towards proactive crime prevention, thereby allowing the creation of fifty (50) police officer positions and four (4) new civilian police support positions.

The city is safer, greener, cleaner, more responsive, and more fiscally responsible. This budget exhibits not only the investment City Council has promised towards better community relations, but towards a better future for the city of Atlanta at large.

For more information regarded the FY08 Budget, please visit www.atlantaga.gov.

To view the budget hearings as they happened click here: http://apps.atlantaga.gov/citycouncil/videos/fc060407.swf

If you would like to attend this event or wish to volunteer for this or future events please contact 404-330-6041.

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Sponsored by Councilman H. Lamar Willis, Councilman C.T. Martin and Councilwoman Mary Norwood

On Saturday, May 19, 2007, Councilman Willis along with Councilmembers Martin and Norwood hosted an Ecumenical Breakfast at Saint Peter’s Church in the Adamsville neighborhood. The goal of the breakfast was to engage the community in an open and serious discussion with elected governmental officials regarding current concerns of Atlanta’s citizens and to brainstorm ideas for resolution of the discussed issues.

Councilman Willis noted the importance of community and government working together. At the forefront of the discussion was the citizen’s concern regarding the rise in youth crime. Recommendations were made to identify areas of conflict, prioritize challenges, establish groups to meet needs and finally to measure results. Additional discussion was geared towards the citizen’s responsibility to monitor the community and assist police.

Please enjoy breakfast and an open discussion regarding issues concerning your community at the next Ecumenical Breakfast that will be held this coming July. For more information regarding this event, please call the Office of Councilman H. Lamar Willis at (404) 330-6041.

This year on May 26^th of Memorial Day weekend, the 19^th Annual Caribbean Festival was held in our Atlanta.  Councilman H. Lamar Willis joined the Atlanta Caribbean parade and festival this year as a Grand Marshall along with Councilwoman Joyce M. Shepard of District 12.  This year the parade started at the corner of Ridge Avenue & Pryor Street commencing at the Hifi Buys Amphitheatre at 2002 Lakewood way for the remainder of the festival.  The Councilman’s family and staff also joined in on the festivities.

Hundreds of brilliantly costumed masqueraders and a dozen trucks carrying live soca, calypso, reggae and salsa artists jammed the 3 mile long parade route all day, to the delight of hundreds of onlookers.  Other keynote events included small outdoor concerts of Caribbean music, dance, food and merchants selling elaborate fare representing many of the groups present.

The parade was created as a community heritage project for Atlanta Caribbean community; the festival has grown over the years and hopes to have continued success in the years to come.  The celebration was attended by children, adults and our senior community.

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Atlanta has kicked off this year's summer season with numerous exciting events.  Already we have enjoyed the annual Caribbean Festival on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at the Lakewood Fairgrounds.  The festival was a great opportunity to listen to the soulful sounds of Caribbean music and to enjoy tasteful food from the islands.  The 30th Annual Jazz Festival was held from Saturday, May 26, 2007 until Tuesday, May 29, 2007.  The performances proved to be a treat.

If you missed the Caribbean or Jazz Festivals, you still have a chance to enjoy Atlanta's offerings.  The following is a brief listing of what is to come:

Coca Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fabulous Fox Theatre
June 3, 2007 - August 27, 2007

12th Annual Wheelbarrows Summer Theatre Festival
June 16, 2007

SunTrust Concerts in the Garden at Atlanta Botanical Garden
June 15, 2007 until August 3, 2007

AVP Cross Pro-Beach Volleyball Tour
June 8, 2007 until June 10, 2007

Summer Safari Day Camp at Zoo Atlanta
May 29, 2007 until August 10, 2007

For more information regarding the events occurring in Atlanta this summer, please visit www.atlantaplanit.com.

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Shermaine Perry, Summer Intern

What is success? In my opinion success is the finished product of the careful stacking of building blocks.  The building blocks of success include education, hands-on experience, family, ambition, and knowledge of your desired line of work.  Hands-on experience is an integral and important part of this arrangement.  These blocks are primarily responsible for the continued or lack of desire a person has for his or her chosen field, as it provides access to that realm. 

The Councilman H. Lamar Willis and the Atlanta City Council seek to provide a stable bridge between academic education and the workforce.  The council affords current students with an opportunity to work alongside councilmembers; students are able to “get their feet wet” and overcome their anxiety about a profession in government. Interns are allowed to venture into all aspects of what the council sets out to achieve - they serve in every aspect, and are involved in all activities alongside the greater community. 

For me the office of Councilman H. Lamar Willis is a professional, fast paced environment that welcomes interns, and volunteers alike, with open arms.  Students in this office are charged with attending legislative committee meetings, formatting routine forms, reports, correspondence, and notices.  There are also smaller tasks that include but are not limited to, sorting and prioritizing incoming mail, answering telephones, and maintaining files, and records.  These tasks pale in comparison to the exciting events that are held outside of the office - broadening our concepts of self reliance and responsibility. 

All of these are exciting, demanding, and present a sense of achievement. 

In my opinion the great responsibility given to the interns in the office of Councilman H. Lamar Willis contributes to their desire for careers in the field of political science.  Each councilmember is required to search beyond personal interests in order to benefit the community as a whole.  Just as Councilman H. Lamar Willis seeks to “better Atlanta,” he encourages his interns to serve the community both in and outside the office setting.  To whom much is given much is required.  Councilman Willis continues to progress in the movement to reclaim our community and transform politics, by encouraging his interns to join him in this endeavor. 

For details on how to take part in this exciting experience please call the Office of Councilman H. Lamar Willis at 404-330-6041.

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