Your January 2021
Legislative
&
Community Update!

Don't Forget Senator Rhett
District 33





What's Happening
in
District 33!
The Georgia General Assembly will begin a new session Monday, January 11, 2021

If you have any suggestions for legislation, please give us a call!
Jon Ossoff & Raphael Warnock

U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, Democratic challengers who represented the diversity of their party’s evolving coalition, defeated Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler two months after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since 1992.

Warnock, who served as pastor for the same Atlanta church where civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, becomes the first African American from Georgia elected to the Senate. Ossoff becomes the state’s first Jewish senator and, at 33 years old, the Senate’s youngest member
Madam Chair Cobb County Commission
MDJ News
MARIETTA — A parade of elected officials and community leaders sang the praises of Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who took her oath of office after a two and a half hour ceremony at the Cobb Civic Center on Thursday.

Cupid unseated incumbent Mike Boyce, a Republican, in November. She is the first woman and first African American to chair the Cobb Board of Commissioners in county history. She is also the first Democrat to lead the county since the 1980s.

Her victory was part of a larger blue wave in Cobb that saw Democrats sweep every countywide office on the ballot and flip the commission, whose five members are all women — another first


South Cobb mayors are looking forward to 2021
By Aleks Gilbert agilbert@mdjonline.com

With a coronavirus vaccine on the horizon, a renewed penny sales tax and big plans for their downtowns, Mayors Al Thurman and Ollie Clemons, of Powder Springs and Austell, respectively, struck a hopeful note at a “State of South Cobb” address Friday.

Speaking before the South Cobb Area Council, an arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the mayors’ year-in-review was dominated by the pandemic and their response to it, such as the closure of their city halls and the use of CARES Act money provided by the county.

“As of Jan. 1, you know, the future looked bright,” Thurman said. “And all of a sudden in March our situation changed.

Despite the pandemic, both mayors expressed optimism about their cities’ prospects.
Clemons said there is “significant family and town house interest” among developers, adding that there are more than 200 “rooftops in the pipeline.”
In Powder Springs, officials hope the opening of the new Thurman Springs Park downtown will catalyze development, Thurman said.

The city is also in the process of “validating” $10 million in bonds, he continued, a third of which could go to the city’s downtown development authority for the purchase of potential residential and commercial development. The remainder would be used for a new “city hall complex” downtown, Thurman said.

Both mayors were also excited county voters approved a new special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST. The six-year tax will take effect at the beginning of 2022 after the current SPLOST expires.

Austell is expected to collect almost $10 million from the SPLOST over six years. That money will fund, among other things, a new recreation center and a multi-use trail connecting the city to the Silver Comet Trail.

A $1.2 million skate park is among the Powder Springs projects to be funded by the upcoming SPLOST, Thurman said. Powder Springs is expected to collect more than $14 million over six years from the tax. Both cities would also use much of the money to fund infrastructure and public safety improvements.

“To say that 2020 was ‘unprecedented’ would be an understatement,” Clemons said. “2021 — just saying it in an inspiration.


Senator "Doc" Rhett
&
Team Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Second Meeting
Listen Below!
Oprah Winfrey Grant!

We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association has been awarded a grant from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation (OWFC). Founded in 1993, the OWFC supports those in need, including children, families and communities throughout the United States and around the world.

Monica DeLancy, Founder and Director of We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association, is ecstatic. Over the years, she has worked tirelessly to combat the epidemic of housing instability and evictions faced by families in the Cobb County Six Flags area. She believes that the ongoing pandemic has exacerbated this crisis and is extremely grateful for the opportunity to provide immediate and much needed rental assistance to local families.

The OWFC grant will be dispersed in partnership with local non-profit, Sting Inc. Executive Director, Geneva Vanderhorst, states that “Empowering our next generation is difficult when families are faced with high rents and minimal assistance. We are pleased that the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation is supporting families in Cobb County during this challenging time. This endeavor will have a positive and lasting impact on our local youth and their future success.”

Monica Delancy & Geneva Vanderhorst


Vaccination center to open at Jim R. Miller Park

Cobb and Douglas Public Health will convert the Jim R Miller Park facility to a drive-through COVID vaccination center.
  • APPOINTMENTS NECESSARY
  • Healthcare workers, first responders among the first group
  • People over 65 can apply for an appointment Monday, Jan. 11.

The health department will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents in Phase 1A on Thursday, Jan. 7 at Jim R. Miller Park instead of the current site at the Marietta Public Health Center. Phase 1A includes healthcare personnel working on the front lines of the pandemic.

A vaccination appointment system has been created exclusively for Phase 1A participants and they will receive an email from CDPH on how to register after they complete the enrollment form. Participants in Group 1A will be asked for proof of healthcare personnel status and priority will be given to Cobb and Douglas County residents.

Beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 12, CDPH will begin vaccinating residents in Phase 1A+. This phase includes public safety professionals and individuals age 65 years and older. An appointment system for people in Phase 1A+ will be available on the CDPH website beginning on Monday, January 11.
Jim R. Miller Park has served as a full time COVID-19 testing site since April 2020 and will now serve as a full time COVID-19 vaccination site. CDPH will continue to offer COVID-19 testing at satellite locations throughout Cobb and Douglas Counties. Testing registration may still be found on our website at www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org.

Points to Remember: CDPH will administer vaccines by appointment only. Participants will be asked to remain on-site for 15 minutes for post-vaccination observation. No walk-up appointments are available - participants must remain in their vehicle to receive the vaccine and be accessible to clinical staff providing the shot. Residents are also reminded that many healthcare providers, in addition to public health, are gearing up to provide this service across the county next week.
Renew vehicle tags early; services will be unavailable for a week
The Cobb Tax Commissioner's Office is partnering with Georgia Department of Revenue staff to upgrade the motor vehicle system for title and tag registration services. Due to this upgrade, all tag offices across Georgia will be unable to process vehicle transactions. Beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan 12, NO in-person, online or kiosk services will be available. Services will resume at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19. For more information, visit cobbtax.org.
Fare collections to restart on Monday

CobbLinc staff will resume front-door boarding and fare collection on Monday, Jan. 11. Fares were suspended and boarding protocol was changed in April to minimize the spread of COVID-19. CobbLinc is the last of the metro Atlanta transit agencies to resume charging fares.
 
Cobb buses now have partitions between the drivers and fare boxes. Passengers are asked to continue COVID-safety guidelines by washing their hands, wearing masks and watching their distance while on the bus.
 

CobbLinc bus fares can be paid using:
  • CobbLinc tickets and passes
  • Breeze card
  • Exact cash (fareboxes accept paper bills and coins but cannot make change)
Group helps keep community clean

On Saturday, We Thrive On Riverside volunteers removed 40 bags of litter and lots of debris from their adopted Blairs Bridge Road and neighboring Riverside Parkway. Afterwards, they celebrated with a meal from a local restaurant. 

Participants had fun while enjoying the wonderful weather. If you are interested in the Adopt-A-Mile program, please contact Dawn at keepcobbbeautiful@cobbcounty.org. She will provide you with everything that you need to keep your mile clean.
Serving Community & Country!
Senator "Doc" Rhett

Georgia State Senator District 33

Master Sergeant Michael "Doc" Rhett
Retired
U. S. Air Force Reserves

Retired Educator

Doctorate Degree: University of Georgia (UGA)

American Legion Post 296 Marietta, Georgia

Officer/Trustee Turner Chapel AME Church Marietta, GA