News & Views FROM THE MAYOR Mayor Rochelle Robinson I attended the Georgia Municipal Associa- tion (GMA) annual convention in Savannah June 24 through June 28. While I first attended GMA meetings as a City of Douglasville councilwoman over ten years ago, this was my first appearance as mayor. I connected with mayors and officials from all over the state, some with whom I hope to estab- lish a closer working relationship. The theme for this year’s conference was “Cities in Play.” TRAINING. GMA provides training to city officials and staff on a variety of topics, so City Councilmen Mark Adams, Sam Davis, Mike Mill- er, Richard Segal, Chris Watts, Mayor Pro Tem Larry Yockey, City Manager Marcia Hampton, Clerk Vicki Acker, Assistant Clerk Sharon Keith, my Special Assistant Helen McCoy and I took classes which focused on different aspects of city government. Currently, our elected officials have accumu- lated 630 total training hours, more than officials of some other cities in GMA’s District 3, including the cities of Decatur, Doraville and Duluth. Here is a breakdown of our training hours: Councilman Adams, 84; Councilwoman LaShun Burr Danley, 102; Councilman Davis, 144; Councilman Miller, 60; myself, 135; Councilman Segal, 6; Councilman Watts, 12; and Mayor Pro Tem Yockey, 87. Good job, Team Douglasville! One class I took was entitled, “Money, Money, Money … Money! Funding City Projects and Pro- grams through Grants and Loans.” Many cities are increasingly seeking grant and low-interest loan opportunities to fund capital improvement and operational needs. This course detailed some of the federal, state and foundation funding sourc- es available to municipalities and advised how to write strong grant applications. The City of Doug- lasville already utilizes grants to fund some public safety and downtown development needs to offset the revenues it receives from taxes and user fees. I also participated in a mobile workshop which toured the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and gave insight on the importance and necessity of the City of Savannah and SCAD to maintain a strong relationship. I was excited to see the mutual respect for the arts and look for- ward to seeing how we can further embrace the arts community here. The possibility of creating an arts district in the City of Douglasville is quite appealing. APPOINTMENTS. Prior to the convention, I was honored to be appointed as an At-Large rep- resentative to the Municipal Training Board by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government in conjunction with GMA. This board provides essential guidance and leadership to both organizations and my first meeting was held on June 26 in Savannah. City Manager Hampton was appointed to the Georgia Municipal Employees Benefits System (GMEBS) board. At the convention, she was also the moderator of a class entitled, “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: What Cities Really Need to Attract New Business.” IN THE BIG LEAGUES. The City of Doug- lasville is one of only 31 cities in the state with a population over 30,000, according to Al Out- land, director of strategic initiatives for GMA. I was surprised to learn that, although I met may- ors from cities with fewer than 5,000 residents at the convention. We share the honors with the cities of Albany, Alpharetta, Athens, Atlanta, Au- gusta, Columbus, Dalton, Dunwoody, East Point, Gainesville, Hinesville, Johns Creek, Kennesaw, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Mableton, Macon, Mar- ietta, Martinez, Milton, Newnan, Peachtree City, Rome, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Savannah, Smyr- na, Statesboro, Valdosta and Warner Robins. WHO WORKS FOR THE CITY? Each month, I would like to introduce you to a City employee. This month, Community and Development Ser- vices Director Jonathan Lynn is in the spotlight. In this position since May 2015, Jonathan man- ages the department that provides services to the City, including building inspections and per- mits, community development, planning, zoning, downtown development, the Main Street pro- gram, tourism, the Welcome Center/Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Douglasville Confer- ence Center. His department is responsible for many proj- ects and initiatives, such as the Highway 92 relo- Community & Development Services Director Jonathan Lynn cation project, sponsoring the Wednesday Wind Down concert series, assisting the newly-com- bined City-County Development Authority in attracting beneficial industry to the Douglasville area, updating ordinances to protect residents and businesses located in the City, working with developers to ensure building safety and show- casing the City’s charm and attributes in order to attract visitors In the course of a career that began in 2004, Jonathan has worked as the Community Improve- ment Director in Waycross and Zoning Manager in Tybee Island. He aspires to become a city or county manager and is currently a member of several professional organizations: International City/County Managers Association (ICMA); the American Planning Association (APA); Georgia Planning Association (GPA); and Georgia Associ- ation of Zoning Administrators (GAZA). Jonathan has been accepted into the 2017 Leadership Douglas Class and is one of only ap- proximately 25 individuals throughout the state who was selected to participate in the two-year Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) through ICMA, which he is scheduled to complete in spring 2018. Jonathan was born and grew up in Macon. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political sci- ence and a Master of Public Administration de- gree from Georgia Southern University. In his personal life, Jonathan is a devoted fam- ily man who enjoys spending time with Julie, his wife of almost five years, and two “wonderful AND exhausting kids,” Caroline, 3, and Layton, 1. 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