Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration recently appointed Leigh Phillips as the department’s new director. She has more than 20 years of experience in elections administration, with extensive leadership at both the state and county levels. Most recently, she served as director of Elections and Voter Registration in Henry County.
“I strongly believe in building public trust through accountability, accessibility, and clear communication,” Phillips said. “My goal is to make the voting process secure, efficient, and understandable for every eligible voter, while supporting the staff who carry out this important task.”
Prior to her work in Henry County, she served in multiple roles with the Georgia Secretary of State. She supported election operations statewide and worked closely with county election offices to ensure compliance with Georgia law and the effective administration of elections.
Phillips began her career in elections as a registrar with Fayette County Elections, where she developed expertise in voter registration and public service. As director, Phillips will oversee the administration of all elections and voter registration activities for Cobb County’s nearly 600,000 registered voters.
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Cobb PARKS officials met this week with board members of the Sandy Plains Softball Association concerned about the proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park and presented a new relocation proposal.
The Save Shaw Park Softball Facebook group posted an aerial shot of what was discussed (above), noting that all five existing softball fields will be retained.
Softball parents publicly expressed opposition to a proposal that called for nearly doubling the pickleball courts at Shaw Park from nine to 19, saying softball fields would be reduced.
County officials and Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said that wasn’t the case, but they put the project on hold in March to hold further discussions.
“Field 1 will be relocated behind Field 3 and will feature a 125-foot layout with a full turf surface,” parent Ryan Hicks reported to the Save Shaw Park group on Wednesday.
“In addition, Field 5 will be upgraded with a turf infield.”
Birrell was in attendance at the meeting this week and told East Cobb News Thursday that the new proposal is just that—a draft—and that “there are other things to finalize before we can get the final site plan bridging documents and go out to bid.”
She said that there are no changes proposed for the pickleball courts beyond the initial expansion plans.
“We are pleased and excited that any and all issues were resolved and look forward to this project being completed,” said Birrell, who has come under political fire from softball parents.
She’s a four-term incumbent from District 3 in East Cobb and is facing first-time candidate Chris Wasserman in the May 19 Republican primary.
He’s been campaigning on the Shaw Park issue, but Birrell has maintained that softball fields were never going to be reduced in the redevelopment proposal.
On Wednesday, Hicks thanked other softball parents for contacting county officials and expressing their concerns.
“Your voices have been heard . . . Thank you again to everyone involved for contributing to a solution that supports the needs of the entire community.”
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It contains only a few changes from the original proposal, but the last addition in particular set off some differences on the five-member board.
The board will vote in June on establishing a referendum in November for voters to decide on more than $794 million in county government construction and maintenance projects.
They include relocating the East Cobb Library, expanding the Tim D. Lee Senior Center, building a new Cobb State Court building, spending $130 million in road repaving projects and earmarking $60 million for a new infirmary building at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
But at a voting meeting Tuesday night, a last-minute addition totaling $5 million drew objections from the board’s two Republican members.
JoAnn Birrell and Keli Gambrill opposed shifting that amount of funding from repaving projects for an indoor track facility in South Cobb at the behest of Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.
She’s been wanting to construct such a facility for years, when she was the District 4 commissioner, and added the request prior to Tuesday’s vote.
Gambrill and Birrell said they disliked not only the timing—and without any public feedback as a result—but taking away money from what Gambrill called “a critical infrastructure need.”
The project list first went out for public review in early 2025, without the indoor track listed on it—”and that’s because it didn’t have support” from the board, Gambrill said.
“So I think we are being very disingenuous to the public by making this change.”
She said while she doesn’t support the track project, “I do believe the voters have the right to vote on this referendum. But I also think the voters need to be aware that we are putting on a project that is not properly funded.”
Cupid said the track project was originally on the 2016 SPLOST list, and said her interest didn’t start with that source of funding.
She said there have been other recreational projects that were put on previous lists without a full funding amount.
Cupid added that she approached two commissioners she did not identify who said they would support, and she asked county staff to place the track project on the list “and to please help find some funding sources to put it back into the program.”
She said complaints about a lack of transparency are wrong.
“I have not tried to hide this, I have asked commissioners for support,” Cupid said, calling the project important to “adding to the recreation portfolio of this county.”
Cobb’s cities also must finalize their project lists. The 2028 Cobb SPLOST, if adopted by voters, would continue a one-percent sales tax that would collect an estimated $1.15 billion over six years, starting on Jan. 1, 2028.
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During a time of political flux and at times turmoil in recent years, JoAnn Birrell said her tenure on the Cobb Board of Commissioners reflects a record of steady leadership that continues to be needed.
A Republican first elected to represent District 3 in 2010, Birrell is seeking a fifth term in the May 19 primary against Chris Wasserman, a first-time candidate.
She said that continuing her advocacy for improving public safety salaries and benefits, working to establish a Cobb veterans memorial and seeing through various renovations and other initiatives in her District are her priorities as she seeks re-election.
“I am seeking another term to ensure the projects I have initiated come to fruition and to continue serving the people of District 3 and Cobb County,” Birrell told East Cobb News.
Birrell’s website can be found by clicking here. The winner of the GOP primary on May 19 will face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.
Early voting began Monday and continues through May 15; consult our early voting guide for more information. Our profile of Wasserman can be found by clicking here.
District 3 includes most of East Cobb (see the map). In 2022, Birrell was easily re-elected with similar boundaries. There has been some speculation since then that she would not seek another term, especially as tempers flared on the board over redistricting, a conflict she called “two years of hell.”
Wasserman has said that the five-member board needs new energy and ideas, and that Birrell bears some responsibility for occasionally fractured proceedings.
But Birrell responded by saying that she’s forged deep connections that reflect a high level of energy that she will continue to exert if re-elected.
“I have faced primary opposition in all four of my previous terms, so this was not a surprise,” Birrell said of Wasserman’s candidacy.
“Regarding the need for ‘new energy,’ a constituent recently compared my pace to the ‘Energizer Bunny.’ I have built strong community relationships and business partnerships over many years of leadership. I would be interested to know what new ideas are being proposed that have not already been explored.”
Wasserman has been critical of what he says is the board’s inability to separate needs from wants in budgeting, and that the focus should be on what he calls “core services.”
Birrell countered that she’s advocated fiscally responsible spending in county government, and that her top priorities have been public safety and reducing the amount of general fund money the county receives from Cobb Water revenues.
“I am committed to reducing the water transfer to zero percent,” Birrell said (the current rate is 4 percent, and it has been as high as 10 percent during her time on the board).
In addition to supporting the gradual installment of a pay-and-grade salary structure for public safety personnel, Birrell also pushed for the creation of a new police precinct in Northeast Cobb that eventually will be full-service.
“Public safety has always been my top priority,” Birrell said. “I am dedicated to supporting our law enforcement, firefighters, 911, EMA, and animal services to ensure the safety of our citizens, businesses, and visitors.”
Birrell also pulled together a variety of sources to fund the rebuild of the Gritters Library, which now houses the Northeast Cobb Community Center.
But it’s more recent projects that have prompted objections from Wasserman. He’s against the proposed relocation of the East Cobb Library, and thinks the $20 million price tag could be even higher, perhaps more than double that amount.
Birrell recently proposed shifting $5 million from that project to address flooding issues along Columns Drive and for park upgrades in District 3.
Birrell (center) with East Cobb Civic Association members at an April Adopt-A-Mile cleanup.
In 2017, Birrell suggested closing the East Cobb library during a budget crunch (and when it was not in her district.) Now, she is justifying the need for a new library facility not just for financial but also for space reasons.
It’s the second-busiest branch in the Cobb library system, and the county pays $400,000 annually in rent at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center. The proposed relocation would be to county-owned property that hasn’t been revealed.
That lease ends in 2029, and she said that “it is fiscally prudent to use SPLOST dollars to build a county-owned facility rather than continuing these lease payments.”
She added that the original cost for the relocation came to $35 million, but that has been reduced by keeping the square footage comparable to the current size.
“Despite receiving very little negative feedback directly, we still reevaluated and scaled back the costs, and the final survey showed significant community support,” she said.
In March, Cobb PARKS officials “paused” plans to redevelop Shaw Park after softball families complained a field would be taken out for pickleball courts.
Wasserman accused Birrell of waffling on the issue, saying that the pause on park plans is only because “she’s seeking re-election.”
But she said in acknowledging a miscommunication on the issue that the fields that are being relocated are being spread out, not reduced.
Birrell said previously that some critics were “trying to make it sound like we don’t care about girls softball. I’m a girl. I care.”
She said she’s stressing to voters a long history of keeping their priorities and their pocket books in mind, especially when it comes to taxes.
“Keeping taxes low and maintaining fiscal discipline remains a primary focus,” Birrell said. “My conservative record reflects this; I have never voted for a millage increase in 16 years.”
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As a business owner and young father raising a family in East Cobb, Chris Wasserman said he has become alarmed in recent years about the leadership of county government, and in particular how it taxes its citizens and spends their money.
The founder of Wasserman Talent Solutions, the Osborne High School graduate now lives in a Northeast Cobb neighborhood where his children attend school, and where he has become invested in community affairs.
He said that as he has watched a fractured Cobb Board of Commissioners spar over budgets, spending priorities and other issues in recent years, “I became very concerned about the decisions and directions” made by that five-member elected body.
Calling himself a “home-grown candidate,” Wasserman announced earlier this year that he would challenge the elder member of the board in his first campaign for public office.
“It’s time for fresh blood and new ideas,” said Wasserman, a Republican facing four-term incumbent commissioner JoAnn Birrell in the May 19 general election, with the winner to face Democrat Kevin Redmon in November.
Wasserman’s campaign website can be found by clicking here. He’s also having a public campaign event next Thursday, May 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at East Cobb Park.
Wassserman and his wife are the parents of a daughter, 10, who attends Keheley Elementary School, and a son, age 4.
District 3 includes most of East Cobb (see the map). In 2022, Birrell was easily re-elected with similar boundaries. There has been some speculation since then that she would not seek another term, especially as tempers flared on the board over redistricting, a conflict she called “two years of hell.”
Wasserman said he met with Birrell several months ago when those rumors were abounding not just in East Cobb, but around the county.
When Birrell announced she would be running again, Wasserman said he wasn’t deterred from launching his bid “to be an advocate for our taxpayers and their champion.”
In an interview with East Cobb News, Wasserman said that the board requires some new leadership.
“Sixteen years is a long time,” Wasserman said, referring to Birrell. “It’s time that we expect more from our county government.”
Since 2021, the commission has had a 3-2 Democratic majority, led by Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who previously had served as the only Democrat on a board when Republicans dominated with a 4-1 majority.
Birrell has bridged that transition, and Wasserman said she bears some responsibility for a county government that he said taxes too much and doesn’t spend that money as wisely as it should.
“The county is basically nickel- and diming us,” he said. “Enough is enough.”
He said the commission needs greater fiscal discipline, and it hasn’t been separating “needs and wants.” If he’s elected, Wasserman said, “I will be looking out for the taxpayer.”
The current Cobb fiscal year 2026 budget of $1.325 billion has held the line in general fund property tax rates, but includes increased revenues due to rising assessments that have drawn citizen protests.
But the board hasn’t reduced the millage rate to reflect that, and in starting in June, Cobb property owners will pay a stormwater fee for services that previously had been included in their water and sewer bills.
Wasserman said his priorities would be to “focus on the core services and take a hard look” at everything else.
As an entrepreneur, he continued, “I have a superpower for looking at a budget and cutting the waste. The lack of a small business owner on the BOC is a detriment.”
Among those priorities are better pay and benefits for public safety personnel, which has been one of Birrell’s signature issues during her term on the board.
“We need to do a better job of looking after the people protecting our community,” Wasserman said.
More specifically, he pointed to projects in the East Cobb area where he thinks Birrell has come up short.
The original cost for the new library that was cited in the proposed 2028 Cobb SPLOST (Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax) was $25 million, but Birrell recently proposed shifting $5 million to address flooding issues along Columns Drive and for park upgrades in District 3.
“That’s just a number on paper today,” Wasserman said, adding that this typifies what he’s seeing from a county government that is “trying to remodel the basement when you’ve got a leaky roof.”
He pointed to the $60 million cost to rebuild the Cobb Animal Services shelter. While acknowledging that “costs are rising, we need to be taking care of our core services.”
As his campaign got underway, Birrell came under fire for the proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park to include more pickleball courts. Softball parents objected, saying a softball field would be taken away, a charge that Birrell and Cobb PARKS say isn’t true.
Wasserman quickly sprung into action, meeting with Sandy Plains Softball parents and taping a campaign video at Shaw Park. The county quickly announced that it was putting an indefinite hold on the redevelopment.
He accused Birrell of waffling on the issue, saying that the pause on park plans is only because “she’s seeking re-election.”
Wasserman said he’s also running to help small businesses deal with red tape and other frustrations he says he hears a lot about, including the slow pace of permitting (“there’s no sense of urgency”) and the need for better technology in county government and a “customer service mentality.”
But the larger issues concerning Cobb government are larger and deeper than that, Wasserman said, pointing to a lot of “bad blood” on the commission that he claims is preventing collaborations and healthy conversations to take place about the future of the county.
He said Birrell “should be doing that. That’s her job. We should expect more.
“People are telling me that while they appreciate what she’s done, they are ready for change. My value proposition is resonating.”
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday is scheduled to finalize the project list for the proposed 2028 Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax extension.
The project list that’s on the agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting (you can read it here) totals more than $794 million in county government construction and maintenance projects.
That includes reducing the cost of the proposed relocation of the East Cobb Library from $25 million to $20 million to finance other projects in the East Cobb area, as well as a major expansion of the Tim D. Lee Senior Center.
The proposed Cobb SPLOST extension includes $1.15 billion for a variety of construction and maintenance projects that include Cobb cities as well.
Commissioners would still have to pass a separate resolution calling for a November referendum for the public to decide whether to extend the one-percent sales tax for a six-year period starting in 2028.
But SPLOST referenda must have detailed project lists before they can proceed.
Earlier this month county officials presented results of an online survey about the 2028 SPLOST, saying that of the 2,088 responses, 84 percent were in favor of renewing the sales tax.
But when breaking down their views of specific projects, only 25 percent said they would support rebuilding the East Cobb Library.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, whose District 3 includes most of East Cobb, wants to take $5 million from the East Cobb Library funding to address flooding problems along Columns Drive, and for general county park upgrades in the district.
Chris Wasserman, her Republican opponent in the upcoming primaries, has been critical of the funding amount of the proposed East Cobb Library rebuild, saying it’s an issue of wants over needs.
The library currently rents space at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center for more than $400,000 a year. It’s the second-busiest branch in the Cobb library system, and officials have said they need more space.
A relocation site hasn’t been disclosed but county officials have said they’re eyeing existing county property.
The Tim D. Lee Center expansion would cost $8.4 million.
Other big-ticket items on the proposed SPLOST project list include a new $174 million Cobb State Court building, a$130 million in road repaving projects and $60 million for a new infirmary building at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
The Cobb commissioners meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor board room of the county office building at 100 Cherokee Street, Marietta. You can view the full agenda by clicking here.
You also can watch the hearing on the county’s website and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Columns Drive floods after heavy rains in 2024; it’s an issue that might be addressed in the proposed 2028 Cobb SPLOST.
Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said Tuesday she wants to set aside $3 million in a proposed Cobb Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) extension to address flooding problems along Columns Drive and in the Sope Creek watershed area near the Chattahoochee River in East Cobb.
She also wants to create another proposed line item for $2 million for upgrades, maintenance and improvements at county parks in her District 3, which covers most of East Cobb.
At a Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Birrell said she is requesting to shift that $5 million total in proposed funding that had been earmarked for the construction of a new East Cobb Library branch, which came in with a price tag of $25 million on a SPLOST project list released in January.
She said that the new library, which would move from Parkaire Landing Shopping Center to a freestanding building on county property, would be slated for $20 million on a SPLOST project list that commissioners will be asked to finalize later this month.
Birrell announced those changes after a brief presentation of public feedback for the 2028 SPLOST, which could go out to a November referendum. Commissioners are expected to vote on establishing a referendum by June.
If that SPLOST is approved by the public, the one-percent sales tax would be continued for a six-year period starting in 2028, and would collect an estimated $1.15 billion for a variety of county construction and maintenance projects.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Deputy Cobb County Manager Bill Volckmann revealed results of an online survey about the 2028 SPLOST, saying that of the 2,088 responses, 84 percent were in favor of renewing the sales tax.
But when breaking down their views of specific projects, only 25 percent said they would support rebuilding the East Cobb Library.
In another sample, 55 percent of respondents said they viewed the East Cobb Library rebuild favorably, while 45 percent said they did not support it (see the slides below for more).
(A summary of the 2028 SPLOST includes upgrades at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center in East Cobb and the construction of a new Cobb State Court facility.)
Birrell said that a new library is needed because the county is spending nearly $400,000 a year in rent at Parkaire Landing, and because it’s the second-busiest branch in the Cobb system and is running out of room.
The East Cobb Library has 17,000 square feet of space, and includes study and meeting rooms as well as a community meeting space. The proposed new branch would have 28,000 square feet at a location that hasn’t been determined.
“We’re still building a nice library, approximately the same square footage, and building our own building,” Birrell said.
But she said other spending needs for the 2028 SPLOST have come up in her district. Sope Creek flooding issues were emphasized by citizens during a recent effort to replace trees along Columns Drive.
In reading from prepared remarks, Birrell said Cobb DOT and Cobb Water would use that $3 million in funding to “provide support to flooding and stormwater projects within the Sope Creek watershed.”
Columns Drive has been easily flooded in heavy rains, in particular in September 2021, when many residential areas in East Cobb were damaged and destroyed due to stormwater problems.
Specific projects for the $3 million, according to Birrell, could include watershed analysis, the bridge on Columns Drive over Sope Creek, flood plan acquisition, offline water retention facilities, streambank restoration and other public stormwater improvements.
She didn’t specify the $2 million in funding for park improvements, but they would apply only to “existing parks and recreation facilities within District 3.”
Birrell has come under fire recently for proposed changes at Shaw Park from some softball parents, who have claimed that proposed pickleball additions would limit softball availability. That proposal has been put on pause for the time being.
Birrell is a four-term Republican who is seeking re-election, but she has a primary opponent in first-time candidate Chris Wasserman.
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The well‑known and well‑loved Ross Cavitt joined the East Cobb Civic association (ECCA) as the featured speaker for the March ECCA General Meeting. Mr. Cavitt recently retired from Cobb County after eight years as Communications Director, following a distinguished 30‑year career in Atlanta as a News Reporter and Bureau Chief at WSB‑TV.
His perspective—shaped by decades of reporting across Atlanta and around the world, and later by his leadership in Cobb County government—made for an entertaining and fascinating conversation. He shared stories from the field, insights from covering major national and international events, and reflections on the evolving landscape of local news and public communication.
During his time with Cobb County, Mr. Cavitt oversaw the department responsible for all aspects of county communications, including CobbTV, which broadcasts county meetings and assists departments in producing videos to highlight their programs. His work helped strengthen transparency, accessibility, and public engagement throughout the county.
Pictured above is ECCA’s President Richard Grome greeting Ross Cavitt to speak at the general meeting. The public is always welcome to hear a different speaker each month. ECCA’s next meeting is April 29 to be held at the Wellstar Health Park on Roswell Road at 7:00 pm.
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Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
Cobb Chief Appraiser Christine Stinchcomb is predicting that the Cobb tax digest for 2026 will grow by about four percent.
That would be similar to the 3.39 percent growth in the county tax digest in 2025, and reflects a cooling real estate market that appears to be leveling off.
The tax digest is the official assessed value of all taxable properties in the county, including residential, commercial and personal property.
Local governments base their budget and millage rates on the tax digest, which is formalized in July.
While Cobb’s tax digest has grown each year since 2013, there’s been a drop in that increase over the last two years.
The Cobb tax digest reached an all-time high of $47.4 billion last year, with the average home sale across the county coming to $520,000. That compares to an average sales price of around $400,000 in 2021.
There were a total of 78,000 reassessments last year, Stinchcomb said, adding that 121,000 properties are being reassessed this year.
“The sharp growth that we saw in 2023 and 2024 has leveled off,” she said. “The average increase in value is smaller than what we saw last year.”
The Cobb tax digest grew by double-digit figures in 2022 and 2023, primarily due to sharply rising reassessments that prompted citizen outcry.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners has not reduced its general fund millage rate in that time, staying at 8.46 mills. The Cobb Board of Education millage rate was unchanged last year at 18.70 mills.
The largest portion of a property owner’s tax bill is school taxes, and the deadline to file for a homestead exemption is Wednesday.
Wednesday also is the deadline to file a Taxpayer Return of Real Property to report changes to a property that could affect its value.
Full tax assessments will go out in May; the final tax digest is issued in July, as Cobb commissioners consider the fiscal year 2025 budget and just after the Cobb school board finalizes its fiscal year 2025 budget, which goes into effect on July 1.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners last week approved the first allocation of funds from the National Opioid Settlement, and will be distributing nearly $6 million to a variety of community organizations.
The board voted 5-0 to allocate $5.787 million in funds, that, according to an agenda item from last Tuesday’s meeting, “are restricted and must be used exclusively for opioid remediation purposes as defined by the settlement agreements and applicable state guidance.”
In 2024 Cobb approved a resolution establishing the Cobb County Opioid Abatement Advisory Council that recommended a comprehensive abatement strategy to assist those with opioid addictions.
The Opioid Abatement Settlement Fund includes more than $50 billion in legal settlements from 2021-26 with opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains, with the funding earmarked to treat addiction and to assist recovery and prevention efforts.
Cobb’s funding comes directly from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust, which was established as a subsidiary in 2022 to distribute and manage funding throughout the state for an 18-year period.
In the 2026-29 funding cycle, the following organizations will be receiving grants in the indicated amounts in Cobb County:
Center for Young Adult Addiction & Recovery, Kennesaw State University – $98,721
Cobb Collaborative – $57,394
Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County Jail – $174,720
Cobb County Superior Courts – $1,258,500
Davis Direction Foundation – $1,609,841
Harbor Springs Counseling Services – $1,648,942
Highland Rivers Foundation – $500,000
Life University, Inc. – $26,820
WestCare Georgia, Inc. – $87,855
YouthCentric, Inc. – $324,820
The agenda item states that “these projects collectively address multiple settlement-approved categories including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Proposed activities include medication-assisted treatment for indigent individuals, residential treatment expansion for mothers, peer recovery coaching, sober living scholarships, jail discharge planning, youth prevention programming, naloxone and fentanyl test strip distribution, and community resiliency initiatives.”
The third-largest recipient, Cobb County Superior Courts, announced later last week that it plans to use the funding to expand the Cobb Accountability Courts, which “serve individuals charged with felonies who are diagnosed with moderate to severe substance use disorders, including participants with co-occurring mental health conditions.”
The courts will “utilize a plan that integrates multiple layers of intervention. Treatment services include opioid withdrawal management, access to medication for addiction treatment (MAT/MOUD) through partnerships with a local physician and pharmacy, and up to ten hours per week of evidence-based group and individual counseling,” according to a release issued by Cobb Superior Court.
The programs also plan to expand recovery support to address housing instability, which the court calls “one of the greatest barriers to sustained recovery.
“Through partnerships with five sober living programs in Cobb County, eligible participants may receive up to 90 days of safe, structured, and sober housing while working toward financial independence. Stable housing has been shown to significantly strengthen engagement in treatment and improve long-term outcomes.”
“The Accountability Courts stand at the critical intersection of the justice system, public safety, and rehabilitation of individuals in crisis,” said Ann Harris, Chief Judge of Superior Court. “By using these settlement funds to expand treatment and provide stable housing, we are actively working to break the cycle of addiction, reduce recidivism, and make our entire community safer.”
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A proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park shown at a recent open house includes additional pickleball courts.
Some parents in the Sandy Plains Softball organization have been going public with concerns that a proposed redevelopment of Shaw Park would reduce the number of softball fields there.
One of the group’s officers has unleashed a letter-writing campaign to Cobb commissioners and had scheduled a media interview for Friday that was eventually postponed.
That’s after Cobb commissioner JoAnn Birrell arranged for a meeting with the softball parents and Cobb PARKS officials over what she called a “miscommunication.”
At a February community meeting designed to garner public feedback, citizens were shown a proposed redesign of the park that would have 19 pickleball courts; there are currently nine there now.
Sandy Plains Softball has paid to use the softball fields at Shaw Park for many years and more than 400 girls play softball there (the organization also plays games at Sandy Plains Park, near Lassiter High School).
Shaw Park has become a pickleball hub in recent years, as the fast-growing sport has gained a foothold among active adults, and a number of tournaments have been played there.
Shaw Park softball players in 2023 urged the county to preserve their fields.
One of the proposed options would relocate the softball fields to make room for the pickleball courts.
In an open letter to the Sandy Plains Softball community, Katy Thurow, the organization’s secretary, said the county, and specifically Birrell, have gone back on their word that softball would not be affected by plans to revitalize Shaw Park.
Thurow asked Sandy Plains Softball parents to lobby the commissioners to keep all of the current fields, and suggested political considerations are involved.
Birrell is a four-term Republican who is up for re-election this year, and she has primary opposition.
“The plans shown at the SPLOST meeting show 19 new pickleball courts,” Thurow wrote. “Please keep in mind, there is no pickleball association, no contract with the county, and no pickleball leagues are being asked to justify their need for these 19 new courts.”
Her letter suggested that the softball fields would be cut to three; proposals include adding softball batting cages as well as the construction of a new playground, including inclusive space for special-needs children.
“This is not about money, but about certain members of the Cobb County government pandering to older voters who love pickleball,” Thurow wrote. “Our girls just happen to be collateral damage.
“This is about more than just a game. This is about how youth sports impacts the lives of young female athletes. ”
Thurow said “Sandy Plains Softball saved my child” with a learning disability. “Softball gave my daughter a safe space to feel strong, capable, and build relationships that had nothing to do with school.
“I’ve heard countless stories similar to my family’s, and capping registration [what she suggested would happen if the fields are reduced] means denying this opportunity to young women in our community.”
Speaking to East Cobb News on Thursday, Birrell said there are no plans to reduce the number of softball fields at Shaw Park. She said the Sandy Plains Softball contract for Shaw Park calls for the use of four fields, and that will not change.
“The fields are all spread out,” and one of the proposals would be to group them closer together. “We are relocating the fields,” not reducing them, she added.
Birrell said that some are “trying to make it sound like we don’t care about girls softball. I’m a girl. I care.”
She said what’s being proposed is only that, and “not the final plan. There’s still some work to do, but we’re not cutting back on any fields. We’re relocating them.”
Shaw Park pickleball leader Bret Benson with Commissioner JoAnn Birrell at a 2023 town hall meeting about the future of the park.
At a 2023 community meeting to discuss the future of Shaw Park, softball players and parents pleaded with the county not to reduce their fields. Pickleball enthusiasts and county leaders said that would not happen.
The commenters include Chris Wasserman, who is challenging Birrell the May 19 Republican primary.
“While I personally enjoy pickleball, I strongly oppose the proposal to replace a girls’ softball field to accommodate additional courts,” he said.
“A significant source of public frustration stems from the perceived lack of clear and transparent dialogue surrounding this decision. The community’s feeling of being misled is entirely understandable and justified.”
On Thursday afternoon, Birrell sent a message to softball parents apologizing for the “miscommunication” and said that after the meeting with the county, “we will provide additional information and clarification to the community.”
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“The 12 winning students each received a cash prize, and their photos were turned into notecards to be distributed throughout the county,” according to Cobb County government, and their entries will be displayed April 9—May 15 at the Mable House Arts Center in Mableton.
Six of the students are from Lassiter: Alex Hood, Dayton Davis, Katelyn Garrow, Sarah Joseph, Marissa Meyer and Rushna Ahsan. The others are Ashleigh Lafferty and Neyla Lamont from Sprayberry and Charlie Sayler and Jonah Suarez from Wheeler.
The contest invited students from the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools submit a photograph in one of six categories: Water at Play, Water at Work, Water in Nature, Water and People, Protecting Water, and Conserving Water.
Click the link below to view a slideshow of all of the winning photos from the East Cobb students.
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Deputy Cobb County Attorney Debbie Blair has been named to succeed William Rowling, who has retired as Cobb County Attorney.
The appointment was made official last week by Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris after being recommended by Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid.
Blair has been in the deputy’s role since 2019 and has been with the County Attorney’s office for the last decade. Rowling retired last week after 25 years in the department. She has focused on zoning and land-use matters and has handled “all sectors of public sector law, including constitutional issues, governmental transparency ethics, zoning and codification of laws,” according to a statement from the county.
“The Cobb County Attorney’s Office assists in the preparation of legislation and resolutions, provides legal opinions, and negotiates and reviews contracts,” the statement continued. “It represents the county and its officials in civil litigation matters ranging from civil rights and constitutional cases to land use and zoning disputes.”
Blair leads a staff of 12 other in-house attorneys, including Lauren Bruce, who has been named the new deputy county attorney.
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Nikeya Savala, a Cobb County government veteran of more than 20 years, has joined the office of District 3 Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell as her staff assistant.
The four district commissioners each have a full-time assistant to handle constituent matters, coordinate schedules and conduct other tasks of the office.
District 3 includes most of East Cobb.
Savala has previously held jobs in county government in the Community Development, Water System, and Purchasing departments.
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Relocating the East Cobb Library is among the proposed projects on a 2028 Cobb SPLOST project list.
Cobb County government is soliciting public feedback for a SPLOST renewal referendum that will take place in November.
Cobb commissioners recently voted to hold a referendum to extend the current Special Purpose-Local Option Sales Tax, starting in 2028, for another six years, with estimated collections of $1.15 billion.
The county has prepared a brief online survey for citizens to fill out stating their preferences.
If approved by voters on Nov. 3, those projects include relocating the East Cobb Library branch at a cost of $25 million away from Parkaire Landing Shopping Center to a standalone building on county-owned property to be determined.
Library officials said the branch needs more space and that the annual rental costs are $263,000, with the current lease expiring in July 2029.
Also on the proposed project list submitted by county department heads are renovations at the Tim D. Lee Senior Center and to purchase additional Tritt property next to East Cobb Park.
The biggest ticket item on the list is the construction of a new Cobb State Court building, to the tune of $174 million. The current buildings on the Marietta Square are more than 60 years old and have been overcrowded for years.
Other proposals call for $135 million in road resurfacing projects, $30 million to replace the Cobb Central Aquatic Center in Marietta and $18.5 million to build a new recreation center in an unspecified area.
Among the proposed traffic improvements on the list, the following are in East Cobb:
Shallowford Road at McPherson Road ($3.5 million)
Canton Road at Canton Road Connector ($6 million)
Lower Roswell Road at Old Paper Mill Road ($1.5 million)
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During its regular meeting last week, the Board of Commissioners appointed Alicia Giddens as the new Cobb Water System director. Today, Feb. 2, was her official first day in the role.
Giddens, who has been with the agency for more than 30 years, previously served as the deputy director. She joined in 1995 as an environmental compliance technician. Since then, she has held numerous positions, including laboratory technician, biologist (quality assurance/quality control manager), laboratory superintendent, environmental compliance division manager and water protection division manager.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and minor in chemistry from Kennesaw State University. She is certified as a wastewater laboratory analyst and wastewater operator class III by the Georgia Board of Water and Wastewater. Giddens was also chairperson of the Georgia Water and Wastewater Institute Board of Directors and a member of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. She is also an alumnus of the Cobb County EXCEL Leadership program.
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An East Cobb News reader-submitted photo of a fallen tree at Indian Hills Country Club.
As roads are clearing around Cobb County on Monday, many activities and business will be back to usual on Tuesday.
The Cobb County School District announced late Monday morning that all Tuesday classes and activities will resume as scheduled.
The same goes for Marietta City Schools and most private schools.
The district said in a statement that “after overnight monitoring of our schools and consultation with Cobb Emergency Services, conditions are expected to be safe for travel and school tomorrow.”
Cobb County government said that all major reads Cobb DOT crews have been treating and monitoring are open, but that “residents are urged to use caution on neighborhood and secondary roads, as road temperatures across the county remain below freezing.”
If you do get out today—and you’re asked to avoid travel if possible—use caution on neighborhood streets and in parking lots which may have some ice and in particular black ice.
Cobb DOT said the storm caused some falling power lines and trees, and that 29 trees around the county blocking roads had to be removed.
All Cobb government offices, including courts and libraries, also will resume their regular schedules Tuesday.
The rain from Winter Storm Fern ended mid-evening on Sunday but temperatures dropped into the 20s overnight, and Monday’s high is only around freezing.
Winds also are high on Monday, with gusts as high as 30 mph. A cold weather advisory will be in effect in Cobb from 8 p.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The sun will remain this week but it will continue to be cold, with Monday’s lows possibly falling into the low teens and Tuesday’s high in the high 30s.
Reported power outages in the East Cobb area were rare and sporadic; Cobb EMC is reporting a few outages near the Catholic Church of St. Ann and in the East Piedmont Road area and has sent crews with an estimated restoration time of mid-afternoon Monday.
If you have any other information or photos/videos to share of storm damage, get in touch: [email protected].
Stay safe, and thanks for your readership!
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Several months after rejecting a request to spend $1 million to help finance a veterans memorial, Cobb commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved allocating $2 million to help get the long-awaited project started.
After some discussion, commissioners agreed to revise the 2022 Cobb sales tax (SPLOST) revenues to allocate an additional $2 million to help close a funding gap for the memorial, to be built near the Cobb Civic Center.
That project, begun by the private Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation, is expected to cost a little more than $6 million, and design revisions will be necessary.
Donna Rowe
In August, commissioners rejected a proposal by Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of East Cobb to use $1 million from her contingency account, citing issues with a memorandum of understanding and concerns over rising costs stated by the private group.
However, on Tuesday, commissioners said the situation was different, and that the $2 million isn’t diverting funding from other needed projects, or those on the SPLOST project list.
Commissioner Erick Allen, whose District 2 includes the area where the memorial will be built, said there were no other viable funding solutions to start the project, which has been more than a decade in the making.
There are unresolved administrative issues, and Cobb PARKS director Michael Brantley said that a project designer needs to be hired to develop a new conceptual plan.
Cobb commissioners previously approved spending $3 million in what’s been billed as a private-public-partnership. Cobb has more than 60,000 veterans
The original cost was priced at $8 million, but private fundraising struggles have delayed the project. Commissioner Keli Gambrill asked Brantley if doubling the spending request from last August would be enough to complete the project.
He said it would not, “but it would be extremely close” based on the latest estimates “on what it would take to build out.”
Brantley added that there is not a designer hired yet to provide more specific renderings and details, and that there are several options available.
He said “having the funding in place” would ideally be needed to “move forward to start looking at those options.”
Gambrill also said she was disappointed other community projects weren’t included in the vote. Deputy county manager Bill Volckmann told her another list would be forthcoming, but this one was submitted to reflect “the priorities of the board.”
Birrell, who has been vocal about supporting the veterans memorial, said the memorial was always slated to be a county park. She said a new MOU will be produced and said that “there is still work to be done, but what we’re trying to do today is to get to the $5 million and solidify this once and for all.
Donna Rowe, head of the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation, a former Army nurse in Vietnam, told commissioners before the vote that “I cannot deeply express the gratitude of every veteran in Cobb County and Georgia, or those that I served with in battle, but I do want you to do know that the hours spent, the months spent by you do not fall on deaf ears.”
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Cobb County Government offices will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 19. Many county services are available online at cobbcounty.gov.
You can join in the celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. King at an event filled with meaningful performances, 10 a.m. – noon Monday, Jan. 19 at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre, 548 S. Marietta Parkway, SE, Marietta. The annual event, hosted by the Cobb NAACP, will showcase singers, dancers, musicians, spoken word performers and more.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an opportunity to start your year in the spirit of volunteerism and service while continuing his legacy. Here are some ways to participate with service events in Cobb and Metro Atlanta:
Acworth – A Welcome Breakfast and Unity Walk will be held at the Roberts School Community and Education Center 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 19. The walk will be followed by a program and day of service at 10 a.m. at the Tanyard Creek Overlook at the Acworth Community Center. Get Acworth event details here.
Kennesaw volunteer day will be held 9 a.m. – noon Monday, Jan. 19 at Smith-Gilbert Gardens. Volunteers will assist with a garden entryway beautification project. Get Kennesaw event details here.
Austell’s Community Cleanup will help beautify streets and Keep Cobb Beautiful Adopt-A-Mile areas. Volunteers of all ages are needed Monday, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. -1 p.m. Meet at Destiny World Church, 7400 Factory Shoals Road, Austell. Get Austell cleanup details here and sign up using the QR code or sign up here.
Chattahoochee Cleanup – Monday, Jan. 19, noon – 2 p.m. at the Paces Mill Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 3444 Cobb Parkway, Atlanta. For ages 10 and older. Get Chattahoochee cleanup details and register here.
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