Dear Neighbors,

Unexpected budget shortfall. Unpaid invoices. $40 a mile reimbursements for mileage instead of 40 cents. Service cutbacks. Layoffs.

I'm sure you're following the news with the same concern and sense of unease I have.

We're going to get to the bottom of our City's finances. The days of operating behind “closed curtains” are over.

It has always been my policy, throughout both terms as your Citywide City Councilperson and even when I was first asking for your vote, to keep you informed. I answer your email. I return your calls. I meet Atlantans in every possible venue, most notably in your neighbors' homes, where we can have a face-to-face dialogue. I believe you have the right to hear and to be heard. I work at it.

We've all been kept in the dark about our City's finances. Councilpeople, voters, taxpayers: we all should have been informed sooner. And more thoroughly. More transparently. We shouldn't have to fight to get an audit of multi-billion dollar programs.

Meanwhile, we go on. A City Hall that works for you is an ongoing challenge, and I continue my work for stronger neighborhoods, for safer streets, for gridlock-free traffic, for good use of tax dollars, for code enforcement, and for the green and vibrant Atlanta we all love. I go to work every day to make our quality of life just a little bit more promising than it was the day before.

Thank you for your continuing support. It is a pleasure to work for you.

Sincerely,

Mary Norwood

Atlanta City Council

Citywide – Post 2-at-large

P.S. You can sign up here for email alerts. To learn more or to discuss the issues that matter to you, you can also phone me at home. My home number is 404-237-3774, and you can also email me here. I look forward to hearing from you.