Mary Norwood's Biography

Councilwoman Mary Norwood, Post 2 At-Large, brings a broad and deep record of civic improvement, strong business credentials, energy and integrity to the Atlanta City Council.

Through more than a decade of community activism, Mary has developed expertise in environmental, preservation, zoning, traffic, public safety, housing and homeless issues.

In her years as an activist prior to her election to Atlanta City Council, citywide, she lobbied for over 60 issues and had a 98% track record of success.

As a city councilmember she has worked on numerous issues, including:

• Affordable Housing: Working with the administration to provide affordable housing through a lottery and down-payment assistance program to city employees.
• Homelessness: Has been an advocate for the City of Atlanta and other entities to employ homeless men and women to clean Atlanta’s streets. City of Atlanta’s Solid Waste Division is currently employing homeless men and women from Samaritan House’s Clean Street Teams.
• Neighborhood Preservation: Chaired a task force to address appropriate infill in the redevelopment of the City and has worked with professional organizations in the development industry—led by the American Institute of Architects-Atlanta Chapter—to formulate and propose changes to the City’s Residential Zoning Code to assist with infill challenges.
• Neighborhood Blight: Working with the administration to overcome the obstacles in the present system of code compliance through a potential Code Enforcement Board and Blighted Vacant Building Registration.
• Transportation: Identifying the City’s worst traffic bottlenecks and working with the City’s Transportation Department and the Georgia DOT to resolve them.
• Public Safety: Initiated a review of Atlanta's drug strategies to address the overwhelming and omnipresent presence of drugs in Atlanta's neighborhoods.

For 2007, she is serving on the following City Council Committees:

• Transportation – Vice Chair
• Committee on Council – Vice Chair
• Community Development and Human Resources

In prior years she served on the Committee on Council, and the Community Development and Human Resources, Finance/Executive, Public Safety, Transportation, and Zoning Committees. She has served as Vice Chair of Zoning (2003, 2004, 2006) and Vice Chair of Community Development and Human Resources (2002, 2004).

Her broadcasting background and experience in community organizing provided the idea for OneCall Systems, the computer telephony business she founded in 1992. Her business was the first computer telephony company to be launched via the Internet: OneCallWeb.com. Today OneCallWeb.com is owned by Norwood Communications, LLC. Previously she was executive vice president of Rounsaville Radio Stations.

Mary is a graduate of Emory University and is married to Dr. Felton Norwood, a retired Atlanta pediatrician. She is the stepmother of Palmer Norwood Adams and Dorsey Norwood, M.D.