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Cathy Woolard

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Cathy Woolard
President of the Atlanta City Council
In office
2002–2004
Preceded byRobb Pitts
Succeeded byLisa Borders
Member of the Atlanta City Council
from the 6th district
In office
1998–2002
Preceded byMary Davis
Succeeded byAnne Fauver
Personal details
Born (1957-05-10) May 10, 1957 (age 67)
Alma materUniversity of Georgia (BA)

Cathy Woolard (born May 10, 1957) is an American politician who served as a member of the Atlanta City Council for District 6 from November 1998 to 2002, and as President of the council from 2002 to 2004. When she began her term in 1997, she was the first openly-gay elected official in Georgia history, and she was the first woman to be President of the council.[1]

Education

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In 1979, Woolard graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Georgia, where she majored in psychology and minored in German. In 2003, Woolard completed Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a David Bohnett LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.

Career

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Following college, Woolard served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Micronesia and then as a National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign.[2]

Atlanta City Council

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In 1997, Woolard ran and was elected to Atlanta's City Council by the 6th district, upsetting a 20-year incumbent.[3] While a council member, Woolard pushed for more pedestrian-friendly zoning, and she won increased funding for sidewalks. She also chaired the city's Transportation Committee, and oversaw an expansion of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which had just become the busiest airport in the world.[2] In 2000, Woolard led her colleagues on the council to pass a local ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual-orientation, the first such ordinance in Georgia.[4]

In 2001, Woolard won a city-wide election for City Council President. Working closely with Mayor Shirley Franklin and urbanist Ryan Gravel, Woolard championed the Atlanta BeltLine, a project to transform abandoned rail-corridors circling downtown into mixed-use recreational trails and transit.[5] The project has since garnered over $1 billion in private development for the surrounding area.[6] She also made sustainability a priority, creating the city's first-ever energy policy which saved taxpayers more than $470,000, and she founded the "Dirty Dozen," a pilot program to fix the worst code violations in the city.[2][7]

Run for Congress and Non-Profit Activity

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In 2004, after serving two years of her term as city council president, Woolard entered the race to represent Georgia 4th district in United States House of Representatives, a seat that had been vacated by Denise Majette who had decided to run for the United States Senate seat. Woolard was defeated in the primary by the returning Cynthia McKinney, who then won in the general election.[5]

In 2008, Woolard was appointed as Executive Vice President of Global Advocacy and External Relations at CARE,[8] an Atlanta-based non-profit. She served in that capacity until 2010. She then worked as a professional advocate on behalf of Planned Parenthood and Georgia Equality, with whom she argued against a controversial "Religious Freedom" bill in Georgia that was eventually vetoed by Governor Nathan Deal.[9][10] Woolard also served as the interim director for AID Atlanta, an organization providing care for those suffering from HIV and AIDS.[9]

After the death of incumbent Congressman John Lewis, Woolard was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Lewis on the November general election ballot.[11]

2017 mayoral race

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Woolard was a candidate in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election, running on a platform of affordable housing and effective transportation.[12][13] Woolard placed third in the nonpartisan blanket primary. After this, she endorsed Mary Norwood in the runoff.[14]

Subsequent activities

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After the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the state of Georgia in the 2020 United States presidential election, Woolard served as a Georgia member of the 2020 United States Electoral College, casting her votes for Biden as president and Harris as vice president.[15]

In 2021, over the objections of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners appointed Woolard as chair of the Fulton County Board of Elections and Registration, succeeding Alex Wan to the role.[16][17] Woolard stepped down from the position in 2023, but returned to the role in April 2024 on an interim basis after her successor, Patrise Perkins-Hooker, was appointed as City Attorney for the City of Atlanta.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "LGBT activist Woolard: 'I'm going to run hard' for Atlanta mayor - Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta". Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  2. ^ a b c "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Cathy Woolard". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  3. ^ "LGBT activist tells friends she's running for Atlanta mayor". Project Q. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  4. ^ "Georgia | Freedom for All Americans". www.freedomforallamericans.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  5. ^ a b "4th Congressional District, Democratic primary". Archived from the original on 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  6. ^ "Economic Development Progress // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  7. ^ "History of Atlanta BeltLine Project in Public Roads Magazine // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  8. ^ "Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard to Join CARE". CARE. January 30, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Catching up ... with Atlanta's Cathy Woolard: On LGBT activism then and now, and a future political run? - Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta". Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta. 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  10. ^ "Cowardly Georgia Lawmakers Stage Surprise Hearing To Limit Input On Horrific Anti-Gay Bill". The New Civil Rights Movement. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  11. ^ "The process of replacing Rep. John Lewis in the US House". 11Alive.com. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  12. ^ "Cathy Woolard for Mayor". Cathy Woolard for Mayor. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  13. ^ "Cathy Woolard, Margaret Kaiser kick off 2017 mayoral race". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  14. ^ "Cathy Woolard endorses Mary Norwood for Atlanta mayor". thegavoice.com. November 29, 2017.
  15. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Meet Georgia's 16 Democratic electors". ajc.
  16. ^ "Board of Commissioners Appoints Cathy Woolard to Serve as Chair of Fulton Board of Registration & Elections". www.fultoncountyga.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  17. ^ Brasch, Ben. "Fulton elections chair resigns, qualifies for Atlanta council seat". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  18. ^ Reardon, Doug (2024-04-17). "Former Fulton elections board chair returns to helm just weeks ahead of statewide primary". www.atlantanewsfirst.com. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
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