Cathy Woolard

Cathy Woolard
Atlanta City Council President
In office
2002–2004
Preceded by Robb Pitts
Succeeded by Lisa Borders
City Council Member, 6th District
In office
1997–2004
Personal details
Born (1957-05-10) May 10, 1957
Alma mater University of Georgia

Cathy Woolard (born May 10, 1957) is an American politician currently running for Mayor of Atlanta. She served on the Atlanta City Council for District 6 from November 1997 to 2004, and served as President of the Council from 2002 to 2004, being succeeded by Lisa Borders. 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

In 1979, Cathy Woolard graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Georgia, where she majored in psychology and minored in German.

Career

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

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]

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]

Woolard has announced that she will run for Mayor of Atlanta in the 2017 election,[11] saying that she will emphasize affordable housing and effective transportation.[12]

References

  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. 1 2 3 "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. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  4. ↑ "Georgia | Freedom for All Americans". www.freedomforallamericans.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  5. ↑ "4th Congressional District, Democratic primary". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  6. ↑ "Economic Development Progress // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  7. ↑ "History of Atlanta BeltLine Project in Public Roads Magazine // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  8. ↑ "Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard to Join CARE". CARE. January 30, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "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. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  11. ↑ "Cathy Woolard for Mayor". Cathy Woolard for Mayor. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Cathy Woolard, Margaret Kaiser kick off 2017 mayoral race | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
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