Page 8
February 2018
GOVERNMENT
STONECREST’S AMBITIOUS
PURSUIT OF AMAZON
STARTING TO PAY OFF
By Jonathan Moore starting to yield positive results.
he list of cities for Amazon’s
new headquarters has been
cut to twenty and Atlanta
is included. The city of Stonecrest
is excited because the list not only
includes the city proper but all of
metro Atlanta. Last year Stonecrest
made waves and garnered national
media attention with its aggressive
bid for the new development and
they feel that their efforts are To win the bid would be a
transformational boost to the
economy. Amazon is creating
50,000 jobs for the headquarters
alone. According NBC news,
many of the new jobs would pay in
excess of $100,000 per year.
T
To set themselves apart, the
city of Stonecrest used unusual
marketing tactics to stand out
from the large list of competitors.
In October last year, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution (AJC) ran
a story announcing that the city
has offered to de-annex 345 acres
of land and re-name it “Amazon,
Georgia.” However they didn’t
stop there. Stonecrest employed a
Seattle-based marketing company
to use ‘geo-fencing’ technology
to reach Amazon executives with
a targeted ad. The ads were only
visible to those on the Amazon
property at the current Seattle
headquarters.
Jason Lary (left) and
Kiecha Lance Bottoms (right)
A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY, AN ARMADILLO
RACE AND THE MAYORAL ADDRESS
will be carried on by Mayor Evans.
Mayor Mills also stated that Blair
Barksdale would be sworn in as a
council woman. He remarked that
he remembers when Blair’s mother
wittingly alluded to Chris being
old but honored his commitment
to this community. Bowen was a
leader in the endeavor of building
the Georgia International Horse
O
n the night of Wednesday,
January 10th, I walked into
a room full of beautifully
dressed business men and women,
government officials and their
families. People were talking and
laughing while drinking their
beverages and enjoying the event
hall of the Cherokee Run Club
House. The event, A Celebration
of Community was exactly that,
Community. Community came out
to celebrate the people who have
worked hard to make Conyers a
thriving city. The night began with
Mayor Randy Mills saying that he
had the “dubious honor for the last
time to call this meeting to order.”
Highlights of the night included the
transition of the mayor, new council
members,
honoring
outgoing
council members and honoring the
outgoing mayor.
Mayor Randy Mills opened
with his handing over mayoral
responsibilities to Mayor Elect,
Vince Evans. He told a story about
his drive in the morning and how
beautiful the sunrise looked. He
said, “We are in great shape and
as the sun rises tomorrow, this
community is going to be in great
shape with the leadership we have.”
Mayor Mills passed the baton to
his long-time friend to take the
city into the next steps of growth.
The companionship between these
two men was astounding. The City
of Conyers should feel secure in
knowing that the vision of Conyers
MLK DAY RECOGNITION
was pregnant with her. He has
obviously has known this family
for a some time and commented that
Blair grew up on Main Street in Olde
Town. Jacob Bailey, from Beasleys
Pharmacy in Olde Town also joined
the City Council after being an
important part of this community for
many years. The two new members
will be a valuable addition to the
city council. Jacob Bailey with his
business minded perspective and
Blair Barksdale with her perspective
as a young woman. This council is
going to be a force to be reckoned
with.
Chris Bowen “rolled off,” Gerald
Hinesley announced, from city
council after 27 years of service. “I
guess you could say that tonight is
the end of a 27 year error,” Hinesley
quipped. He corrected himself
and said he meant to say era. He
Park. He also played a primary role
in the parks and trail systems in
Conyers and Hinesley said that it
has been his honor and privilege to
serve with Chris. “After serving 27
years, Chris Bowen is rolling off this
council having made it and this city
much better than when he got here.”
Thank you Chris Bowen for your
hard work and dedication.
Cleveland Stroud began his speech
by saying most would believe that
there is some sophisticated thought
process that goes into choosing the
mayor. He said that it was not the
case for the selection of Mayor Mills.
He joked about a certain armadillo
race which was the determining
factor for Mills becoming mayor
20 years ago. Stroud said, “True
Story!” When Mayor Charles
Walker decided to not run for re-
election, the City Council members
Stonecrest has not only created
buzz in the national media; they
have also caught the attention of the
state’s economic and development
at the time decided one of them
should take Walker’s place as mayor
for continuity of the spirit cultivated
by the Council over the years. They
decided they would settle the debate
with an armadillo race while on
a retreat in Texas. The armadillo
picked by Randy Mills won the
race and that was it. Stroud sai