Meet Catherine Rowell, District 1 City Council Candidate, South Fulton

Hi, I am Catherine Foster Rowell a City of South Fulton Council District 1 candidate. As a city council hopeful and18 year South Fulton resident, I believe it is critically important that our inaugural set of City Council members understand government and adopt best practices to ensure that there is a solid operational and governance framework to develop and grow our city. I also look forward to working with our neighboring municipalities to spur quality growth across South Fulton County.

My platform focus includes Public Safety, Health & Well-Being, Economic Development and Government Transparency & Fiscal Responsibility. I possess a wealth of corporate, government and non-profit experience that is directly relevant to the work that will be required to stand up our new city and transition the Special Services Tax District services over to the City of South Fulton.

I started my public servant career as an intern in Atlanta City Government during the third term of the late Maynard Jackson in the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Affairs and my last assignment was working directly with managing government procurement with Enterprise Community Partners. Additionally, I hold dual bachelor degrees in Social Work and Sociology from Cleveland State University, a Master of Public Administration in Urban Management and a doctorate in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University.

It is important to me that our city values citizen participation, fiscal responsibility and government transparency. I believe that all of our neighbors deserve a “seat at the table” to engage in the process and help shape the vision and direction of our newly incorporated city. As your Councilwoman, I will make it a priority to listen to the needs of my constituents and keep those interests at the forefront when making decisions. I embrace an open door policy and being accessible to the people I would be privileged to represent in District 1.

I look forward to using my experience in urban planning and community development to expand the opportunities that will allow our families to live, work and play. As a new city, there are many potential revenue sources we can seek that were not identified in the 2014 City of South Fulton feasibility study. I will work to identify federal and state funding sources to improve public safety; enhance our parks, recreation centers and green space; address aging housing stock; and improve lighting across the footprint of our new city.

Election Day is March 21, 2017, but the early voting period begins February 27 than runs through March 17, 2017. You can find more information about my platform, qualifications, supporters and ways to get involved in my campaign at http://www.electfosterrowell.com and like my facebook page @electfosterrowell.