When residents come to Atlanta City Council meetings to speak at public comment for the first time, they may be surprised to find themselves waiting over an hour to make their remarks. At the body’s last meeting of 2024 on Dec. 2, many found themselves waiting nearly three hours for their turn to speak.
That’s because council kicks off every meeting with proclamations — a chance to honor outstanding Atlantans and organizations for their contributions to the city.
But the awards process is often scrutinized for eating into time dedicated to the public, and sometimes forcing residents in a time crunch to leave before they get their opportunity to speak.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution review found council spent 23 hours on proclamations during its 21 meetings in 2024 — an average wait time of just over an hour during meetings that begin at 1 p.m.
City code limits the number of proclamations to five, but length varies significantly based on who is being honored and how many people want to speak to the award.
This year, council celebrated topics ranging from Arbor Day to Atlanta Fashion Week. And it honored high-profile politicos like Mayor Maynard Jackson and state Sen. Vincent Fort.
City Council President Doug Shipman told the AJC that proclamations are a way to recognize “unsung heroes” — upstanding community members who might not always get the spotlight.
“We’re trying to find the right balance,” Shipman said.
Lawmakers have questioned the proclamation process from time to time over the years. A 2023 ordinance would have moved the proclamation period to earlier in the day, but it failed to go anywhere.
In 2016, Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell stipulated that there would be only three proclamations per meeting that would run no longer than 15 minutes. And no council member could proclaim more than two per meeting.
Devin Barrington-Ward, a community organizer who finished third in the race for the citywide council seat last year, advocated getting rid of proclamations before meetings. He said the process can also sow distrust between elected officials and the public who may feel deterred from addressing City Council.
“It’s important that nothing impede the ability of the public to be able to comment on important issues that the city is deliberating and that’s impacting their lives,” Barrington-Ward said.
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Credit: Atlanta City Council Communications
Credit: Atlanta City Council Communications
With 2024 behind us, City Council members are beginning to announce reelection bids. Every seat on council — including the citywide seat recently filled by a special election — is up for grabs in 2025. The mayor is also up for reelection.
In August, longtime council member Howard Shook announced his retirement after more than 20 years in office. That means his seat, which represents some of the northernmost Atlanta neighborhoods, will likely attract a flurry of new candidates.
But other members are hoping to be reelected.
District 2 Council member Amir Farokhi, who represents portions of downtown, Midtown and the Old Fourth Ward, Little Five Points and Inman Park neighborhoods, already announced his reelection bid. He was first elected in 2017.
And District 1 Council member Jason Winston, who has served since 2022, is running for reelection. Winston’s district includes the Summerhill, Grant Park, Ormewood Park, Peoplestown and Chosewood Park neighborhoods.
District 5 Council member Liliana Bakhtiari also announced before the end of the year that she will be running again. Bakhtiari took office in 2022 and represents east Atlanta neighborhoods including Cabbagetown, Sweet Auburn, Reynoldstown, Edgewood and East Atlanta Village.
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