Cathy Woolard
![]() |
Cathy Woolard | |
---|---|
President of the Atlanta City Council | |
In office 2002–2004 | |
Preceded by | Robb Pitts |
Succeeded by | Lisa Borders |
Member of the Atlanta City Council from the 6th district | |
In office 1998–2002 | |
Personal details | |
Born | May 10, 1957 |
Alma mater | University 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]
Bildung
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
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 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
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]
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Cathy Woolard". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- ^ "LGBT activist tells friends she's running for Atlanta mayor". Project Q. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ "Georgia | Freedom for All Americans". www.freedomforallamericans.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ^ a b "4th Congressional District, Democratic primary". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ^ "Economic Development Progress // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
- ^ "History of Atlanta BeltLine Project in Public Roads Magazine // Atlanta BeltLine". beltline.org. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- ^ "Former Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard to Join CARE". CARE. January 30, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Cowardly Georgia Lawmakers Stage Surprise Hearing To Limit Input On Horrific Anti-Gay Bill". The New Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ "The process of replacing Rep. John Lewis in the US House". 11Alive.com. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "Cathy Woolard for Mayor". Cathy Woolard for Mayor. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Cathy Woolard endorses Mary Norwood for Atlanta mayor". thegavoice.com. November 29, 2017.
External links
- Atlanta City Council members
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Lesbian politicians
- LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state)
- LGBT city councillors from the United States
- Women city councillors in Georgia (U.S. state)
- University of Georgia alumni
- 2020 United States presidential electors
- Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats
- 21st-century American women