Morgan Says South Cobb Redevelopment Is, Has Been Her Focus

Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan has served as South Cobb's District 39 House Representative for a decade, and is seeking to serve another term. The 33-year-old mother lives in Austell with her husband, Cobb Board of Education Vice Chairman David Morgan, and their son, Rashan and daughter, Lailah. She has lived in South Cobb for 12 years.

She is a small business owner, published author, and frequent lecturer and trainer in the area of leadership development. She was also the youngest female representative to ever serve in Georgia's House of Representatives when she was elected at 23.

South Cobb Patch asked her to tell readers a little more about herself, her experience in office and plans for the future.

Why did you decide to run for District 39 House Representative?

I am proud to have served District 39 for the last 10 years. I decided to seek re-election to continue my efforts improve our education system, make our communities safer, and to improve the quality of life by increasing economic opportunities individuals and small businesses.  I care deeply about my South Cobb community and the future of our community. As a mother and wife, I want to continue to work to make South Cobb a great place to raise a family.

What do you bring to the table that would make you the best candidate for this position?

I bring a decade of legislative knowledge and experience from having served in the House of Representatives.  In a House controlled by Republicans, few Democrats have been able to pass meaningful legislation.  I am proud to reach across the aisle to find ways to collaborate with my colleagues on the other side of the political spectrum without compromising my Democratic values.  I also bring an unbridled passion, tenacity and work ethic to help create the community we wish to see. I refuse to rest until we have the changes we desire in our community. I have provided leadership and helped forge community partnerships through organizations such as the Six Flags-Austell Council on Opportunity Zone and the newly created South Cobb Redevelopment Authority.  Lastly, but most importantly, I bring an understanding of the needs and desires of the community.  Over the course of my service to the district, I have held more than 100 town hall meetings where I have heard our community’s concerns, communicated with constituents about my work in the legislature and have created community programming that meets the needs of young people and families in the community. I maintain open lines of communication with important community organizations such as the Mableton Improvement Coalition and the Austell Community Task Force, and continue to be accessible to everyone I have the privilege to serve.

Give specific examples of ways you have helped an organization/project be successful.

The last two years I have focused much of my energy in pushing for redeveloping the South Cobb Community. I co-sponsored legislation to create the South Cobb Redevelopment Authority and made appointments to that body in partnership with other Cobb delegation members and County commissioners. As a result of these efforts, a coalition of people from the local, state and federal level, we have a South Cobb redevelopment plan that includes major improvements for the Mableton and Austell areas.

I have also chaired South Cobb’s Council on Opportunity Zone (COZ), which is collaboration of community organizations funded by the United Way.  COZ takes a holistic, community-based approach directed toward a common vision to help address problems affecting families. I helped secure over $70,000 dollars for this effort with a continued investment over a 3-year period.  With these monies we will be able to help more than 100 families in the Six Flags area in the areas of Education, Health, and Income.

What are the three top challenges facing the South Cobb community? How will you tackle them and implement solutions to these challenges?

I believe the most important challenges all residents in my district face are ensuring every child receives a high quality education, redevelopment of South Cobb, and ensuring that we protect our communities from threats to our quality of life such as crime and becoming a dumping ground for municipal solid waste. My proposed solutions include making wholesale changes to the public education system that include having an effective teacher in every classroom, rigorous and relevant curriculum, creating school cultures that have high expectations for all children and a welcoming environment to parents.  I also believe in empowering parents by offering alternatives within our public education system such as charter schools.  Having a charter school option puts decision making in parents’ hands recognizing that one-size-fits-all education is not suitable for all children. I believe we have an obligation make sure all children receive an education that works for them.
In the area of redevelopment, it is key to establish public private partnerships and get community buy in with a vision for what the community wants for our future. We must take steps to continue to attract economic opportunities for individuals and businesses.  To this end, I will continue to support the newly created South Cobb Redevelopment Authority and the South Cobb Redevelopment plan.  We need to spur greater economic development in South Cobb.  The South Cobb Development authority is working to implement a South Cobb Implementation Strategy, a combination of plans to improve the Mableton, Six Flags Drive and River Line areas.  I also support creating tax allocation districts for Mableton and the Six Flags area.

Why do you live in South Cobb?

I am proud to live in South Cobb because of who we are as a community. I constantly brag about the shared vision residents have to create a community that is strong, where individuals and families are engaged and love how so many of us are willing to roll up our sleeves and get the work done. Our best attribute as a community, is our ability to work together with faith, non-profit, resident, business and government agencies to achieve whatever goal we set. I also continue to live in South Cobb because I see the potential. I love the community feel we have. While we work to get a grocery store and other basic amenities, and strengthen our schools, I still have great appreciation for being able to get my favorite things like R Jabs Wings or Ms. Ella’s delicious cakes in Mableton, get my hair braided on Six Flags Drive and support local businesses. I attend the best church, Destiny World Church and cherish familial relationships with individuals, businesses, churches, non-profit organizations who help make up who we are as a community. My husband and I have chosen South Cobb as our home and plan to continue to raise our family here.

What is your overall vision for South Cobb?

My overall vision for South Cobb is a strong community that is engaged, education and empowered. I envision a community that has been overlooked for so long with booming businesses such as shopping areas, entertainment centers that include a movie theatre and more activities to complement Six Flags Park, a grocery store and bank in the Six Flags area, parks and green space throughout Mableton and Austell, and excellent schools. We are on our way to achieving this vision because of the “all hands on deck” attitude we possess and our ability to find the resources we need to make it happen.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I am also proud of the work we’ve done through my office to meet the needs of families in the district. Since 2007, we have graduated almost 50 students who attend Pebblebrook and South Cobb High schools from the Saturdays with My State Rep’ program. I saw the need for more out of school time activities for teenagers as well as the need to develop their personal and leadership skills. I designed the Saturdays program, recruit community leaders and together we work with participants over a 7 week period. We cover topics such as Healthy Relationship, Entrepreneurship, Financial Management, Resume Writing and Interviewing Skills, College Success and numerous others. We have found great success in providing this free program to students in our community and are helping to give them skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

This year, my husband and I created the Morgan Family Scholarship. Through this effort, we will award scholarships to students who attend Pebblebrook and South Cobb High schools to assist in achieving their goals to obtain a higher education. We didn’t want finances to be an obstacle for our students and want to invest in their aspirations.

In both these instances, we have identified gaps and sought to fill them. These aren’t necessarily programs that are within the job description of a State Representative. I believe strongly in going beyond the call of duty to serve my community. Through these programs and others we are helping to meet the needs of families and providing true public service.

How would you rate Morgan's performance while in office? Do you plan to vote for Morgan in the upcoming election? Tell us below in the comments.