DOCSLIB.ORG

Little Town, Layered Ecosystem

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Little Town, Layered Ecosystem Kauffman Foundation Research Series on City, Metro, and Regional Entrepreneurship Little Town, Layered Ecosystem: A CASE STUDY OF CHATTANOOGA Yasuyuki Motoyama Emily Fetsch Chris Jackson Jason Wiens February 2016 The authors would like to thank Dane Stangler for his helpful comments, Michelle St. Clair for her scheduling and travel assistance, Lacey Graverson for her editorial assistance, and Ken Hays and Nancy Tucker for their assistance in coordinating interviews. ©2016 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. All rights reserved. LITTLE toWN, layeRED ECOSYSTEM: A case study OF chattanooga EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Little Town, Layered Ecosystem: A CASE STUDY OF CHATTANOOGA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY implications for the ‘recipe’ in the context of the ecosystem of entrepreneurship. The web of In 2010, Chattanooga was the first city to launch relationships between each layer and each organization a fiber-optic Internet network that provided residents work to make a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem. with high-speed Internet. Chattanooga has welcomed The objective of this paper is to analyze those ‘recipe’ this new addition to their infrastructure and has used roles that mayors could play in the context it to recognize and recruit entrepreneurs to start of promoting an entrepreneurship ecosystem. businesses in their city. We find this development is based on Chattanooga’s deep history of collaboration In particular, we summarize the mayoral roles in and public-private partnerships that have been four parts: instrumental in spearheading the entrepreneurial movement in the city and the development of an • Be a cheerleader by discussing the importance entrepreneurial ecosystem. The case of Chattanooga of entrepreneurship and recognizing demonstrates entrepreneurial growth as an economic successful local entrepreneurs and by development strategy, which has piqued the interests informally attending entrepreneurship- of community leaders in Chattanooga. We explore the related events. community leaders’ work throughout the paper. • Identify major players who are involved in More specifically, we identified three layers of and supporting entrepreneurship, map them intertwined supporting organizations in Chattanooga: out, and cultivate relationships by periodically 1) two philanthropic foundations, 2) four direct meeting with them. entrepreneurship support organizations, and 3) four • Establish an entrepreneurship committee or organizations in the public sector, including the mayor’s task force to set the vision of the city. office. • Convene and broker entrepreneurship The analysis of these major support organizations supporters, including nonprofit organizations, both makes a list of ‘ingredients’ and provides local anchor companies, and local universities. LITTLE toWN, layeRED ECOSYSTEM: A case study OF chattanooga | 1 growth strategy. One interviewee noted how the goal 1. INTRODUCTION AND of using the Gig as a sweetener for existing firms to BACKGROUND move to Chattanooga did not pan out and the growth through entrepreneurship happened organically. 1.1 The Gig and the Innovation He says: District “What the Gig did was say, ‘You’re first One physical vision of how entrepreneurship in something technology-related.’ Now is started is by a spark of inspiration, sometimes everybody says, ‘We have to stay first, we have between coworkers, sometimes in the classroom, to do something.’ It really wasn’t the idea that sometimes in the shower. Once that spark is lit, the we’re going to focus on entrepreneurship. thought is it will carry individuals through all the The idea was we’re going to get [the Gig] challenges they face. Of course, not all entrepreneurs and we’re going to get all these huge fit this fantastic archetype. But a similar story can be businesses, and then when it didn’t happen, made for entrepreneurial ecosystems, local systems entrepreneurship was the backup plan. I say around entrepreneurs and their supporters. One spark, that not to degrade entrepreneurship, but to whether it is an unexpected shock, a specific success be realistic … that sometimes your backup story, or an intentional effort, can change the attitude plan is your best plan. You just didn’t know 1 and trajectory of entrepreneurship in a region. it yet.” While such events are not common, it can The bookend of this time period as it relates to be argued that the entrepreneurial ecosystem in entrepreneurship support in Chattanooga lies in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, felt one of those shocks in new Innovation District, recently opened. Creating a 2010 when the city debuted the Gig, a one-gigabit single location or area where people can congregate fiber Internet service, to residents and businesses. The and find resources, get advice, or combine skills is Gig’s genesis was in EPB, the Electric Power Board, after Chattanooga’s attempt to capitalize on the success it city leaders wanted to know how EPB could do more has seen since the arrival of the Gig. The Innovation for the city. Through this push, the development of District also aims to ensure the spirit of innovation the modern Chattanooga entrepreneurial ecosystem and entrepreneurship remains a part of the fabric of started, collecting the existing efforts from foundations Chattanooga. By purchasing and revitalizing the Edney and individuals and acting as the impetus for a number building in downtown Chattanooga as the first physical of entrepreneur support organizations. location of the Innovation District and convening entrepreneurship support organizations to be part The Gig, while acting as a catalyst for of the District, Chattanooga is deliberately nurturing entrepreneurship over the past seven years, was not the inputs that contribute to a growth-friendly developed with entrepreneurship as the accompanying entrepreneurial ecosystem. What Chattanooga’s future The Gig, while acting as a catalyst for entrepreneurship over the past seven years, was not developed with entrepreneurship as the accompanying growth strategy. 1. Public Organization A. 2 | LITTLE toWN, layeRED ECOSYSTEM: A case study OF chattanooga INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The legacy of the Coca-Cola bottling company continues today through the Lyndhurst and Benwood philanthropic foundations, which were begun by the company’s founders and their family members. holds for entrepreneurs is still to be determined, lessons learned from Chattanooga for others, especially but the infrastructure is developing to facilitate for mayors and their offices. entrepreneurial growth. However, throughout this report, we perceive that 1.2 History this creation of the Gig, the Innovation District, and the The emerging changes to the entrepreneurial opening of the Edney Building is a process, not an end environment in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reflect its of efforts to promote entrepreneurship. It is a process rich entrepreneurial history. Today, Chattanooga is because myriad layers of organizations are involved, a city of 173,366 and a metro area of 528,143. It is and the designation and purchase by the public sector, positioned 120 miles northwest of Atlanta and though important, only shows a partial picture of the 120 miles southeast of Nashville. entrepreneurship scene in Chattanooga. It is also a process because the establishment of the Innovation An Early Entrepreneurial Spirit District is a tool to promote entrepreneurial efforts in Chattanooga. When the train came to Chattanooga in 1850, Chattanooga became an important location for In this report, our primary goal is to shed light both corn and cotton industries.2 At the turn of on who was involved in the process and on the broad the twentieth century, Chattanooga was again able spectrum of entrepreneurship promoters and their to capitalize on its geography to create economic efforts. We start with a brief historical review of opportunities. In 1899, three Chattanoogans acquired Chattanooga, because the roots of the entrepreneurial exclusive rights to bottle3 Coca-Cola. The bottling players go back at least a century and are related to company grew to be one of the primary economic several historical moments. Second, we classify and drivers in Chattanooga, strengthening the local explain types of entrepreneurship support groups, economy. The legacy of the Coca-Cola bottling namely, local foundations, direct support organizations, company continues today through the Lyndhurst and the public sector. The third section analyzes the and Benwood philanthropic foundations, which role of the mayor’s office and the public sector in were begun by the company’s founders and their developing an environment for entrepreneurship in family members. Chattanooga. The fourth section explores migration patterns and the reasons the entrepreneurs and But Coca-Cola was not the only business in town. entrepreneurship supporters chose Chattanooga. The Manufacturing continued to grow, including the fifth and final section lays out the implications and iron-making industry. By the 1920s, “Chattanooga 2. The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.2010. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=226. 3. Ibid. LITTLE toWN, layeRED ECOSYSTEM: A case study OF chattanooga | 3 was second in the country in the production of passage of the Clean Air Act, the major challenges steam boilers and hosiery products.”4 In addition, facing Chattanooga’s environmental well-being were Chattanooga had entered into the life insurance addressed. In addition to increased environmental industry with Provident Life and Accident Insurance action, many of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Quick Guide for CCC Social Posts This Document Is Meant to Be Used As a Guide for Your Organization’S Social Media Posts Throughout the Next Several Months
    Quick Guide for CCC Social Posts This document is meant to be used as a guide for your organization’s social media posts throughout the next several months. You’ll find the topic of the post, a long caption for social media platforms without a character limit, a short caption for social media platforms with a character limit, a suggested image, and the purpose of the post. If you want, you can just directly copy/paste each of these captions and use them exactly like they are in the document. This tool is meant to make your organization’s Census social posts as easy as possible! With that said, you can make any modifications you feel necessary. You can modify captions to make it more consistent with your other social posts and you can also change the photo if you have another one. Helpful tips: ● Make sure you have some type of call to action in your posts ​ ​ ○ Text CHA Census to 97779 ○ Text CHA Censo to 97779 ○ Website- http://connect.chattanooga.gov/census2020 ​ ● Add hashtags to extend your reach ​ ○ #2020Census ○ #CHAcounts ● Tag relevant accounts/partner accounts ○ Instagram ■ @uscensusbureau ■ @andy_berke ■ @cityofchattanooga ○ Twitter ■ @uscensusbureau ■ @AndyBerke ■ @chattanooga_gov Topic of Post Long Caption Short Caption Suggested Image Post Purpose (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Etc.) (Twitter) We are excited to announce that we have partnered with @cityofchattanooga and @andy_berke to support the #2020Census!As a partner, we'll be working to ensure that our https://www.census. community is accurately represented.To pledge We are excited to announce that we've gov/content/dam/Census/part to get counted, text CHA Census to 97779 or partnered with @cityofchattanooga to support nerships/2020/social-media- Announcing your partnership with City visit http://connect.chattanooga.
    [Show full text]
  • Tennessee Mayors Growing Civic Engagement
    J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 tennessee mayors growing civic engagement H O W L O C A L L E A D E R S C A N L E V E R A G E T H E I R O F F I C E T O E N G A G E V O T E R S introduction For over a decade, Tennessee has consistently trailed most other states in voter registration and turnout. Participation in local elections is particularly low: Voter turnout fell below 25 percent in recent elections in our state's four largest cities. As a state with a proud civic history, Tennessee has an important opportunity to examine practices, from election administration to civic engagement, that may offer room for improvement. Systemic reforms, such as policies that modernize and secure election machines and voter- registration databases, are critical, but so too are efforts that better connect voters to their communities and elected representatives. Although state leaders, election officials, community groups and individual residents all have roles to play, city and county mayors are uniquely suited to promote civic engagement at the community level. This report highlights Tennessee Mayors Growing Civic Engagment (TMGCE), a new cohort of city and county mayors who collectively committed to making civic engagement a priority in their communities. Within these pages, readers will learn why mayors are well-placed to lead civic engagement efforts, be able to review specific examples from the participating Tennessee leaders and have access to tools and templates to build a civic-engagement action plan all their own.
    [Show full text]
  • KILLIAN Key USAO Staff
    bâàá|wx \ÇyÉÜÅxÜ Newsletter of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Tennessee Volume 1, Issue 4 NEWS FROM U.S ATTORNEY Fall 2014 WILLIAM C. “BILL” KILLIAN Key USAO Staff As I enter my fifth year as the United States Attorney, I William C. “Bill” Killian continue to marvel at the work and accomplishments of U.S. Attorney not only the staff and Assistant United States Attorneys, but also the agents the various federal, local and state Nancy Stallard Harr agencies who bring the matters to us. The cooperation of First Assistant U.S. Attorney these agencies, with our office and with each other is ex- emplary. This district remains one of the best, in which to Steven H-Cook work. In addition to successfully prosecuting criminal Criminal Chief cases, and prosecuting or defending civil cases, the staff Loretta Harber continues to provide instruction not only at the National Civil Chief Advocacy Center, but also throughout the communities of East Tennessee for various outreach programs, including police and law en- David Jennings forcement instruction, civil rights, human trafficking, re-entry, and others. Deputy Criminal Chief Knoxville We continue to add to our staff people who will further the Mission, and also help provide the necessary atmosphere, resources, and support in order to ac- Charles E. Atchley, Jr. complish the mission. The challenge is to continue to provide an atmosphere Deputy Criminal Chief that promotes collegiality, good morale, and quality representation for the Unit- National Security Unit ed States of America in the Eastern District of Tennessee. We not only want to be proud of the work that we do, but we want the people of East Tennessee to Robert Reeves Supervisory AUSA be proud of our work.
    [Show full text]
  • May 15, 2015 Issue
    BUILDING PERMITS / FORECLOSURES / PUBLIC NOTICES KAY’S COOKING CORNER REALTORS’ NIGHT AT THE LOOKOUTS P5 P10 P11 Volume 102 | No. 20 HAMILTON COUNTY Single Copy 50¢ CHATTANOOGA, HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE May 15-21, 2015 H EVENT CALENDAR Filmmaker Amy Oppenheimer Attorney reaching new to speak e Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga will milestones personally, host a luncheon featuring filmmaker Amy Oppen- heimer on Tuesday, May 19 at noon at the Jewish Cultural professionally Center, located at 5461 North Terrace Road. Oppenheimer By David Laprad himself enjoying English and history is the director of “Faces of more than science and math as a student Israel” and an expert speaker A casual examination of the life of at the University of Virginia. He retained on religion and state issues in attorney Drew Reynolds will reveal a his interest in health care, though, and Israel. RSVP by calling 493- 0270 or rsvp@jewishchatta- young man who has made well-consid- after graduating from the College of Law nooga.com. ered and intelligent decisions. His recent at the University of Tennessee at Knox- Buying local on a budget purchase of his first home was a signifi- ville and securing a job at Spears Moore cant personal milestone, for example. in Chattanooga, he was able to engage Crabtree Farms will host Becoming a partner at Spears, Moore, the industry in a way he hadn’t antici- a class about buying local Rebman & Williams at the beginning of pated while growing up. goods on a budget Friday, 2014 was a landmark moment for him as “When I came here, I began working May 22 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • At a Glance: State and City Action on Covid-19 April 21, 2020, 4:00 PM ET
    At A Glance: State and City Action on Covid-19 April 21, 2020, 4:00 PM ET There has already been significant differences between state and local governments over the imposition of mandatory shelter in place orders, the need for social distancing and the definition of “essential” and “non-essential” businesses and workers. And now we are seeing similar conflicts over the easing of these public health restrictions and the reopening of businesses. Reopening starts with the South Southern governors – with the exceptions of the governors of North Carolina and Kentucky – met by phone last Friday to discuss plans for reopening the region. The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Mississippi who were among the last in the nation to issue statewide stay at home restrictions are among the first to lift restrictions. Georgia Governor Kemp has set the most aggressive reopening course, announcing Monday (April 20) he will ​ allow gyms, barber shops, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys, among other businesses, to reopen on Friday. He said theaters and dine-in restaurants would be permitted to resume activity on April 27. And he will allow the statewide shelter-in-place order to expire at the end of the month. Kemp, in his remarks Monday, stressed that ​ his directive overrides local orders, saying, “Local action cannot be taken that is more or less restrictive.” ​ Georgia has reported nearly 20,000 cases and 775 deaths. o Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) condemned the decision. “More than 19,000 Georgians have tested positive for covid-19 and the numbers continue to increase,” she said in a statement.
    [Show full text]
  • Spring 2016 3 »New Media
    the magazine of Southern Adventist University fall 2015 spring 2016 Sacred Spaces Inspirational places and intentional programming help students recharge and reconnect with God. Page 20 7 $50 Million Capital Campaign Launched | 14 Farewell to Gordon Bietz | 24 Food and Friendships at Southern A Vision Realized The Bietz Legacy Event on April 28 served as much more than a farewell to President Gordon Bietz at the conclusion of his transcendent 19-year tenure. True, the occasion had its fair share of tearful moments, but students, employees, family, and friends who filled the gymnasium to capacity left with a spring in their steps, smiles on their faces, and hearts filled with hope. Witnessing the rich retrospective of such a Christ-centered career provides deep inspiration that even retirement can’t dampen. Southern will be blessed by Bietz’s vision for years to come as initiatives he championed continue to take root and bear fruits in the lives of students. To view the event recording, visit southern.edu/columns. 2 Columns contents 20 14 24 features departments 14 | O Captain! My Captain! 4 | New Media After nearly two decades of guiding the university and 6 | Headlines 13 additional years as senior pastor for its campus church, 11 | Mission Minute President Gordon Bietz has retired. His enormous impact 12 | Professor Inspiration on our Southern community—physically and financially, 27 | Alumni Q&A spiritually and emotionally—is undeniable. 28 | Beyond the Columns 20 | Sacred Spaces 31 | The Word Worship occurs anywhere we connect deeply with the Savior. Despite this divine flexibility, many Christians are creatures of habit with a handful of locations that unlock our hearts to His leading more than others.
    [Show full text]
  • Building the Gigabit City a Planning Guide Vol
    Building the Gigabit City A Planning Guide Vol. 2.0 Craig J Settles Compliments of Calix and Pulse Broadband Building the Gigabit City A Planning Guide, Vol. 2.0 Copyright © 2015 by Craig Settles Distributed by Smashwords All rights reserved. No part of this book Shelby used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in body in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encouraged the piracy copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com This is dedicated to the doctors, nurses and rehab specialist of Alameda Hospital, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and Rehab Without Walls. These folks are true miracle workers. Table of Contents Introduction 1. Unfair Competition? Nope. Community Broadband Is a Vital Asset 2. Success Breeds Success 3. The Business Case for Broadband 4. Broadband & Economic Development - Don’t Miss the Boat 5. Making the Case for Education and Healthcare 6. Create an Effective Project Team and Steering Committee 7. Getting To the Heart of the Matter - the Needs Assessment 8. The Mindset Driving Successful Broadband Fundraising 9. Show Me the (Hidden) Money for Broadband 10. The Many Communities Can Own Broadband Ways Infrastructure 11. Nonprofit and Co-op in operation 12. The Great Thing about Marketing Is… It Works! 13. Customer Service - Marketing By Another Name 14. Building Consensus Introduction: A stroke of insight about community broadband “What do you, I had a stroke?!” I’m a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 = death, I was hovering around 6 or 7 when they rolled me into the Emergency Room.
    [Show full text]
  • GEXA Newsletter
    GEXA QUARTERLY REPORT Monthly Email Newsletter curated by our top Editors NATIONAL Presidential Scandal: The United States federal government is heading towards an impeachment investigation for the first time in 21 years. In late September, President Donald Trump released the transcript of a phone call he had conducted recently with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In this conversation, Trump appears to have attempted to negotiate a deal with Zelenskiy that involved the Ukrainian government investigating Joe Biden and his family. This investigation would have the intention of discovering material pertaining to Biden that would benefit Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Along with this aspect of the phone call, Trump also mentions that the United States is withholding military funds meant for Ukraine. At first, he claimed that he withheld the military aid because of corruption in Ukraine, but then quickly changed his reason to his belief that other European countries need to pay more money to Ukraine instead.Democrats have filed articles of impeachment against Trump because of this conversation concerning a pressure campaign against Biden. Some Democrats in support of impeachment think that Trump’s actions towards Ukraine were not proper but they were still legal. Others believe that his actions were illegal on all levels of the spectrum. After CBS News conducted a new poll, 55% of Americans now believe that Trump should be impeached because of his actions. At the latest, the American public will know of Trump’s impeachment (or lack thereof) by the end of the 2019 calendar year. No More Treaty: In other news besides impeachment, President Trump during his 2nd year in office had treaty talks with both the leader of North Korea, and the independent leaders of the Taliban.
    [Show full text]
  • All (Mayoral) Politics Is Local?
    All (Mayoral) Politics is Local? Sanmay Das∗ Betsy Sinclair† Steven W. Webster‡ Hao Yan§¶ June 28, 2021 Abstract One of the defining characteristics of modern politics in the United States is the increasing nationalization of elite- and voter-level behavior. Relying on measures of electoral vote shares, previous research has found evidence indicating a significant amount of state-level nationalization. Using an alternative source of data { the political rhetoric used by mayors, state governors, and Members of Congress on Twitter { we examine and compare the amount of between-office nationalization throughout the federal system. We find that gubernatorial rhetoric closely matches that of Members of Congress but that there are substantial differences in the topics and content of mayoral speech. These results suggest that, on average, American mayors have largely remained focused on their local mandate. More broadly, our findings suggest a limit to which American politics has become nationalized { in some cases, all politics remains local. Keywords: mayors, nationalization, Twitter, rhetoric Running title: All (Mayoral) Politics is Local? (28 characters) ∗Professor, Department of Computer Science, George Mason University. [email protected]. †Professor, Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis. [email protected]. ‡Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Indiana University. [email protected]. §Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis. [email protected]. ¶Authors are listed in alphabetical order. Supplementary material for this article is available in the appendix in the online edition. Replication files are available in the JOP Data Archive on Dataverse (http: //thedata.harvard.edu/dvn/dv/jop). The empirical analysis has been successfully replicated by the JOP replication analyst.
    [Show full text]
  • Let Your Voice Be Heard Candidate Forum for City Council & the Chattanooga Mayor • January 11, 2017
    Let your voice be heard Candidate forum for City Council & the Chattanooga Mayor • January 11, 2017 Mayoral CANDIDATES Andy Berke Andy Berke was elected Mayor of Chattanooga in 2013. As Mayor, Andy worked to expand educational opportunities, invest in downtown, and expand the auto sector by bringing a second Volkswagon line to the city. Chattanooga has added nearly 8,000 new jobs and has had the third-highest wage growth of any mid-sized city in the country. Our police force is larger than ever and crime is down ten percent. Unemployment is less than half of what it was when Andy fi rst took offi ce and there has been billions of dollars in development downtown. Andy is running for re-election to build on this success, continuing to empower all Chattanoogans to succeed, giving them more paths to the middle class, improving quality of life, and investing in our future. He will expand and improve programs that help Chattanoogans fi nd jobs and gain the skills they need to compete in the twenty-fi rst century, invest more in our young people and education, and ensure everyone has a high quality of life, no matter what neighborhood they live in. Andy is married to Monique Prado Berke. Andy and Monique have two daughters: Hannah, who is in 10th grade, and Orly, a 7th grader. Chris Long A life-long Chattanoogan, is married, and has one son. Chris understands the value of hard work, integrity, and loyalty. A thirty plus year small business owner, Chris has been a former builder and personally helped to change the landscape for our city.
    [Show full text]
  • Tennessee Mayors Growing Civic Engagement
    J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 tennessee mayors growing civic engagement H O W L O C A L L E A D E R S C A N L E V E R A G E T H E I R O F F I C E T O E N G A G E V O T E R S introduction For over a decade, Tennessee has consistently trailed most other states in voter registration and turnout. Participation in local elections is particularly low: Voter turnout fell below 25 percent in recent elections in our state's four largest cities. As a state with a proud civic history, Tennessee has an important opportunity to examine practices, from election administration to civic engagement, that may offer room for improvement. Systemic reforms, such as policies that modernize and secure election machines and voter- registration databases, are critical, but so too are efforts that better connect voters to their communities and elected representatives. Although state leaders, election officials, community groups and individual residents all have roles to play, city and county mayors are uniquely suited to promote civic engagement at the community level. This report highlights Tennessee Mayors Growing Civic Engagment (TMGCE), a new cohort of city and county mayors who collectively committed to making civic engagement a priority in their communities. Within these pages, readers will learn why mayors are well-placed to lead civic engagement efforts, be able to review specific examples from the participating Tennessee leaders and have access to tools and templates to build a civic-engagement action plan all their own.
    [Show full text]
  • At a Glance: April 23, 2020 (PDF)
    At A Glance: State and City Action on Covid-19 April 23, 2020, 1:00 PM ET There has already been significant differences between state and local governments over the imposition of mandatory shelter in place orders, the need for social distancing and the definition of “essential” and “non-essential” businesses and workers. And now we are seeing similar conflicts over the easing of these public health restrictions and the reopening of businesses. Reopening starts with the South Southern governors – with the exceptions of the governors of North Carolina and Kentucky – met by phone last Friday to discuss plans for reopening the region. The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Mississippi who were among the last in the nation to issue statewide stay at home restrictions are among the first to lift restrictions. Georgia Governor Kemp has set the most aggressive reopening course, announcing Monday (April 20) he will ​ allow gyms, barber shops, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys, among other businesses, to reopen on Friday. He said theaters and dine-in restaurants would be permitted to resume activity on April 27. And he will allow the statewide shelter-in-place order to expire at the end of the month. Kemp, in his remarks Monday, stressed that ​ his directive overrides local orders, saying, “Local action cannot be taken that is more or less restrictive.” ​ Georgia has reported nearly 20,000 cases and 775 deaths. o Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) condemned the decision. “More than 19,000 Georgians have tested positive for covid-19 and the numbers continue to increase,” she said in a statement.
    [Show full text]