In an interview with Invest:, Michael Thurmond, CEO of DeKalb County, discussed key highlights for the county from the past 12 months, issues faced by businesses and constituents in the region and the defining features of the Atlanta region. “Welcoming people of different nationalities, races, colors, creeds and religions to the Atlanta region has served as the primary catalyst for our economic growth and prosperity. More importantly, how we leverage our rapidly evolving regional diversity will shape and inform our future,” he said.
What are some of the highlights for DeKalb County over the last 12 months?
During the past 12 months we have continued to address issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. DeKalb County began implementation of the modified Clean Water Act consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). The county approved over 300 economic development projects in south and central DeKalb and supported major economic development projects throughout the county, such as the Assembly Project, located on the old General Motors site. We partnered with the city of Doraville to establish a tax allocation district that will support this transformational film and movie production facility. Recently, zoning was also approved for the redevelopment of North DeKalb Mall into a mixed-use project, funded by a $600 million private investment. Furthermore, we’ve made significant investments in public safety: DeKalb County has one of the highest-paid police departments among large jurisdictions in the state. And we are proud of our strong fiscal balance sheet, anchored by a $140 million surplus at the end of FY22.
Regarding businesses in the region and constituents, what are the key issues they face?
The public and private sector is being challenged by inflationary pressures, including finding and retaining qualified workers along with maintaining competitive salary and compensation structures. Our residents and employers are concerned about public safety and crime. That’s why we have maintained a laser focus on supporting our men and women in uniform. Security and personal safety is the key to economic growth. People need to feel safe where they live, work and play.
On the economic development side, we must encourage and support small and large businesses. We kicked off the Bicentennial for DeKalb County on Dec. 9, 2022, commemorating 200 years of progress since the county’s founding. We have several initiatives scheduled that will celebrate our history and prepare the county for a more glorious future, with infrastructure being paramount. We’ve resurfaced over 200 miles of roads and streets throughout the county, including infrastructure investments by our municipal partners. These much-needed improvements are literally laying the foundation for the next 100 years of growth and prosperity.
I believe that investing in East Metro is essential to Georgia’s continued economic growth and prosperity. The state Department of Transportation is investing over $600 million on the East Wall I-20/I-285 Interchange project which will add capacity and bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes. DeKalb County was a MARTA pioneer, the first suburban county to approve MARTA and is still the only suburban county in Georgia with heavy rail.
What are the defining features of the Atlanta region and what makes it a great place to do business?
The defining feature of Greater Atlanta is our diversity. Metro Atlanta is a magnet for people from all over the world, with the best and brightest moving into this region. Welcoming people of different nationalities, races, colors, creeds and religions to the Atlanta region has served as the primary catalyst for our economic growth and prosperity. More importantly, how we leverage our rapidly evolving diversity will shape and inform our future.
However, we must address rising crime rates and the lack of economic mobility. A child born to impoverished parents shouldn’t be sentenced to a lifetime of deprivation and despair. If we can alleviate these debilitating pathologies, we will unleash an unending cycle of growth and prosperity.
The World Cup is coming to Atlanta in 2026; the world will be watching, analyzing and evaluating us. The Atlanta region is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, top-notch universities, technical schools, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and DeKalb-Peachtree airports, rapid transit and easy access to multiple interstate highway systems. The “Good Book” teaches that we should count our many blessings, but we must also make our blessings count!
What investments have had an impact on DeKalb County?
Federal investments during the pandemic were tremendously important to DeKalb County. I believe that we were able to save hundreds, if not thousands of lives. Using federal COVID-relief funds, we provided over 25,000 vaccinations using $100 gift cards as incentives, distributed about $6 million in small business loans, alleviated food insecurity by partnering with Georgia farmers and producers, and created 4,000 virtual summer jobs for young people during the lockdown.
We’ve invested $12 million in Emory Hillandale Hospital in DeKalb to expand emergency room capacity, increase the number of intensive care beds and establish a trauma prevention center. DeKalb continued its longstanding partnership with Grady Hospital by appropriating $30 million to support Metro Atlanta’s only level 1 trauma hospital. These critical investments will provide tens of thousands of our residents with improved access to quality healthcare.
DeKalb County has embraced a holistic, inclusive and expansive vision. Without important support resources—healthcare, K-12 education and job training, it would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve high levels of success.
With the support of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, fulfilling our 21st century vision will allow the proverbial rising tide to lift all boats. We live in a dynamic metropolitan region. Our collective well-being is largely dependent on our ability to leverage the many assets of the Atlanta region to provide all of our residents access to a more prosperous future.
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