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To make a difference

By BEN NELMS
bnelms@theCitizenNews.com

Few things in the life of a community are more exciting to me than the willingness of its citizens and leaders to work proactively to set a course for a positive future. An example of that willingness by elected officials was illustrated last week at a meeting of the South Fulton Municipal Association (SFMA). Representatives from south Fulton’s six cities, including Palmetto, Union City and Fairburn, saw the clear merit in working both independently and interdependently to affect their future in a way that will benefit their citizens and their communities. Attendees left the meeting with plans to have the city councils devise a list of development-related priorities to be addressed at next month’s SFMA meeting.

Many small communities in America with close geographic proximity, including those in the shadow of Atlanta, fall prey to a type of territoriality that, while understandable on certain emotional levels, tends in the long run to result in negative consequences beyond what would have occurred had those barriers not existed. Protecting and advocating for one’s own city is a forthright endeavor and one that should never be abandoned. But failing to ban together on common ground issues for the betterment of all would be inadvisable, as SFMA members acknowledged.

It is undeniable that, in southwest metro Atlanta today, growth and development have become exponential and the increasing spread of Atlanta will not diminish. Also undeniable anytime, anywhere, is the reality that if we don’t manage the future, the future will manage us. To their credit, the consensus of SFMA members upstairs at the Casablanca Cafe Jan. 20 certainly flowed from that viewpoint.

The cities of South Fulton do have another option. They can do nothing now and settle for reacting out of desperation a few years from now. They can do like so many other close proximity communities do, they can espouse their differences and tout their territoriality and sit on their laurels. But whether as individuals or communities, territoriality and the unwillingness to adequately anticipate the future signals the death knell for those who do not prepare for the future. I may be new here but I’ve seen this happen before in other communities. That is why I was excited to see a group of leaders willing to work together toward a common goal. I would encourage the citizens of south Fulton to get behind this initiative and participate in it.

It is without question in life and human experience that differences make no difference when people are united in a common goal. If done conscientiously, the plan by South Fulton cities to address their common development challenges and to work together whenever feasible for a better future is a good example of elected officials displaying the willingness to make a difference.