Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
Atlanta’s proposal for a dedicated veterans contact inside city government has cleared a City Council committee. The resolution asks the mayor to establish an Office of Veterans and Military Affairs, and is scheduled for consideration by the full council on Nov. 16. The full council has not yet approved it.
District 4 Councilmember Jason Dozier introduced the measure. He is the only veteran on the council. A statement from his office says the proposed office would connect veterans, active-duty service members and their families with city programs and veteran-support organizations. It would also provide outreach and coordinate with the Atlanta Commission on Veterans Affairs and Fulton County Veterans Empowerment Commission.
Speaking on Veterans Day, Dozier said he wants the city’s commitment to veterans and military families to have a permanent point of contact in local government. He cited 16,000 military veterans across Atlanta and argued the city should take part in discussions about their services, alongside veteran organizations and federal and state agencies.
Dozier called the proposed office a “one-stop shop” for making those connections. He also pointed to the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs as examples of existing city offices with dedicated roles. The veterans office remains a proposal pending full council consideration.
Marcus Jones
News Now Georgia
