Kwanza Hall

An African-American man wearing a dark suit, white shirt and blue, striped tie
Kwanza Hall at Congressman John Lewis's "Open Night" in November 2007

Kwanza Hall is an American politician who served as a city councilman representing District 2 in Atlanta, GA. Hall was first elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2005 and re-elected without opposition in 2009. He opted to not run for re- election in 2017, and instead chose to run for Mayor of Atlanta. He represented the neighborhoods of Atlantic Station, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, Home Park, Inman Park, the Marietta Artery, Sweet Auburn and the Martin Luther King Historic District, Midtown, Poncey-Highland, and the Old Fourth Ward.[1][2] For 2010, he serves as the vice-chair of the City Utilities Committee. He also serves on the Community Development/Human Resources Committee and the Committee on Council.[1][2] He is currently running for mayor of Atlanta.

Education

Kwanza Hall graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied political science.[1][2][3]

Career

Before holding elected office, Hall worked in the Fulton County government, and he served as Vice President of Technology for GoodWorks International, a human rights and public service consulting firm co-chaired by Andrew Young. He then moved on to become the Director of Business Development for MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc., a position he currently holds.[1][2]

In 2002, Hall was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education where he served for three years prior to his election to the Atlanta City Council.[1][2] During his time on the Atlanta Board of Education, Hall worked toward closing the achievement gap and contributed to reforms that improved the performance of Atlanta Public Schools on statewide tests.[3]

Hall represented District 2 on the Atlanta City Council, a post he was elected to in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009 and again in 2013. Among the most notable of the initiatives he has been involved in during his tenure is the Atlanta Beltline project.[4] Hall has also focused strongly on community improvement including land use, historical preservation, and sustainable development of in-town neighborhoods.[5][6]

Boards and awards

Hall serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, the Midtown Improvement District, Operation HOPE, the Big Kidz Foundation, the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy, Creating Pride, and Midtown Bank.[1][2]

Hall has been recognized by L.E.A.D Atlanta,[7] the Regional Leadership Institute,[8] Leadership Georgia, and the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program.[1][2][9]

2017 Atlanta mayoral election

Hall filed to run in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election in January 2017. He lost in the primary.

According to the Hall campaign website, his campaign is focused on public safety, transportation, and affordable housing. [10]

Personal life

Hall lives in the Martin Luther King Historic District with his wife, Natalie, a Fulton County Commissioner, and two sons.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Atlanta City Council Bio". Atlanta City Council. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Meet Kwanza Hall". Hall for Council. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  3. 1 2 "Honorable Kwanza Hall". Operation Hope. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  4. ↑ "Five Questions With...Kwanza Hall". A Is For Atlanta. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  5. ↑ Wheatley, Thomas (2009-06-11). "Poncey-Highland Master Plan community meeting scheduled". Creative Loafing. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  6. ↑ Silver, Mary (2008-10-16). "Atlanta Beltline Starts Park in Fourth Ward". The Epoch Times. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  7. ↑ "Class of 2005". Leadership Atlanta. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  8. ↑ "Regional Leadership Institute Class of 2006 Slideshow (PPT)". Regional Leadership Institute. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  9. ↑ "Seventh annual Marshall Forum on Transatlantic Affairs held". The German Marshall Fund of the United States. 2007-09-27. Archived from the original on 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  10. ↑ "Kwanza Hall for Mayor".

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