Massell Re-elected President of Buckhead Coalition

The prestigious Buckhead Coalition Annual Meeting Jan. 30 marked a milestone for the high-profile group’s 30th anniversary. The Coalition is headed by ex-mayor Sam Massell, who has been president since the group’s founding and was re-elected for two years at the meeting at 103 West. The gathering brought together some of the city’s top leaders and businesspeople who either live, work or have a keen interest in Buckhead.

By invitation only, the Coalition strives to nurture and preserve the quality of life in Buckhead while planning and implementing actions for its continued improvement. Note that Massell has been quite vocal in the past about Buckhead being and remaining a part of the corporate city of Atlanta as opposed to a separately branched “cityhood.”

The Coalition has a limit of 100 members and yearly dues of $9,000. About 200 people attended the lunch. This loyal reporter worked the crowd to eyeball Jewish attendees, which was not at all difficult. Massell himself was featured in our Atlanta Jewish Times “Chai Style Homes” column July 22, 2016.

The Coalition has a limit of 100 members and yearly dues of $9,000. About 200 people attended the lunch. This loyal reporter worked the crowd to eyeball Jewish attendees, which was not at all difficult. Massell himself was featured in our Atlanta Jewish Times “Chai Style Homes” column July 22, 2016.

The vibe during the cocktail mingling was a cross between a country club, city hall, a bespoke atelier, and top-notch board room. Real estate mogul Steve Selig said, “My office may be in Midtown, but I live in Buckhead and do a whole lot of business here. I am, by the way, one of the original members of the Coalition.”

Eric Tanenblatt is global chair of public policy and regulation at Dentons, known as the world’s largest law firm. “I went to school in Atlanta and never left. I have been a Coalition member for 10 years, and I do live in Buckhead.”

Judge Gary Jackson stayed in the area too. “I was born, reared and reside in Buckhead. I go to synagogue in Buckhead. This is my 19th year as a full-time judge, and I enjoy it immensely.”

Linda Klein was elected as a vice chair, and one of the younger members, Jonathan Rodbell, was appointed to the executive committee for a three-year term. After introductions by Massell, current Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms took the luncheon podium. She said that other than serving as mayor, she and Massell had something else in common: They were the only ones among the city’s mayors who were born in Atlanta. She then paid special tribute to Bernie Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, who complained to her that the city had too many potholes. “Because it came from Bernie, we repaired 17,000 potholes.” She added that crime is down by 2 percent in the city for which she credits increased compensation for the police force.

Next was the keynote speaker, Gov. Brian Kemp, Buckhead’s newest resident. Kemp joked, “When I turned on the morning news, I was glad to see the snow was in Minnesota and not Atlanta. I was relieved.”

Kemp pledged to keep Georgia moving forward in job growth while increasing the number of graduating students and leadership in such areas as fin tech, cyber, aerospace. He further outlined his goals to identify red tape, taxes and fees that inhibit business growth, and apply resources to: salary increases for certified teachers, fighting sexual harassment in the workplace and selecting the food served in the governor’s mansion as “Georgia grown.”

Keeping the meeting on track was Massell, a 91-year-old newlywed. Known for adhering to schedule, he ended the gathering on ship’s time.