Obituary: Matthew Charles Cardinale

Matthew Charles Cardinale, 44, passed away on Sept. 29, 2025, after a four-year health struggle.

Matthew Charles was an effective advocate for progressive social change. He drafted some 21 ordinances or resolutions that are now law in the City of Atlanta, including laws for affordable housing, criminal justice reform, disability rights, public comment and public participation, community benefits, small businesses, and transparency.

Matthew Charles was dedicated to his cats, whom he loved and adored – and is survived by his beloved Veronica and Mister Fluffers.

Matthew Charles was born in Plantation, Fla., and grew up in Broward County, Florida. He left home at the age of 14, lived on and off with friends and at the Covenant House Florida youth shelter. At 17, he went off to Tulane University in New Orleans, La., on full tuition scholarship, where he majored in sociology and political science.

A lifelong learner, in 2005, he completed a master of arts degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine. In 2007, he completed a master’s in public administration from the University of New Orleans. In 2018, he completed a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University, also on full scholarship. In 2024, he completed an LLM, or Master of Laws, in environmental law.

In Atlanta, in 2005, he founded an online news organization, Atlanta Progressive News, in the early days of Internet news. APN published over some 3,000 news articles, and Georgia State University holds a physical archive of Cardinale’s collected writings created between 2002-2012.

An avid fan of music, he played piano and wrote several original pop songs. In addition, he wrote several covers of popular songs where the lyrics were changed to relate to matters of public policy and current events, which he performed live at Atlanta City Council meetings. In 2021, he ran for Atlanta City Council in a nine-way race for the District 3 seat in a special election.

Prior to going to law school, in 2010, he sued the City of Atlanta with no attorney after the City Council took a secret vote while having lunch at the Georgia Aquarium. In 2011, the Supreme Court of Georgia took his case wherein he made oral arguments before the Court; and in 2012, he won. Years later, he won other cases on appeal against City of Atlanta officials, including Cardinale v. Keane (2022), which clarified that any citizen could seek a civil penalty of up to $1,000 from a bureaucrat who violates the Georgia Open Records Act.

At the time of Matthew’s passing, he was ardently representing a client suing the city of Dunwoody, Ga., for their numerous Open Records Act violations.

A graveside service for Matthew Cardinale was held Oct. 6, 2025, at Sunset Memorial Park in Danville, Ill., handled by Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center. A shiva was also held in Atlanta at the home of Joe & Andrea Hirsch.