Tanenblatt Passes Coalition Gavel to Rodbell
Top leaders shared details about the city’s progress and livability at the Buckhead Coalition’s 35th Annual Luncheon.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
The Buckhead Coalition held its 35th Annual Luncheon on Jan. 23 at the Hotel St. Regis Grand Ballroom with 175 of the city’s most prominent leaders and elected officials. Two very special speakers were Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler.
Buckhead Coalition President and CEO Jim Durrett kicked off the program by “welcoming guests in from the heat outside.” He noted that 17 new coalition members are entering the highly respected organization. Membership in the Coalition is limited, and highly valued with 125 members at various high levels of influence and interests, with “active mindsets,” ideas to solve problems and promote a positive future for Buckhead with projects like the HUB400 park.
Outgoing Coalition chair Eric Tanenblatt, having completed his two-year term, touted Buckhead’s progress in public safety, infrastructure, and deepened relationships. The Rev. Samuel Candler, Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philips, gave the invocation, recognizing the rich history and neighborhoods in Buckhead and their relationships with the city at large. An anonymous source commented to the AJT that community leader Steve Selig gave the invocation last year, and with both the outgoing and incoming chairs being of the Jewish faith, “they must really like us.”
In preparation for his fireside chat, Tanenblatt introduced Ressler with particular emphasis on his ambitious current project developing Centennial Yards [previously The Gulch] in downtown Atlanta. In the pre-function space, Ressler told the AJT that “watching last night’s Hawks game was painful.”
In addition to his principal Hawks NBA role, Ressler co-founded the private equity firms Apollo Global Management and Ares Management. He is also a minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. He is married to actress Jaime Gertz; and they are members of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, as they alternate Los Angeles with Atlanta residencies.
Ressler spoke about appreciating Atlanta’s transportation, diversity, and college systems, by stating, “Until you see traffic in LA … be careful not to curse (about) Atlanta.”
He recalled how he started as a junior banker with Turner Broadcasting, and that he later tried to buy the Cartoon Channel. He noted the importance of a sports team being an asset “along with the community.”
In terms of his Centennial Yards mega-vision, Ressler spoke of the existing assets like the Aquarium, MARTA access, Georgia State and Georgia Tech; and that the inner city has “a lot of catching up to do.”
With his two million square-foot vision, he intends to develop an entertainment district, concert hall, experiential retail, sports bar, hotel, and 5,000 apartments. “But it might not be done before the World Cup,” he said, and then praised public officials and the private sector for their support.
Next up was Mayor Dickens, who quoted the late Mayor Sam Massell, who said, “You can get more done in a conference call than in a confrontation.”
Dickens listed 2024 accomplishments and coming out of the gate strongly in 2025. “We had two rounds of snow in three weeks. You saw our quick response – the salt’s still on the streets. Crime is down citywide, robberies down 32 percent, vehicle deaths down 22 percent, and fire deaths down.”
He mentioned a unit with green-striped vehicles where eight people handled 2,300 calls that are minor incidences (call 311) thus freeing up the police. He anticipates groundbreaking the renovated Howell Mill Fire Station. He was especially proud of the reduction in youth crime with programs like Midnight Basketball and youth employment.
He recalled, “I made $3.50 an hour at Burger King. Now, kids make $18 an hour [in mentored programs]. Other goals are 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030, widening the sidewalk on West Paces Ferry, widening Piedmont Road, and filling potholes.”
The late Bernie Marcus once told the AJT that he called up then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and told her to ‘fix the darn potholes.’”
The meeting concluded as Tanenblatt, global chair of public policy and regulation at Dentons US, turned the chairpersonship over to co-founder of Atlanta Property Group.
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