A $1.6 billion football stadium. A 2,000-officer police force. And the busiest airport in the world.
These are just some of the things under the oversight of the Atlanta City Council, a 15-member board of elected officials. Warren County native and six-year Atlanta resident Dustin Hillis was elected earlier this month to serve on the Atlanta City Council as its 9th District representative.
“Big-city politics is a whole different world,” said Hillis, 32. “Atlanta prides itself on being the city of the South. The city is increasing in population by about 10,000 residents a year. By 2040, Atlanta is projected to be the sixth largest metro area in the U.S. There are lots of issues to address.”
Hillis graduated from WCHS with the class of 2003. He’s been in Atlanta since 2011 and works as an intensive care unit nurse at Emory University Hospital.
While elected officials in the city of McMinnville have been busy with improvement projects like the $2 million renovation at Park Theater, it’s an entirely larger scale in Atlanta.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, opened this year with a reported price tag of $1.6 billion. Atlanta city officials approved $200 million of that funding in 2013 with the money coming from its hotel-motel tax.
Mass transit is another pressing concern. Anyone who has visited Atlanta recently is likely well aware of traffic headaches.
“Traffic is the No. 1 complaint,” said Hillis, “and the condition of the roads themselves.”
Hillis said his own family members complain about the Atlanta traffic and potholes when they come to visit. He said shortcomings with the mass transportation system contribute to traffic standstills.
As an example, Hillis said it would take him about 90 minutes to commute to work if he used the city’s mass transportation. He said this would include a one-mile walk to the nearest bus stop, the bus ride itself, and then a train ride. In comparison, he can usually drive to work in 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic.
The city of Atlanta has about 490,000 residents. The greater Atlanta metro area has some 5 million.
The seat on the Atlanta City Council is considered a part-time job, although it pays $60,000 a year. Hillis said he plans on making it a full-time position and will reduce his shifts at the hospital to give him more time to devote to city business. He takes office Jan. 2.
“We’re one of the top contenders to land headquarters two for Amazon and we have the busiest airport in the world,” said Hillis.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which made headline news for its power outage last weekend, is in the process of expanding. With more than 100 million passengers per year, Hillis said an additional runway has already been approved and the airport has one side strictly for international travel.
Hillis said his top priority in office will be improving public safety. He said Atlanta eclipsed over 100 homicides for the first time in a decade and also has a problem with car break-ins.
He said Atlanta’s police department, which is authorized to have 2,000 officers, is currently about 300 officers short.
“We’re losing more officers than we’re gaining,” said Hillis.
He said he will also push for greater government transparency as the city tries to free itself from the cloud of a bribery scandal involving contractors. The city’s former chief purchasing officer pleaded guilty in September and admitted taking over $30,000 in payments in exchange for helping a vendor win city contracts. Two contractors have also pleaded guilty.
Dustin is married to the former Lindsey Walker, also a 2003 WCHS graduate. Lindsey had their first child, Wyatt, in October.
Dustin is the son of Angel and David Wood, and Tracy Hillis.
