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May 6, 2008
State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) has announced the approval of Local Assistance Road Program funding for the resurfacing of the following streets and roads in Senate District 6:
Fontaine Road, from Old Floyd Road and ending at the East-West Connector.
Belmont Circle, from Atlanta Road to Windy Hill Road.
Green Acres Road, from Kennesaw Drive to 1,550 feet from the dead end.
Lavista Place, from Pinehill Drive to Stephens Street.
Gilbert Street, from Hawthorne Avenue to Roswell Street.
Sen. Stoner to address Kennesaw State graduates
May 6, 2008
State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) will be the Commencement Speaker for the Kennesaw State University School of Education and School of Arts graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, May 14.
"As an alumnus of Kennesaw State University, it is a tremendous honor to be invited to address members of this year's graduating class," Stoner said. "I I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the importance of earning a college degree and congratulating these graduates on their accomplishments."
Stoner is seeking his third term in the state Senate, following one term in the Georgia House of Representatives (2003-04). During his service, he has received the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services Star of Life Legislative Award (2007), Georgia Association of Educators Legislator of the Year (2005), Cobb County Association of Educators Cheryl C. Rice Friend of Education Award (2005), and Georgia Conservation Voters Environmental Leadership Award (2006 and 2008).
During the 2008 legislative session, Stoner helped lead the effort to address Georgia's transportation funding crisis by co-authoring legislation that would have given counties the option to fund transportation projects on a regional basis through a special 1-cent sales tax. SR 845 passed the Senate overwhelmingly in its original form, but after amendments were made by the House of Representative, the measure fell three votes short of two-thirds approval by the Senate in the closing minutes of the session.
Stoner serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee. He chairs the newly created Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee. Stoner is also chair of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce's Transportation Committee for the current year. A past chair of the Cobb Transit Board, he is well-versed on matters related to road and bridge construction, mass transit initiatives, commuter rail opportunities and other proposals under consideration to enhance mobility in and around Cobb and surrounding counties.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Ethics, Regulated Industries & Utilities, Retirement, State Institutions & Property and Urban Affairs committees.
Stepping up for Strand (Marietta Daily Journal)
April 26, 2008
By Ashley Hungerford
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) and his wife, Della, are the most recent community leaders to step up to support The Strand Theatre and Earl Smith.
The Stoners donated $25,000 on Friday to the restoration of The Strand Theatre and the Earl Smith Tribute Challenge.
The grand staircase in the theatre's main lobby will be called the Sen. Doug Stoner and Della Stoner Staircase.
"The Strand is an important part of Marietta and Cobb County's history," Stoner said. "This is an opportunity to create another art venue in Cobb."
Stoner said he remembers coming to the Strand to watch movies.
More than just preserving the theatre, Stoner said he was glad he could honor a respected friend.
"It was an easy decision," he said. "(Earl Smith) has been a guiding hand for many years in the county."
Smith has been the driving force behind efforts to restore the 1930s art-deco theatre, which is expected to open the first part of 2009.
The Strand Theatre is undergoing a $4.5 million restoration; $3.2 million has been pledged toward the refurbishment effort.
"The Strand Theatre will mean as much to the Marietta area as the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre means to the Galleria area," Smith said. "I'm convinced of it. It has been a struggle. But at the end of the day, everyone will be proud of it."
In November, friends and colleagues announced a project to name the theater in Smith's honor. The naming rights can be purchased for $1 million. The group donated $500,000 toward the purchase and challenged the community to raise the other half by June 1. If the group receives all the money for the naming rights, the theater would be called The Earl Smith Strand Theatre.
The original donors include Cobb Energy; the directors of the Bank of North Georgia; Roger and Pam DeBoy; Rachel Smith, of E. Smith Heating and Air; U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb); Kessell Stelling; John A. Williams; and Marietta Daily Journal Publisher Otis Brumby, Jr.
Christy Rosell, director of business development and marking for Friends of the Strand, said the Earl Smith Tribute group is currently about $200,000 short of reaching the $1 million goal.
Other recent donations in the Earl Smith Tribute include $10,000 from Gas South, $10,000 from Stephen W. Imler and $22,000 for the Goldstein family.
Friends of the Strand is now selling 1,000 engraved brick paves that will form a sidewalk design under the theatre's marquee.
The bricks are $250 each for a 4-inch by 8-inch paver and $1,500 for 8-inch by 8-inch paver. For more information visit www.Friendsof TheStrand.org or call 678-569-1321.
Supporters who purchase a brick can designate that their donation go toward reaching the Earl Smith Tribute Challenge's goal.
Renovations are taking place daily at The Strand Theatre. The theatre has a new roof and construction workers are busy framing the inside including a new ticket booth.
On a tour of the progress Friday, Smith said he was amazed. He said he hasn't been inside the theatre for two or three weeks, and said he can see a significant improvement.
"We're getting close," he said.
Sen. Doug Stoner announces campaign for re-election
April 24, 2008
State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) has announced he will be a candidate for re-election to the Senate District 6 post in the 2008 Democratic Primary.
“For the past four years, it has been my honor and privilege to represent the people of south Cobb County in the state Senate,” Stoner said. “I now ask the voters to put that experience to work once again, so that together we can continue to support our public schools, improve access to affordable health care and seek common-sense solutions to transportation and other issues facing our district and the entire state of Georgia.”
Stoner is seeking his third term in the state Senate, following one term in the Georgia House of Representatives (2003-04). During his service, he has received the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services Star of Life Legislative Award (2007), Georgia Association of Educators Legislator of the Year (2005), Cobb County Association of Educators Cheryl C. Rice Friend of Education Award (2005), and Georgia Conservation Voters Environmental Leadership Award (2006).
During the 2008 legislative session, Stoner helped lead the effort to address Georgia’s transportation funding crisis by co-authoring legislation that would have given counties the option to fund transportation projects on a regional basis through a special 1-cent sales tax. SR 845 passed the Senate overwhelmingly in its original form, but after amendments were made by the House of Representative, the measure fell three votes short of two-thirds approval by the Senate in the closing minutes of the session.
Stoner serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee. He chairs the newly created Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee. Stoner is also chair of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Committee for the current year. A past chair of the Cobb Transit Board, he is well-versed on matters related to road and bridge construction, mass transit initiatives, commuter rail opportunities and other proposals under consideration to enhance mobility in and around Cobb and surrounding counties.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Ethics, Regulated Industries & Utilities, Retirement, State Institutions & Property and Urban Affairs committees.
Sen. Stoner raises $55,000 for 2008 re-election campaign
April 24, 2008
In his first campaign fund-raising event of 2008, state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) raised approximately $20,000 Wednesday, bringing the total cash on hand for his re-election bid to approximately $55,000.
“The tremendous financial support we have already received will be crucial in the 2008 campaign,” Stoner said. “Fund raising is a necessary part of any successful campaign, and I am gratified by the generosity of so many supporters.”
At Wednesday’s fund raiser at the Georgian Club, a broad spectrum of leaders from the education, business and labor communities turned out in support of Stoner’s re-election bid, including Cobb County Association of Educators President Gaye Shin, Ben Myers representing the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Cobb Chamber of Commerce past chairs Tad Leithead of Cousins Properties, David Connell of Georgia Power and Caric Martin of the Georgian Bank.
The business leaders indicated they were particularly supportive of Stoner’s leadership in the effort to address Georgia’s transportation funding crisis during the 2008 legislative session. Stoner co-sponsored SR 845, which would have given counties the option to fund transportation projects on a regional basis through a special 1-cent sales tax.
Stoner is seeking his third term in the state Senate, following one term in the Georgia House of Representatives (2003-04).
Stoner serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee. He chairs the newly created Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee. He also serves on the Senate Ethics, Regulated Industries & Utilities, Retirement, State Institutions & Property and Urban Affairs committees.
Sen. Stoner named to transportation tax conference committee
March 28, 2008
ATLANTA – State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) has been appointed by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle as one of three Senate conferees who will meet with their House of Representatives counterparts to reach a final version of legislation to address Georgia’s transportation funding crisis.
SR 845, which Stoner co-sponsored, calls for a constitutional amendment to allow Georgia counties to join together and implement a transportation special purpose local option sales tax (T-SPLOST), on a regional basis, to help relieve traffic congestion or make other road and bridge improvements – if a majority of voters in those counties approve such a tax levy.
The Senate adopted SR 845 by a vote of 51-4 on Feb. 20. The House approved an amended version Thursday by a 136-35. If the conference committee is successful in ironing out differences between the two versions, the measure will still require a majority approval by Georgia voters in the November general election.
Significant differences between the Senate and House versions of the legislation include:
~ The use of special transportation districts as geographic boundaries by the Senate, as opposed to regional commission areas by the House.
~ An opt-out provision in the House version gives individual county commissions 45 days to vote for or against being included in the tax region once the plan is approved by the regional commission.
~ There are differences between the two versions with regard to sales tax exemptions on food and other items.
~ The Senate version requires that at least 80 percent of the sales tax proceeds be spent within the special transportation district, with 20 percent going to the state Department of Transportation, which must allocate at least 10 percent to regional mass transit. Under the House version, 100 percent of the tax collections must be spent in that regional commission for transportation purposes.
“I am confident that we will be able to work out these differences with our House colleagues during the conference committee process,” Stoner said. “It is essential that we pass this legislation in 2008 and begin the long-overdue process of getting traffic moving and transportation improvements back on the front burner in Georgia.”
Stoner also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and chairs its Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee. He is a member the special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee, which recommended the T-SPLOST legislation. He is the Transportation Committee chair for the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce in 2008.
Video: Sen. Doug Stoner discusses transportation funding
February 7, 2008
Click here for a video report from state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna), a member of the special Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee in the Georgia General Assembly.
Sen. Stoner to chair new Transportation subcommittee
January 14, 2008
ATLANTA – State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) has been appointed by Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) to chair the newly formed Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee.
“I appreciate the confidence that Sen. Mullis has shown in appointing me to chair this new subcommittee,” Stoner said. “To solve Georgia’s mobility problems, especially in the metro Atlanta area, we clearly must give people more transportation choices. Within the framework of this subcommittee, I look forward to working with my colleagues to identify and begin to implement rail and other transit alternatives.”
Other members of the Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee are Sen. Kasim Reed (D-Atlanta) and Sen. Cecil Staton (R-Macon). Chairman Mullis and Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) are serving as ex-officio members.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee. He is the Transportation Committee chair for the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce in 2008.
Stoner is a past chair of the Cobb Transit Board and is well-versed on matters related to road and bridge construction, mass transit initiatives, commuter rail opportunities and other proposals under consideration to enhance mobility in and around Cobb and surrounding counties.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Ethics, Regulated Industries & Utilities, Retirement, State Institutions & Property and Urban Affairs committees.
Stoner was re-elected in November 2006 to his second term in the Senate, representing District 6 (south Cobb). He also served two years in the Georgia House of Representatives (2003-2004).
Sen. Stoner heads Cobb Chamber’s Transportation Committee
January 9, 2008
State Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) has been appointed by Cobb County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sam Kelly to chair the Chamber’s Transportation Committee in 2008.
“I appreciate the confidence that Sam Kelly has shown in appointing me to chair this important committee,” Stoner said. “Transportation is arguably the biggest challenge we have to address here in Cobb County, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the business community on finding workable solutions.”
A major initiative of the chamber this year, Stoner said, will be working with businesses and encouraging them to offer flexible workday schedules for their employees to relieve rush-hour traffic congestion.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and special Joint Senate-House Transportation Funding Study Committee. He chairs the newly created Intermodal Rail & Transit Subcommittee.
Stoner is a past chair of the Cobb Transit Board and is well-versed on matters related to road and bridge construction, mass transit initiatives, commuter rail opportunities and other proposals under consideration to enhance mobility in and around Cobb and surrounding counties.
Stoner also serves on the Senate Ethics, Regulated Industries & Utilities, Retirement, State Institutions & Property and Urban Affairs committees.
Stoner was re-elected in November 2006 to his second term in the Senate, representing District 6 (south Cobb). He also served two years in the Georgia House of Representatives (2003-2004).
Stoner praises Project 2400 SAT improvement program
October 11, 2007
State Sen. Doug Stoner joined U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson in praising the Cobb Chamber of Commerce for its leadership in providing increased funding for Project 2400 in Cobb high schools next year. Click here for Marietta Daily Journal video coverage.
Project 2400, created in 2006, is a strategic partnership between the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and the Cobb County and Marietta City school districts to help enhance local students’ SAT scores. Stoner said he hopes that the same kind of program could be implemented at the state level.
“Cobb is a leader in a lot of areas,” Stoner said. “Now, the state needs to step in, because a lot of rural communities don’t have the ability to do what we do in Cobb. I will be working with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to create such a program at the state level.”
Cobb County and Marietta City schools fare well compared to other systems in the U.S. and Georgia, however, many students lag behind or miss out on an opportunity to attend their college of choice due to low test scores.
Wanting to prepare our students in the best possible way for the test, which is now based on a score of 2400, the Cobb Chamber helped fund Project 2400 which provided an SAT preparation course to 273 deserving students in 16 schools.
District 6
P.O. Box 1781
Smyrna, GA 30081
Phone: 770.436.0699
Fax: 770.436.0699
Email: doug.stoner@senate.ga.gov
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