7:00 PM – Call to Order and Begin Recording
- In-room members received a slip of paper for voting.
- Online voters would vote via a poll, and results would be verified later by checking registered emails against the membership rolls.
- Gratitude was extended to Berdora for donating pizzas, Teo Belli for donating wine and beer leftover from his nuptials, and Sarah for making baked goods (though her dog ate one, preventing her from attending).
- It was noted that several officers were absent due to last-minute military travel, prior commitments, and the Treasurer’s absence due to a funeral.
7:02 PM – Adoption of Agenda and Minutes
- The adoption of the agenda from the last meeting and the approval of the minutes from the last meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
7:05 PM – Guest speakers:
- APD Zone 6 representative
- The APD Zone 6 representative was not present at the meeting.
- Clifton Sanctuary Ministries
- Christy Winter, the Executive Director of Clifton Sanctuary Ministries, spoke about their work.
- Clifton Sanctuary Ministries is a shelter for men experiencing homelessness, located near McClendon and Connecticut Avenue, technically in Lake Claire, but serving Candler Park as well.
- The ministry has been operating for 46 years.
- Clifton offers emergency and transitional programs, including short stays for veterans getting services at the VA, and stays of about 90 days (sometimes longer) for guests working towards set goals.
- They provide three meals a day, 365 days a year, a bed, clothing, a place to shower, intensive case management, and connection to various services.
- The shelter has 18 beds for men, plus a transitional apartment with eight bedrooms where men who graduate and gain income can stay for up to two years to regain responsibility with continued support.
- The ministry is referral only, working with partner organizations like InTown Peers; individuals needing shelter can call them or use the DeKalb County coordinated entry hotline for direction.
- Neighbors were encouraged to volunteer by bringing food, helping the food coordinator, organizing the clothing closet or food pantry, doing yard work, or teaching life skills classes (like budgeting or computer skills).
- An open house and celebration for graduates of the year, called “Hanging of the Greens,” was scheduled for November 30th from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
- Fall Fest results update: Amy Wheeler
- Fall Fest raised almost $39,000 for the neighborhood (over $38,000).
- The breakdown of funds raised was:
- Fall Festival event itself: just shy of $13,000.
- Tour of Homes: raised over $12,000 (288 tickets sold, the second most since COVID reboot).
- 5K and fun run: raised over $11,000 (431 runners, the most successful that event has been).
- Fall Ball: raised a little over $2,000 (70 tickets sold).
- Sponsor dollars are the “best way to make this even more successful” and enable the festival to happen.
- Final results will be posted on the website next month (December) because some checks and deposits are still being processed.
7:10 PM – Announcements:
- Candler Park Forever: Lexa King
- Lexa King announced Candler Park Forever is collecting donations for the holidays for those less fortunate.
- The three categories of collected items are:
- Scarves, hats, and mittens (for adults or children, can be handmade or purchased). Contact Ria Simco at 470-954-9005 to drop off these items.
- Suitcases (for women leaving domestic abuse and foster kids who need to carry belongings instead of using trash bags). Contact Lexa King at 404-529-8989 to drop them off at her house.
- Blankets (all sizes and thicknesses).
- The deadline for all collections is December 18th.
- Other Announcements
- New Freedom Park Representative: Nancy Forger was introduced as the new representative to the Freedom Park Conservancy Board, replacing Mary Cox. Nancy, a resident since 2012, will relay neighbor concerns to the Conservancy and keep CPNO updated on Conservancy activities.
- David at East Atlanta: A QR code was displayed to encourage members to vote for the David at East Atlanta, which is up for a national award for civil investigation history in America.
- External Affairs/Transportation Funds: The External Affairs officer, Taylor Belli, spoke with temporary Councilwoman Carden Wickoff, who mentioned extra funds available for transportation and transit-related improvements. These improvements could include replacing sidewalks, installing crosswalks, or similar projects. Neighbors with ideas were encouraged to reach out to the councilwoman or CPNO External Affairs.
7:15 PM – Items for Vote:
- 2026 CPNO Officer Election
- The election followed a procedure where the nominee from the nominating committee was read, nominations from the floor were solicited, and if none were received, a motion to elect by acclamation was requested to accelerate the process.
- Votes were cast in the order of offices listed in the bylaws.
- The following officers were elected by acclamation:
- President: Chris Spruell was elected by acclamation.
- Treasurer: Alyssa Ozer was elected by acclamation (she was absent due to a funeral).
- Secretary: Allen Broyles was elected by acclamation.
- Membership: Sarah Cusick was elected by acclamation.
- External Affairs: Teo Belli was elected by acclamation.
- Safety/Public Safety: Matt Johnson was elected by acclamation (replacing the previous officer who was term-limited).
- Communications: Michelle was elected by acclamation.
- Fundraising: This seat was contested.
- Stacy White (incumbent) was nominated by the committee.
- Mark Clement was nominated from the floor.
- Mark Clement stated his historical success, noting he was the single largest fundraiser the organization has ever had, having started Fall Fest and partnered on events like the 420 Fest and 420 5K, which raised over $40,000 annually.
- Stacy White emphasized her success over the past three years, highlighting strong partnerships with the Fall Fest committee and social chair, which resulted in record-breaking money and successful social events.
- The vote proceeded by ballot.
- Stacy White won the election (pending online vote validation) with 10 votes in the room (Mark Clement received 0) and 21 votes online (Mark Clement received 5).
7:40 PM – Annual Treasurer Report
- The Treasurer was absent due to a funeral and could not provide the full report.
- A summary was provided on the recent account fraud.
- The bank confirmed the transactions were fraudulent and restored the funds.
- The organization’s banking account balance up until last month (before restoration) was $64,657.72, and the deposit of the restored funds caused a “market change”.
- The fraudulent transactions were electronic payments made to three businesses in the Pacific Northwest.
- Security measures taken include closing the compromised account, moving the money to a new account, mandating that the Treasurer pre-approve or post-approve all written checks, eliminating paper checks, and changing passwords on all CPNO accounts.
- A full report will be sent out via email by the end of the week, upon the Treasurer’s return.
- The organization remains solvent and can meet all commitments.
7:50 PM – Adjourn
- APS Board Seat 8 Runoff Reminder: Before adjournment, two candidates for the APS District 8 At-Large seat runoff election on December 2nd were given time to speak.
- Casey Brock: Currently lives in Kirkwood. She has over 18 years of experience in education, from first-grade teacher to college counselor and assistant principal. She emphasized the importance of having classroom experience on the board, especially since many Atlanta young people are not reading proficiently.
- Royce Man: A lifelong resident of Lake Claire and APS graduate. He is running to bring a recent student perspective to the board, noting that no current member has been an APS student in the last two decades. His priorities include doubling the number of counselors in schools, securing free MARTA access for high school students, and providing universal pre-K for three and four-year-olds using vacant district properties.
- The meeting was adjourned.