City Life & public affairs |
30 continued from previous page
Photo by Jon Waits
If you ask Tom Kohler what he does, he’ll tell you he “puts people together.” That’s been his main mission as the director of Savannah Chatham Citizens Advocacy, the non-profit that pairs ordinary folks with those whose developmental disabilities have excluded them from participating in community life. These advocates and protégés often form tight bonds that last a lifetime, learning together how to navigate the true meaning of friendship and dignity. Kohler began partnering people up 37 years ago, facilitating over 110 matches with his small staff. But the power of his work reaches far beyond the official description: These advoBest cate relationships have inspired a beloved community of ranBest dom kindness, and the Citizens Advocacy Annual Meeting and Covered Dish Supper is one of the city’s most joyful and well- Best attended occasions of the year. Your grassroots choice for Best Savannahian is also homegrown: The native son graduated from Jenkins High and attended then-Armstrong College in the 1970s, back when the demand for social equality began bubbling into the collective conscience. He graduated from UGA with an education degree and returned to his hometown, planting the seeds of change alongside the city’s community leaders. “I was shepherded into this work by others who looked at the world with passion,” recalls Kohler, stroking his famous beard. “I was always attracted to people who were involved in civic life.”
Lately he’s put his weight behind Emergent Savannah, an umbrella organization of activists searching for out-of-the-box solutions to the city’s most persistent problems. Along with regular “Monday Means Community” events at the Sentient Bean, Emergent Savannah gives regular citizens an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the city and voice their concerns. “It seems like people are interested and frustrated at how fast Savannah is changing, and at the same time, they’re interested and frustrated at what isn’t changing,” says Kohler of Savannah’s stratified economic development, persistent poverty and disparity of resources. “We wanted to invite people to come together and to think and talk about these issues.” As for the liberal label, he considers himself more of a “profoundly local, independent communitarian.” “Politics for the sake of politics doesn’t really interest me. It’s healthier, I think, to ask good, probing questions in the civic realm and let the politics grow out of that,” muses the man with no shortage of plans for a better Savannah. “I’m most interested in how small groups of committed citizens can create change that matters to them.” —Jessica Leigh Lebos Runner-up, Community Activist: Jessica Leigh Lebos Runner-up, Liberal: Travis Coles Runner-up, Best Savannahian: JinHi Soucy-Rand
Community Activist Liberal Savannahian
Tom Kohler
Best School Board Member
Jolene Byrne
Anyone who’s met Jolene Byrne in person knows there are few local folks as pleasant and interesting to talk to as the new Savannah-Chatham County School Board President. So what in the world did she do to piss off the local mainstream media? Apparently, being a woman who won on a platform of delivering much-needed reform to local public schools was enough. After suggesting that maybe there’s too much emphasis on homework at the expense of raising well-rounded, welladjusted children – the same sentiment your grandmother would probably express – Byrne was the subject of not one but two attack pieces in your local daily paper on the subject, with an editorial cartoon making fun of her to boot. (One of the attack pieces in the daily’s obsessive full-court press featured the ironic headline “Ten Things More Important For School Board Than Limiting Homework.”) But as they say, if you’re not pissing someone off you’re probably not doing your job right.
Best County Employee
Jefferson Kirkland
Oh sure, technically he’s the Chatham County Environmental Program Coordinator, but we hear strong rumors that The Kirk Man —perennial repeat winner in this category—will also be the next Avenger! Runner-up: Van Johnson
MAY 20-26, 2015
Best Firefighter
30
Chief Nathan Gaskill
This longtime Savannah Fire Department veteran realized many a schoolkid’s dream when he was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2014. When he’s not holding down Station 5, he passes on his blazing skills as a teacher with the Fire Science program Woodville-Tompkins Technical and Career High School. Runner-up: Billy King
One thing’s for sure: Byrne’s mild-mannered exterior should never be confused for weakness, and she handles the criticism with a smile and a little shake of her head, preferring to focus on a practical agenda for the future. “On the immediate agenda is a smooth transition away from First Student, on making sure the new Building Bridges program, replacing Ombudsman, is successful, and on raises for teachers and support staff,” says Byrne. “We also plan to review our discipline processes to address the disproportionate amount of black students that are referred to the juvenile justice system,” she adds. “The bigger stuff - shifting our emphasis from merely producing workers to educating healthy and creative citizens, challenging the bureaucratic obstacles to meaningful improvements in our struggling schools, focusing more on where we need to improve than on boasting about our successes - those things will take more time,” says Byrne. – Jim Morekis Runner-up: Julie M. Wade
Best Local Cause
Humane Society for Greater Savannah
Helping animals doesn’t just help animals! One of the Humane Society’s programs is Operation New Hope, which matches up dogs with poor prospects for adoption with inmates. The goal is to reduce recidivism, which is does to the tune of 75 percent! Runner-up: Savannah Mission
Best Nonprofit Organization
Coastal Pet Rescue
A repeat win for this deserving local group, but with special import this year as the all-volunteer organization celebrates its first-ever permanent site to house animals up for foster and adoption, at “Camp Pawsawhile” near Lake Mayer. Runner-up: Art Rise Savannah