MARIETTA — The composition of the Cobb Board of Health will change with the creation of the new city of Mableton, public health officials said this week.
The board, which manages the Cobb portion of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, met for its monthly meeting Thursday. It also heard from Rachel Franklin, CDPH director of epidemiology, about the state of various diseases in the county, including a concerning rise in congenital syphilis.
From Marietta to Mableton
CDPH Deputy Director Lisa Crossman told the MDJ that, under state law, the mayor of the largest city in Cobb is automatically appointed to the board, and also gets to appoint a Cobb citizen to serve.
For decades, that city has been Marietta. Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin serves on the board, as does W. Wyman Pilcher III, who Tumlin appointed.
But the new city of Mableton, created when voters approved incorporation in a referendum last November, means Marietta will be the county’s second largest city.
Mableton is estimated to have roughly 77,500 residents; Marietta’s population is roughly 61,500. The election of Mableton’s mayor is set for March 21.
“I wanted to thank you personally, both the mayor and Wyman, for all the years of service,” said Dr. Janet Memark, director of CDPH. “You’ve just been such a huge help and supporter of public health. We will miss you, we’re not letting you go yet.”
Pilcher said it had been his pleasure to serve more than 18 years on the board.
Lisa Cupid, chair of the Cobb Board of Commissioners, Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and Marietta Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera also serve on the board by virtue of their respective positions.
The three other posts are appointed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners, and are to include a currently practicing medical doctor, a member to represent the county’s “needy, underprivileged or…
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