Johns Creek Council Member Donates Salary To Charity

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- Outgoing Johns Creek City Council member Cori Davenport's tenure on the elected body could be remembered for a lot of things, but action taken Dec. 4 by her peers ensures "generosity" will be a word used to describe her legacy.

City Council members unanimously voted to reallocate Davenport's entire four-year salary she draws for her service to the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation, which was done at her request.

As a result, the Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports Johns Creek police officers and firefighters in their time of need, will receive $60,000. This also marks the largest single donation the organization has received in its nine-year history.

"My family has been blessed to live and grow in this city and I was blessed to have won an election to represent my fellow citizens on Council, so this was my give back to my community," Davenport told Patch. "I so appreciate the hard work and the daily risks of working in public safety. Those that take those risks deserve financial assistance if they should become unable to do their job and their families deserve our support. There wasn't the first hesitation to help those that protect us the most. My family and I were grateful to contribute."

Davenport was elected to the Johns Creek City Council in 2013 and declined to accept any salary with the intent of donating it to the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation at the outset. However, there was not a precedent for such an act and a variety of other factors contributed to the delay of the reallocation, the city said. Johns Creek City Council positions are part-time and earn an annual salary of $15,000.

Davenport, who made a decision to not run for a second term in 2017, continued to work with city staff to find a way to reallocate her salary. With all legal, financial and administration requirements fully met, Council members voted to move forward with Davenport’s request, which she participated in with the final vote of her four-year term on the Johns Creek City Council.

“This is one of the most important and heartwarming charitable acts I have ever witnessed or had the privilege to be a part of,” said Mayor Pro Tem Steve Broadbent and chairman of the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation. “Cori is one of the most giving persons you will ever meet, and her generosity will go a long way in helping our first responders when they face personal emergencies and are in need of assistance.”

You can learn more about the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation by visiting its website.

Images via city of Johns Creek