Sandy Springs, Cobb Leaders Honor Sen. Johnny Isakson

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Representatives from two governments known for not seeing eye-to-eye on issues pertaining to traffic set aside those differences Thursday to honor a man who played a role in improving a bridge connecting both communities.

Cobb County and Sandy Springs officials descended onto the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area's Johnson Ferry North entrance to honor U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson in a Dec. 22 bridge naming ceremony.

The Sandy Springs City Council at its Dec. 20 meeting voted 5-1 to approve a resolution naming the bridge over the river on Johnson Ferry Road after the senator. Council member Andy Bauman voted against the measure, noting he preferred not to name roads, bridges or any public assets for currently serving officials.

"I think it would be best to wait until someone completes his/her service before the naming honors begin," he told Patch.

The bridge naming ceremony originated in Cobb County, specifically from Johnny Gresham, a retired member of the State Transportation Board who wanted to honor the senator. Gresham approached officials in Cobb, and Chairman Tim Lee thought the idea of naming the bridge after Isakson was a great way to honor the public servant's dedication to the community.

However, there was one problem: Cobb officials learned that the city of Sandy Springs owned the bridge, and they could not move forward with the ceremony without Sandy Springs' approval, Mayor Rusty Paul said during Tuesday's meeting.

City leaders approved the resolution, noting they had no problems with plans to name the bridge in Isakson's honor, as he played a role in getting federal funding needed for the bridge and Johnson Ferry/Abernathy Road improvement project.

That project widened Johnson Ferry Road/Abernathy Road from Columns Drive to Roswell Road. It also has four-foot bike lanes, 16-foot shoulders with eight-foot sidewalks and is divided by a 16 to 32-foot raised median. It also provided six travel lanes from Columns Drive to Riverside Drive, four travel lanes from Riverside Drive to Abernathy Road, a 16-foot raised median, four-foot bike lanes and 16-foot shoulders with eight-foot sidewalks.

The project also gave way to the popular Abernathy Greenway, the city of Sandy Springs linear park on the north side of Abernathy Road between Brandon Mill and Wright roads.

During his remarks Paul said he and Isakson go back nearly 40 years, and their political careers have run parallel to each other's. Not only has he been a friend to Sandy Springs, Paul said Isakson has also been a mentor who understand that in order to get things done in the political arena, you have to be willing to work together.

"Naming this bridge ties together two great communities for Senator Isakson is about the most apropos thing I can imagine," he said, adding that the senator regularly used the bridge as part of his commute from his Cobb home to his office in Sandy Springs.

When he thinks about the kind of leaders in Georgia, Cobb County Commission Chairman Tim Lee said Senator Isakson is only a handful "who come immediately to mind." He's not only worked for decades to make positive change for Cobb County, but for Georgians and many Americans.

Isakson has also been a true friend and mentor for him, even during some of his darkest hours during his political career, Lee said.

"Not once in the 15 some odd years that I've known Senator Isakson has he ever not had a moment when I've needed a moment, not had an encouraging word when I needed it most -- when I didn't know it," he said. "He was always standing me up as the best person in the room, the best person in the county and the best person that he's ever met. He made me feel like there was no other person at a greater point in their life than I was at that time."

Isakson thanked the crowd who came together on the Cobb-Sandy Springs border for the ceremony. Watching the Johnson Ferry Road bridge change over the last three decades, Isakson said, has been remarkable. The structure has gone from a one-lane passage to two- and, later, a six-lane bridge that carries tens of thousands of cars each day.

However, the Senator did note getting all parties to the table to get the bridge improved was a "challenge." But the leadership between federal, state and local parties and the growing necessity for the project were the key factors in turning the project from a dream into a reality.

That, he added, is a fine example of how leadership and lobbying efforts can transform a community for the better. Of course, none of that would have been possible without the taxpayer, Senator Iaskson said. After all, they are the ones who "foot the bill" for everything politicians do.

"This bridge is living proof that there is no limit to what you can do if you don't want to take credit for it," he said. "There's no limit to what you can do if you'll hold hands, work together and not worry who you're holding hands with, but work for the goal and not for the honor. And there's no limit to what you can do, and prosperity will come and follow you all the days of your life."

Isakson has served in elected office for nearly 40 years, He was first elected to public office in 1974, and served for 17 years in both the House and Senate of the Georgia General Assembly. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and has served as a United States Senator since 2004.

Images via Kristal Dixon