Carla Smith landed in Atlanta; she immediately got involved in her community, which at the time was slowly transitioning from a community of vacant and abandoned homes, drugs and other criminal activity to a very diverse community of families, singles, homeowners and renters. This grass roots activist currently continues to reside in the Woodland Hills community located in District One along with her husband Scott and their son Carl.

An organizer of her community’s Neighborhood Watch, Carla utilized this as an opportunity to welcome new neighbors and invite others to become active in SAND (South Atlanta Neighborhood Development). As Public safety chair of SAND Carla worked with Zone 6 police department to support their efforts to fight crime within the area. She made a commitment to training others by sharing information that her neighbors could utilize to deter crime and by encouraging the organization of additional Neighborhood Watches. Carla has also served on several other committees and boards before coming to City Hall, including; Chair of the SAND Welcoming Committee, Chair of St. Paul Golden Age Center and as a board member of the SAND Credit Union, The Atlanta Project Public Safety Committee, Cluster 5 and NPU-W.

As a legislator, Carla has authored and co-authored some of the city’s most notable legislation. Including, Public Memorials, Truck and Bus Idling (15 minute law), Solid Waste Handling, prohibiting repair or servicing of motor vehicles on private property, Mattie’s call, and the BeltLine, Eastside, and Stadium Tax Allocation Districts (TAD). Carla’s heart for the environment influences the legislation that she author and supports.

Understanding the importance of expanding the city’s green space, the Beltline is one vehicle the city can use to achieve this. Since being in office Carla has encouraged the community to get more involved with the parks and greenspaces within the district. District One has more park advocacy groups than most council districts.

Sometimes called the Solid Waste Councilperson or “Garbage Queen” Carla’s interest in recycling and the handling of waste in the city was utilized as Co-Chair of the Solid Waste Facilities Task Force. The Task Force was charged with reviewing “best practices” in the Solid Waste Handling industry and to make policy recommendations to the Mayor’s Office, the City Council and the Department of Public Works. In 2003 working with the City’s environmental affairs department Carla established the City’s Electronic Waste Recycling Day. On this day all Atlanta residents are invited to recycle old computers and electronics so they do not end up as tomorrow’s trash. This event allows for the proper disposal of items through recovery and reuse of valuable materials. Each year this event is looked forward to by all of the city’s residents.

Currently, Carla is a board member of the Atlanta Community ToolBank, Atlanta Streetcar, Inc. and Southstar CDC. As Councilmember of District One, Carla has served on the following committees: Public Safety and Legal Administration, City Utilities, Committee on Council, Transportation, and Zoning. Carla Smith has also served as Chairperson of Zoning, City Utilities and Committee on Council committees. Other committees Carla has served on are; Mayor Franklin’s Sales Tax Referendum Steering Committee, Underground Atlanta’s Entertainment District Task Force, and Chaired the Committee to Honor the late Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.