Clarkston Mayor-Elect Beverly Burks On Her Goals Once In Office

November 19th, 2020

Beverly Burks is the mayor-elect of Clarkston, Georgia.

Courtesy of Beverly Burks

While we wait for the ballots in Georgia’s presidential election to be certified, some clear winners did emerge on Nov. 3.

Beverly Burks, the mayor-elect of Clarkston, Georgia, was one of them.

She’s a recent breast cancer survivor and the first Black female mayor to be elected to lead the city in its 135-year history.

Burks spoke to WABE’s “Morning Edition” host, Lisa Rayam, about her vision for a stronger community. One of Burks’ leading goals once she takes office in January is to address the city’s affordable housing concerns.

Burks says it’s a mission that got lost with federal efforts to clamp down on immigrants.

“So many people want to move from renting an apartment or renting homes to actually becoming a homeowner,” she said.

Burks said she’ll focus on programs that will help cement the American Dream.

“As a local municipality, we will make sure we do everything to be a welcoming city,” she said.

She continued, “I see Clarkston as a culturally diverse community that welcomes everyone. Our foreign-born, our native-born. We will be as inclusive as possible. That means our LGBTQ community, that means our Black community, white community, our refugee community. Our immigrant community. We are an inclusive community.”

WABE’s Maria White Tillman contributed to this report.