Cornelia has named a new Main Street Manager to oversee downtown development, events, and marketing. Noah Hamil stepped in to fill the role that was left vacant following the abrupt departure of Lindsey Fitzgerald.
In his new role, Hamil will be responsible for organizing all city events, including Christmas in Cornelia, the Big Red Apple Festival, and Downtown Trick-or-Treat, among others. He will also help market the city and its tourist attractions and manage social media.
“Noah is a fresh young face who the city hopes can help provide a new perspective and creative ideas. Noah is our target demographic, so his input will be imperative to making the vision of Cornelia come to fruition,” says Community Development Director Jessie Owensby. “We’re excited to see what he can do.”
Hamil will oversee the Downtown Development Authority, Historic Preservation Commission, the Cornelia Hospitality and Tourism Board, and the Main Street program. His office will be located inside the Historic Cornelia Train Depot, and he will report to Owensby.
With Hamil taking the helm of the downtown district and tourism, it will allow Owensby to focus on city planning, zoning administration, and economic development for the city, a press release states.
“I am very blessed to be offered this opportunity to serve the City of Cornelia. I look forward to collaborating with the community to make the town more special than it already is,” says Hamil.
All changes are effective immediately.
Fitzgerald, who served as the city’s events coordinator before being named Main Street manager in September, left following a public dispute with Baldwin City Councilwoman Alice Venter. The dispute was fueled by Venter’s social media comments about Fitzgerald’s handling of a situation during this year’s Big Red Apple Festival and other comments she made relating to an incident at last year’s Christmas parade. Online satirist Jeremiah Heaton picked up on the dispute and characterized the women as being stuck in a mud fight. At the time, Fitzgerald told Now Habersham she was inundated with hate-filled messages and had to take down her social media accounts. She wound up filing a formal complaint with the Baldwin Police Department.
Responding to an inquiry by Now Habersham, Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson says Fitzgerald resigned from her position in October. Fitzgerald did not respond to our request for comment.
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This article has been updated to include additional information from the city manager and to clarify details of the dispute between Fitzgerald and Venter.
