Lisa Cupid was sworn in Thursday as the first African American and the first woman chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.
Security was heightened for the event at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta due to deadly unrest in the Capitol a day earlier.
Cupid, who previously served as the commissioner for South Cobb for eight years, said she was “humbled” by the events unfolding in Washington D.C. and the deep divisions they represented.
“You want to come to events like this in a celebratory fashion, but it’s no fun and games when you’re dealing with peoples lives and their vulnerability,” she said. “We have some serious work to do as a country, but it also trickles down to our county and our community.”
Cupid is set to lead an all-woman commission that recently became majority Democratic with two other Black women representatives. For years, Cupid was the sole Democrat and the only person of color on the board.
Cupid was the only commissioner to vote against public subsidies for the new Braves stadium. She became a vocal advocate for police reform after she accused an officer of harassment and intimidation when he followed her home late at night in an unmarked car.
Jeriene Bonner-Grimes of the Cobb NAACP spoke at Cupid’s swearing in and told her how proud she was.
“She has represented us well,” Bonner-Grimes said. “Keep speaking truth to power, because you’re a freedom fighter.”
Cupid said she recognized the historic importance of being the first Black woman in her position, but she said after eight years on the board there was no novelty in the title for her.
“I’ve walked these halls, I’ve been here,” she said. “It’s a wonderful accomplishment but in the end, it’s all about working and serving the citizens of Cobb County.”
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