Just wanted to send a quick recap (in photos) of 2018. I've linked the articles and videos if you wanted to read deeper into what I've been up to this year. Happy New Year!

I was sworn into a 2nd term as Mayor! Here I am in January, with newly elected Clarkston Council members YT Bell and Andrea Cervone, City of South Fulton Council Member khalid kamau stopped by to show his support. Also re-elected was Councilmember Jaime Carroll. With YT, Andrea and Jamie - Clarkston can boast the first majority millennial-run government!

Season TWO of the Emmy Award Winning Netflix Series Queer Eye visited Clarkston... with the final episode titled "Make Ted Great Again" (The "hipster mayor" of a small town has really big plans. But first he needs to upgrade his look so that others will start taking him seriously.)

I loved my time on Queer Eye! I talked all about it with Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Rodney Ho.

SPOILER ALERT: They shaved my "resistance beard"... but then I grew it back (sort of).  I shared some behind the scenes secrets and how I got nominated with The Atlantic Monthly's City Lab.

NetFlix is in 190 countries... so I had no shortage of messages, tweets, Instagram posts from around the United States and the World expressing optimism about American leadership in the Age of Donald Trump... helping introduce the innovative and progressive reforms we've made in Clarkston over the last 5 years.

This year was crucial for expanding international relations and working across national borders to pass the Global Compact on Migration, and on Refugees. In March I spoke at the United Nations in NYC on the role local governments play as receiving communities of migrants and refugees.

In late Spring, I visited Italy with a delegation from Welcoming America and Welcoming International. We visited, toured and had dialogue with the Mayors of Latina (outside of Rome) and San Giorgio a Cremano (Naples), each cities that have received thousands of refugees over the last several years, mostly from North Africa and the Middle East, and are seen, like Clarkston, as models for efficient and compassionate integration of newcomers.

In November, I participated in World Cities Day at the UNESCO world headquarters in Paris, France. I joined three other millennial Mayors from Mexico, United Kingdom, and Tunisia to call for more inclusive cities, focused on innovation and sustainability, as well as highlighting the power of public art as a vector for ending bigotry and discrimination.

And just a few weeks ago, I joined 50 other Mayors in Marrakesh, Morocco for the 5th Mayoral Forum on Migration, to give feedback and comments on the Global Compact for Migration and Refugees held in Marrakesh the following day. Global Citizen covered the Global Compact and why it is so important to have international norms in place for safe, orderly and regular migration.Created in response to the worst refugee crisis in recorded history, which involves 65 million displaced persons.

The framework also recognized climate change as a cause for migration, which will become increasingly relevant in the years ahead as natural disasters, rising sea levels, drought, and more displace whole communities.

The intersection between climate change and refugees is becoming more apparent after every natural disaster, here in America and around the world. That is why the City of Clarkston, is acting to halt Climate Change, and working to reverse Global Warming. Earlier this year, we committed to 100% Clean Energy and Transportation by 2050, joining the City of Atlanta and 100 other cities around the country to make a similar commitment. Resolutions are one thing, the transition plan is the real thing. Read how the City of Atlanta's draft plan will get their city to 100% Clean Energy by 2035... Clarkston is working on our plan, which will be similar in many ways.

Through my work with the Georgia Sierra Club, we endorsed 40 candidates for elected office, including Stacey Abrams for Governor. Calling, texting, emailing, and knocking on the doors of over 100,000 environmental voters. Despite the dark cloud that surrounded the election process this November, we were able to help elect dozens of environmental champions to the State House and State Senate.

No election cycle could be complete without political stunts and hyperbolic rhetoric. Thus I give you the "Deportation Bus" from Republican Gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams, who in the primary, visited Clarkston... where he was met with over a hundred counter protesters, mostly friendly, to push back against the lies about our community. Top lie? That communities with more immigrants and refugees have more crime. Not in Clarkston, and 8 other cities studied, where the crime rate went down, when refugee resettlement went up. Clarkston was named 45 of 50 safest cities (535 cities in Georgia) in 2018.

Our work in Clarkston hasn't gone unnoticed. And in 2018 we've had the privileged to share our story to the wider world.  

Mother Jones Magazine visited during the summer and profiled our town and the "hipster Mayor" -- whatever that means haha.

Atlanta Curbed highlighted the multi-million dollar infrastructure projects underway in Clarkston, 90 percent dedicated to walking, bicycling, and greenspace improvements.

Jorge Ramos, from Univision, stopped by for a segment on his new web series "Real America" - check out me and Jorge riding our bicycles through Clarkston!

Amnesty International USA captured the essence of our town in this short Instagram video in the late Summer.

The Today Show went in-depth on our southern hospitality and spoke with many of our refugee newcomers and local residents about what it is like living in the most ethnically diverse square mile in America.

The Audience Network on DirectTV and ATT Universe released their short docu-series "Refuge" - filmed mostly in 2017 in the days and months after the "Travel Ban," they captured some of the most strident voices against refugees in Clarkston, and how our community dealt with the new Administrations policies on immigration.

For all of 2018, I've been honored to be included in the filming of a new documentary feature "Clarkston" (working title). Along with several other "characters" who represent key elements of life in Clarkston, you will get an intimate and deeper look at the community known as the most diverse square mile! You can follow them on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/clarkstonthefilm/

Finally for some good comic relief, with the help of the Clarkston Film Crew - we participated in the 2018 Police Lip Sync Challenge. If you were wondering how bad of a dancer I am... then just watch and enjoy!

Hope you have a wonderful, and prosperous 2019!

- Ted