Leane Levetan oral history interview, January 17, 2007

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: W071_LevetanL_20070117

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Janet Paulk. Liane Levetan opens her first oral history by describing her childhood as a Jewish refugee during World War II. After living in Vienna, London, and Washington DC, Levetan ended up finishing High School in Atlanta and earning a partial degree from Georgia State. Levetan discusses working at a bank after high school, and the reasons for her transition into special education work at Rock Springs Elementary School, which ultimately drove her to political work later in life. After working at Rock Springs, Levetan details her time working in real estate. During her work in real estate, Liane raised two children and highlights their childhood as well as keeping a Jewish home. Liane goes on to highlight her beginning in the political arena, working on the campaign of Carl Sanders. Sanders chose her to be the publicity chair for Democratic women, and gave Liane the opportunity to interact with President Lyndon Johnson and further her political connections. After losing an election for state senate, Levetan details her campaign for county commissioner. Levetan ends her first oral history by discussing acting as the first woman on the DeKalb County Commission.

Dates

Creation: January 17, 2007

Creator

Levetan, Liane, 1936- (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.

Biographical Note

Liane Levetan is known for her active role in state and local politics spanning the 1970s to 2000s. In 1975, Levetan became the first woman elected to the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, where she represented District 2 for 10 years and spearheaded the drive for tax breaks for DeKalb property owners who added onto and enhanced existing residential and commercial property. A pioneer teacher in the field of special education, Levetan also initiated a successful bond referendum to fund the DeKalb County Mental Retardation Services Center. From 1993-2000, Levetan served as the CEO of DeKalb County for two terms, and was the first woman elected to the position. Levetan was responsible for the operation of a government that served over 600,000 citizens and had a total annual budget of more than $800 million. Her administration in DeKalb was distinguished by innovative approaches to employee training and performance measures to improve the county's service orientation toward its residents and an emphasis on improving technology. Through her leadership, an extraordinarily successful culture of collaboration between the public and private sectors won national acclaim for DeKalb, including the prestigious All-America City Award in 1998. The award is given annually by the National Civic League to 10 outstanding local governments across the United States that demonstrates a high degree of collaborative community building. Her leadership was also instrumental in the landmark passage in March 1997 of DeKalb County's innovative Homestead Option Sales Tax, which created a permanent source of revenue for infrastructure improvement and the reduction of property taxes. For the 2002-2004 term, Levetan served as a member of the Georgia General Assembly. She served on the following committees: Transportation, Education, Special Judiciary, State Institutions and Property, and Ethics. She also holds the distinction of being the only female member of the Ethics Committee. Levetan has always been an active participant in numerous community projects. She has also been active in civic and cultural affairs and her public service career has been characterized by a dedication to neighborhoods, issues of children and elderly citizens, and initiating savings for taxpayers. Sen. Levetan has also utilized her more than three decades of business experience as a licensed real estate broker and public affairs consultant to various corporations. This experience includes a position as an executive consultant for AGL Resources and a position as corporate communications director for Mindus Recycling, a subsidiary of Attwoods. Sen. Levetan also serves on the Omni Bank Community Development Board as a member. Levetan is the past director of the National Civic League and currently serves on its National Council of Advisors. She is active in the National Association of Counties (NACo), where she played a leadership role on the Unfunded Mandate Task Force and served as vice president of Namco's Taxation and Finance Committee. Georgia Trend magazine has recognized her serveral times as one of Georgia's 100 Most Influential People and in 1993 she was the recipient of the International Women's Forum's "Women That Make A Difference" Award.