East Cobb Area Council Names Ex-Commissioner Citizen Of The Year

EAST COBB, GA — A former East Cobb commissioner was named the East Cobb Area Council's Citizen of the Year on Thursday, a Cobb County Chamber of Commerce news release said.

The area councils' Citizen of the Year awards are given out to people chosen for their "definable, exceptional deeds, with which he or she have made their community a better place to live," the release said.

Area councils represent six geographical areas of Cobb County to the chamber and focus on promoting businesses, and addressing relevant issues and interests of their respective communities: Cumberland, East Cobb, Marietta, Northwest Cobb (Acworth, Kennesaw and West Cobb), Smyrna and South Cobb.

Bob Ott served three terms representing District 2, which covers Vinings, Cumberland and Smyrna as well as most of East Cobb. He retired from his role in 2020, but has been an active member of the East Cobb community for more than 10 years, chamber officials said.

"Ott dove into politics after a residential zoning proposal near his home sparked opposition alongside his neighbors. From the East Cobb Civic Association to the Cobb Planning Commission, Ott strives to make the citizens of Cobb feel as though they are connected to their government," the release said.

Ott, who is also a pilot for Delta Airlines, was also instrumental in bringing the Atlanta Braves to Cobb County, the chamber noted. He promoted other development in the Cumberland area including apartments and office buildings to bring in new investments, helped secure the land for the East Cobb Park expansion and "champion[ed] redevelopment and community revitalization."

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ott was "vigilant in helping small businesses stay open, working alongside SelectCobb to propose that $50 million of the county's federal CARES Act funding would be dedicated to developing grants for small business owners," the release said.

"His term started with catastrophic floods that devastated East and South Cobb County and ended with a pandemic that crippled the nation," chamber officials said. "Ott worked tirelessly through those terrible events during his term and has remained a faithful servant to his community."