Meet the Other Mayors: Kathie deNobriga, Pine Lake

On lakeside living and LGBT culture in DeKalb County’s smallest municipality
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Metro Atlanta comprises 60-plus cities; each month we introduce one municipality and its mayor

In 2012, arts consultant Kathie deNobriga succeeded a CDC scientist as mayor of Pine Lake, a sylvan city of 800 residents and DeKalb County’s smallest. Tucked away near Stone Mountain, Pine Lake is just a quarter square mile and has a police force of three.

On lakeside living:
The lake is pretty small, like 11 acres. As long as you behave yourself, you’re welcome to swim with us.

When friends visit:
We definitely take them to the [community] beach house, and if they’re here on the first Saturday, we take them to the pancake breakfast. A lot of us get our bacon fix there.

High tolerance:
There’s quite a high percentage of gay and lesbian folks, so it’s not unusual to see two moms pushing a stroller around the lake. It’s pretty cool. I’m gay myself, and I’ve never had any sense of not feeling safe.

The part-time fallacy:
I get paid $300 per month. That doesn’t begin to cover the amount of time you have to spend, but it’s really not about the money; it’s about public service.

This article originally appeared in our February 2015 issue.

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