Sarah Beeson
Work and family: Sarah is Vice President, Operations - Oasis Consulting Services (Roswell). She is married to Tommy, with two sons, Turner and Rowan and they have a dog, Kirby. She has served one year on Roswell City Council and is Public Safety Liaison.
Why Roswell? Roswell was my childhood hometown. It’s where my parents still live, and where we proudly run a family business. It’s home. It was a natural choice for my husband and I to choose Roswell to raise our family as well. Roswell has the best of all worlds: natural amenities, unique charm, a strong sense of community, an award-winning recreation and parks program, and the best restaurants in the metro region.
2024 Goals: I’m excited to continue our historic transition to a full-time fire department, begin developing our public safety facility, break ground on our river parks improvements, expand our sidewalk/multimodal pathway network, and so much more.
Favorite Roswell haunts: Pop’s Coffee, 1920 Tavern, Salt Factory Pub, Bask Steakhouse (followed by dessert at Whit’s Frozen Custard), Osteria Mattone or Brookwood Grill, family hikes at Vickery Creek and bike rides in Big Creek Park
Christine Hall
Work and family: Christine is Director, Business Incentives Consulting Tax - CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP). Married to George with two children Lauren and Donnie (graduated from Blessed Trinity in 2021) and two kitties Max and Riley.
Why Roswell? 2024 is my fifth year of service on city council. I've served as liaison to transportation, community development, finance, and Mayor Pro Tem 2023. Roswell has the same warmth and familiarity as the community where I grew up, with strong family values, a supportive atmosphere, and unique historical and environmental offerings. I have had the pleasure of exploring Roswell while clipping along on two wheels on group rides with Bike Roswell. On a bike, Roswell reveals all her unique charms for those willing to slow down and allow your senses to drink it all in. There is another dimension of Roswell beyond her natural attractions – a real city with layers of history where you can explore alleys of entertainment and taste the diverse flavors of a vibrant restaurant scene. It’s easy to feel as if you are off on a vacation – without ever leaving Roswell.
2024 goals: The sidewalk and multi-use trail projects on roads like Old Alabama, Hardscrabble, Chaffin, King and Pine Grove should make good progress during 2024. The Riverside Road project near Martin's Landing and the River Parks Master Plan are two more initiatives that are exciting as is the creation and adoption of a city agricultural plan.
Favorite Roswell haunts: The Stout Brothers Beer Market, Cubanos ATL, The Vick, Pop Alleigh, Amalfi Italian, Di Paolo restaurant in East Roswell, Carniceria 3 Hermanos.
Lee Hills
Work and family: Lee and her husband Wes Hills, have a son Rapley, and daughter Graham, Doberman Pinscher sisters Onnie and Pearl.
Why Roswell: February this year marks my 22nd year being a Roswell resident. Having grown up in a small town in Alabama rich in historic architecture, Roswell fit. We have been visiting since before being married and still call Hugo's Oyster Bar our favorite place for special dinner celebrations!
2024 is the 3rd year of my first 4-year term as a Roswell City Council Member. This might be the most difficult role in which I have ever served. Having a past career in catering and hospitality, delivering event excellence with customer service and satisfaction has always been paramount. Roswell is at a unique station in her life. It is time to move forward deliberately to ensure our residents' desires are fulfilled; protecting our neighborhoods, green spaces and historic nature while creating responsible development opportunities to offset our tax burden and sustain our allure as a thriving aspiration city.
2024 Goals: The project about which I am most excited is our Historic Assets plans we are putting into motion. The notion that any and everyone visiting Roswell will know and have access to Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall, Mimosa Hall, Smith Plantation and Holly Hill thrills me.
David Johnson
Work and family: David is an anesthetist at Northside Hospital Forsyth. He and his wife Nicole have three children: Samuel (6) Collins (5) Sawyer (2).
Why Roswell? We moved to Roswell in 2014 because we were ready to expand our family and felt like Roswell has everything a family would want! We fell in love with Roswell by floating in the river on a hot summer day and then enjoying Canton Street restaurants after a long day. In 2017, we moved from our house by the river to the Country Club of Roswell neighborhood, a great community where everyone helps each other. So many friends and neighbors help watch the kids or run them to sports or other activities. It is the best city to raise a family, but also has something for every stage of life.
2024 Goals: I ran a campaign on making Roswell the safest city in the state for pedestrians and cyclists and hope the rest of the city council will join me in accomplishing that goal. Our citizens should feel safe to walk in their neighborhoods and cyclists should have safe places to ride.
Favorite Roswell haunts: Gracious Plenty, Crazy Love, 1920, Bask Steakhouse, Table and Main, Bambinelli’s, Vickery Creek Trail and walking to the falls.
William Morthland
Work and family: Mortgage Broker/Lender, MortgageRight - Roswell, Branch Manager. He and his wife Jennifer have two children, Richard (14), Claire (11), and two dogs, Goose and Autumn.
Why Roswell? I started serving in January 2022. My first term ends after December 2026. I’ve served as the liaison to the recreation, parks, historic and Cultural Affairs Department and as the liaison to the Environmental & Public Works Department. When my wife accepted a new role with Emory University, we relocated from the Birmingham, AL area. We were not house shopping, but city shopping in determining where we wanted to call home. It wasn't until we visited Roswell that we found a sense of home. Roswell reminds me of my birthplace of Selma, AL in terms of history, culture, small town community, and plenty of green space. While we were having dinner in downtown Roswell during our exploratory phase of the Atlanta area, we both looked at one another and said, "Roswell simply feels like home." The decision was made right there, Roswell was it for us. The small town community feeling of Roswell coupled with the amazing recreation and parks system just can't be found in any other municipality. This is what makes Roswell special to my family and continues to impress each time we visit a different city for an event. Each time we attend a sporting event or performance, or visit family friends in a different city, I am always comparing to it Roswell. I consistently find the lifestyle and vibe Roswell offers to be unmatched in neighboring communities.
2024 Goals: In November 2022, the Roswell voters overwhelmingly approved $179.6 million in bond funding for three different initiatives. $107.6 million was approved for recreation, parks, bicycle and pedestrian paths, and sidewalk gap fulfillment. $52 million was approved for public safety capital projects. $20 million was approved for the construction of a downtown public parking deck. The funding that was granted for these bond projects will not only enhance our current daily lives, but will also yield dividends for our future generations.
Favorite Roswell haunts: Cubanos, the Leita Thompson or Seven Branches walking trails, Atlanta Junior Rowing Association, the Roswell Gymnastics program.
Allen Sells
Work and family: Partner and executive officer of AMS Analytics. He and his wife Rhonda have two grown children, Hannah and Trace, and two grandchildren.
Why Roswell? We moved to Horseshoe Bend to be closer to our church community, where Rhonda served on staff and I taught kids church for 10 years. Rhonda and I served on the boards of A Beacon of Hope in Johns Creek for 20 years and Georgia Center of Opportunity in Norcross for 10 years. Our family loves history. Roswell is unique in the preservation of the many original homesteads and historic cemeteries. Canton Street is a huge draw for the city. But for me, the undeveloped riverfront and acres of parkland make our city special and are the bedrock for our Roswell quality of life.
2024 Goals: Now that Big Creek Parkway is back to the original design, the one approved by voters in the 2016 TSPLOST referendum, I am looking forward to establishing an updated project timeline and moving forward. Big Creek Parkway is the type of connectivity project that benefits both East and West Roswell and should be a focus. Also, longtime residents know that the river’s flow has changed a lot over the years. The addition to the River Parks Master Plan to begin to address years’ long neglect of tending to the silting issue is a project that stewards our crown jewel wisely. Not a sexy project, but a really important one.
Favorite haunts: Café au Lait, Hooligans and From the Earth. For meeting friends and sports events, you will find us at Rock N Taco or The Standard, The Vick, where Kadijah always exceeds expectations. The Garrard Landing Park trail system and my men’s group at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church are a blessing.
