GUYANESE-AMERICAN, Lisa Cupid, was recently elected as the chairperson of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, in the state of Georgia in the United States of America (USA).

Cupid, whose parents are Guyanese, is an attorney and, formerly, an engineer. She was first elected to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners in November 2012, ‘defeating’ a 3-term incumbent. She was the sole person of colour and the sole Democrat.

“I decided to run for office after living here for some time and seeing disparities across the county,” Cupid said at a recent Guyanese diaspora forum.

She ran for the position of chairperson and secured a substantial victory, which she said was “quite an accomplishment” given that she has an innate desire to serve the county. Cupid defeated the incumbent Cobb Commission Chair Mike Boyce, a Republican.

“We have a great opportunity to ensure that everybody has a seat at the table, including members of district four [Georgia’s Fourth ], people of colour, people who really have not felt represented by the way our policies have moved forward in the county to make sure that the county is successful for everyone,” Cupid highlighted.

There is a sizable Guyanese diaspora living in Georgia, and Cupid said that she was proud of her “roots”, stating, “I just feel like my upbringing led me to being able to serve.”

Her presence at the diaspora forum signalled her support for the efforts being made by the Guyanese in Georgia to strengthen tourism and business ties with Guyana.

Cupid lives in Southwest Cobb with her husband Craig and two children, Nehemiah and Noah. According to her campaign website, some of her accomplishments include: bringing developers and residents together to negotiate tough land use cases, as well as working with businesses to navigate permitting challenges; advocating for a community-oriented policing and greater use of technology in policing, to better protect both citizens and police; and, supporting transparency, thoughtful spending and community engagement whether in assessing the county’s new stadium and its annual budget and millage hearings.

She also led efforts to expand transit to areas that lost service during the recession, including the creation of a bus line from her district to the Cumberland commercial center as well as an expansion of service to Sundays.