Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle appointed Russell Landscape president Teddy Russell and developer Mark Toro to the board. And House Speaker David Ralston named Gwinnett County Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash and state Rep. Earl Ehrhart, who is leaving office at the end of the year.

The Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority (dubbed "the ATL") is the creation of a new state law that could lead to a dramatic transit expansion across the region. The law allows counties to raise sales taxes to support transit construction and operations.

Already, Gwinnett has scheduled a referendum on joining MARTA for March. Fulton, Cobb and DeKalb counties also are drafting transit expansion plans.

The 16-member ATL Board will coordinate those efforts. The idea is to development a seamless regional transit system from the county-by-county approach that has developed over the decades.

“By 2040, the metro Atlanta area is projected to add another 2.5 million residents and the ATL is a significant step towards providing a coordinated, streamlined and unified approach to prepare for the future of metro Atlanta and the surrounding communities,” Deal said in announcing the appointments.