Matthew Charles Cardinale

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – Matthew Charles Cardinale (“Matthew Charles”), 44, passed away at his home, after a four-year health struggle.

Matthew Charles was an effective advocate for progressive social change. He drafted some twenty-one ordinances or resolutions that are now law in the City of Atlanta, including laws for affordable housing, criminal justice reform, disability rights, public comment and public participation, community benefits, small businesses, and transparency.

Matthew Charles was dedicated to his cats, whom he loved and adored. He is preceded in heaven by Beebosh, Annie, Daphne, Dahlonega, Penelope, and many outdoor cats and kittens for whom he cared. He is survived by his beloved Veronica and Mister Fluffers.

Matthew Charles was born in Plantation, Florida; and grew up in Broward County, Florida.

He left home at the age of fourteen, lived on and off with friends and at the Covenant House Florida youth shelter. At sixteen, he was legally emancipated with the help of an adult friend named Bill Shoemaker; and he got his own apartment with the assistance of Covenant House through their Rights of Passage program.

At seventeen, he went off to Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, on full tuition scholarship, where he majored in Sociology and Political Science.

A lifelong learner, in 2005, he completed a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. In 2007, he completed a Masters in Public Administration from the University of New Orleans. In 2018, he completed a Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University, also on full scholarship. In 2024, he completed an LLM, or Master of Laws, in Environmental Law.

In 2005, he was living in New Orleans, having just moved back there from California only weeks before Hurricane Katrina. He was present for the storm and its aftermath, after which he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia.

In Atlanta, in 2005, he immediately founded an online news organization, Atlanta Progressive News, in the early days of Internet news. APN published over some three thousand news articles, which are still archived on the Internet today.

An avid fan of music, he played piano and wrote several original pop songs. In addition, he wrote several covers of popular songs where the lyrics were changed to relate to matters of public policy and current events, which he performed live at Atlanta City Council Meetings.

In 2021, he ran for Atlanta City Council in a nine-way race for the District 3 seat in a Special Election.

He also had a prolific litigation record, a member of the Georgia Bar since 2021. Prior to going to law school, in 2010, he sued the City of Atlanta with no attorney after the City Council took a secret vote while having lunch at the Georgia Aquarium. In 2011, the Supreme Court of Georgia took his case wherein he made oral arguments before the Court; and in 2012, he won.

Years later, he won other cases on appeal against City of Atlanta officials, including Cardinale v. Keane (2022), which clarified that any citizen could seek a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars from a bureaucrat who violates the Georgia Open Records Act.

He is to be buried at Sunset Memorial in Danville, Illinois, where his cat, Penelope, was buried in 2023.

A graveside service for Matthew Cardinale will be held at 10 AM on Monday, October 6, 2025 at Sunset Memorial Park in Danville, IL. Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 3940 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61834 has been entrusted with local arrangements. A memorial service to celebrate his life will also be held in Atlanta, GA on a date to be announced later.

Please join in sharing memories, photos, and videos of Matthew’s life on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.