Councilman Denny Shortal steps down to run for Mayor of Dunwoody

This afternoon Dunwoody City Councilman & Mayor Pro Tem, Denny Shortal vacated his council seat to run for Mayor and though some aspects of this email could be seen as "political", this announcement is important; as the City Council will now be operating with six vs seven members.  Councilman Shortal is to be commended for his many years of service to the community and for his unselfish decision to vacate his seat early so that his replacement election would match up with the November general election cycle. 

As far as the parks bond money comments, I believe both Denny & Mayor Davis are correct in their statements.  The bonds originally let by the County clearly state that they were to be spent at Brook Run Park and I believe most on Council (including myself) will honor that intention & put a majority if not all of the funds received by the County towards Brook Run Park improvements.  That being said, Mayor Davis is also correct that technically under the settlement the money given by the County already went to pay off the new 5 acre park off Shallowford therefore there are no strings attached to the funds that the City put aside for those parks and it will be up to the city council as to how those funds will be allotted.   

John

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Good morning my fellow citizens … the following are some items of interest …

1. My Status … As you read in the Crier last week I will officially vacate my office as City Council Member of District One, Post 1 and as Mayor Pro Tem this afternoon at 5:00 PM. As most of you know I have announced my candidacy for the Mayor of Dunwoody. This election will be held on November 3, 2015. Georgia State Constitution requires that I vacate my office when I qualify for the Mayor’s position. By your vote on November 3rd you will decide if I will be back as your Mayor on January 1, 2016. I am actually vacating my office 12 days prior to qualifying in order for the city to meet the timelines required to have the election for my current office on the normal election day of November 3. This will accomplish a two fold purpose, 1. have my current office filled at the earliest possible date and 2. save the city the cost (approx. $25,000) of a separate special election at the next available date in March, 2016. 

2. My Email Address … As of 5:00 PM this afternoon my Dunwoody city email address will no longer be operative. You will still be able to email me at  …  dshortsmar@comcast.net.  I will continue to send out periodic email updates as a private citizen and as a candidate for Mayor of Dunwoody. 

3. Tax Refund Checks … For those of you who are due a property tax refund from the city for the years 2012 - 2014, to quote the famous line “your check is in the mail.” Some of the checks are extremely small, but regardless of the size we ask that you cash your checks as soon as received. This will enable us to keep the city’s financial books correct. For those of you that have escrow accounts with a loan agency, your check will be mailed directly to your loan agency to be deposited in your escrow account. In this case, no action will be required by you.

4. Park Bond Money … Recently we received $4 million from DeKalb County (DC) as a negotiated settlement for the Brook Run Park suit that we filed against DC over three years ago. How that settlement was finalized is that DC would use $3.5 million of these funds to directly pay for park/s currently under construction in Dunwoody. An example of this is the new five acre park at the corner of Shallowford Rd and Pernoshal Ct. We currently have budgeted and funded $3.5 million for the above park construction. When I inquired at our city council meeting on August 10 if the $3.5 Million was in an account for the use in BR Park, Mayor Davis said that these funds didn’t have to be used in BR Park or in any park and that the city council would decide where to use these funds. My only problem with that is that you the citizens have been told through the entire suit process that these funds had to and  would be used to enhance BR Park. You decide. The other $500K of the $4 million settlement in part or whole would be used to update the Dunwoody Parks Master Plan (DPMP). My feeling is that we have plenty of smart citizens that with minimal guidance could update the DPMP at little expense and give us a plan that we actually want. Then the remainder of the $500K could be used to enhance Brook Run (BR) Park. 

5. Pebble Tossers Race … On September 12 in BR Park the Pebble Tossers will host a 5K/1M race. Pebble Tossers is a 501 c 3 non-profit with the mission of igniting a passion of volunteerism in our youth. The Pebble Tossers boost of 16,000 members in the greater Atlanta area and their headquarters is right here in Dunwoody. There will be a non-profit expo after the race. For information and to sign up go to this website … http://www.pebbletossers.com/proj/outstanding-youth/

6. Name The Park Contest … Repeat from my last update. Get involved by helping choose the name for our new five acre park located at the old Emory Hospital site at the corner of Shallowford Rd and Pernoshal Ct.. You can participate in the contest by registering at the “Name Your Park" online contest portal at www.connectdunwoody.com. The contest is currently open and closes at 5:00 PM on September 30. 

7. Safety … I notice a lot of homes do not have their address posted on the mailbox, curb or house. To help safety vehicles find your house, especially on some dark and stormy nights, I would encourage everyone to have your address highly visible on your mailbox and/or curb. Your house is the last choice. 

8. That is all for today. Please pass this on to your friends, neighbors and members of your HOA. If you would like me to speak to the members of your HOA let me know. If you want to be added to my email update list just notify me. Lets be kind to each other. Have a great day! 

Let Us Continue To Build Our City Together

Denny Shortal