City of Dunwoody Campaign Finance Reports for October 2015

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Lessons for Dunwoody Politicians from Steve Jobs - Peach Pundit

I have read a number of tributes to Steve Jobs in the last day or so, but the following commentary of Todd Rehm published at Peach Pundit really touched me.  I have seen firsthand the inner workings of the State and Federal Government and I can honestly say that I never want to be a part of it.  I have no political aspirations, none!  Yet, here I sit as a member of the Dunwoody City Council, loving every minute of my service to the community.  I am part of a team that works well together, where politics and political ideology are out the window and the only thing that matters is our mission of providing quality services to our citizens.

In a few weeks the Citizens of Dunwoody may be replacing three/sevenths of the council as well as deciding what core values will be leading this city for the next four years.  I hope you choose those who share your personal vision for the future of the city, those who have active plans for growth and improvement, those who have distinguished themselves by active leadership in the community.  I want people sitting next to me who are intrenched in the community, will research thoroughly the item at hand, will bring new ideas to the table.  Yet my ultimate hope is that our new Mayor and all six members of the City Council (myself included) will always be willing to act as a team where the best idea for continuous improvement wins the day. 

On Tuesday November 8th, you will be setting the values of Dunwoody, deciding what guides us, who we are, what we stand for.  Vote wisely.

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Todd Rehm of Peach Pundit, Oct 7, 2011

Politics is About Values

“Our customers want to know who is Apple and what is it that we stand for…. What we’re about isn’t making boxes for people to get their jobs done, although we do that well…. Apple is about something more that that…. It’s core value is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better. That’s what we believe.”

Jobs then introduced the “Think Different” marketing campaign based not on what Apple machines did, but the core values that underlie their company and their products. Apple has not been the same company since, and the world has not been the same place.

Politicians need to understand that their voters have the same questions. They want to know not just your political positions but the core values that motivate you every day.

Too many politicians have fallen in love with self-promotion and neglect talking about and, more importantly, demonstrating, their core values. The irony is that their self-promotion falls flat because it’s not based on demonstrating their core values. You know who I’m talking about.

Voters and fellow politicians sense when a candidate’s stated values don’t match up with their personal actions, and this “BS-meter” gets more accurate with exposure.

Carmine Gallo spoke of the way Jobs talked about Apple’s mission in terms of “share what you’re passionate about.” Today, politicians have new platforms to share information with voters, but too many of them treat Facebook, Twitter and blogs as merely an extention of the traditional media. By failing to understand the power of these media to demonstrate their core values, they’re missing out on an opportuntity.

Anyone can say that they have “traditional values” or that they’re “compassionate conservatives,” but today, the social media give politicians a way of demonstrating that their actions meet their words.

Rather than simply stating you have “family values,” you can demonstrate to the voters where your values lie by tweeting about coaching your daughter’s soccer team or spending time at a piano recital. Rather than saying you’re a community leader, post a photo of you up on the roof while building a Habitat house with your church. Next time you hold a political fundraiser, ask everyone to bring a couple of cans of food to be donated to the local food bank. These day to day demonstrations say more about where your values truly lie than any piece of direct mail or 30-second TV spot and voters will take note.

Leaders don’t decide where to go based on poll numbers

When asked what market research went into the iPad, Mr. Jobs replied: “None. It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.”

This quote highlights the difference between leadership and management. Fundamental to Jobs leadership was his belief in people and his willingness to let others make mistakes. He also allowed himself to make mistakes as long as it was done in the course of innovation.

In 1996, just before he rejoined Apple, Steve Jobs was interviewed by Louis Rukeyser and asked where Apple had gone wrong since Jobs was pushed out in 1986.

“When I left Apple… we were ten years ahead of anybody else…. The problem was that apple stood still and people caught up with it….The way out … is to innovate. That’s how apple got to its glory, and that’s how I think they could return to it.”

No other political undertaking in Georgia has been so overwrought with management and bereft of leadership as the TSPLOST. The refrain of “let the voters decide” has left the metro Atlanta campaign floundering as it seeks to be all things to all people and to reconcile competing viewpoints about the role of transportation in Atlanta’s future. It has become the perfect illustration of the old saw that a camel is a horse designed by committee. It has also left the measure without any champions and with dimming hopes of passage in the Metro Atlanta region.

Failure isn’t permanent unless you let it be

One of the most-watched addresses by Jobs is his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. In it, Jobs discusses not only his successes but his failures, and how his greatest successes grew out of a single failure, his firing from Apple in 1986.

But the salient point isn’t just the way Jobs used his greatest failure to regroup before rejoining Apple and making it the dominant electronics company in the world. It’s the way Jobs constantly risked failure in pursuing his vision.

People laughed at the iMac, at the thought that adding pretty translucent colors to an underpowered desktop computer running a second-rate operating system would save Apple from obscurity. Others laughed at the iPod, which has come to so dominate its industry that no one remembers the Zune. Steve Ballmer of Microsoft mocked the $500 price tag of the iPhone when it was launched and predicted its failure. And the iPad has the entire computer industry running to try and catch up. Of course, few of us remember the Newton.

But with each of these bold gambits, Jobs risked not just the mocking of his peers, but the future company he built. Without Jobs’s taking risks without fear of failure, Apple might have remained a second-rate computer company and we might be stuck with crappy cell phones and useless PDAs.

Last year, Senator Renee Unterman championed a bill designed to address the sexual exploitation of minors by, among other things, “decriminalizing” underage prostitution. She found only a single co-signer and was bashed by some of the same conservatives she had worked with for years. She fought on, and earlier this year, Governor Deal signed into law a strong anti-sex trafficking statute that passed with the support of Attorney General Sam Olens, and majorities of both houses’ GOP caucus. How many other legislators can you name who have risked as much politically?

Teamwork depends on trust, the best ideas have to win

“Teamwork is dependent on trusting the other folks to come through with their part without watching them all the time…. You have to be run by ideas not by hierarchy, the best ideas have to win, otherwise people don’t stay.”

This seems to be a lesson that some of us, as Republicans, have forgotten as we have attained the political power in Georgia that we long craved. Great ideas like Zero-Based Budgeting have gotten bogged down in intramural conflicts. We’ve forgotten that it’s better to be a pirate than to join the navy. Fortunately, we’ve seen Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and Labor Commissioner Mark Butler implement Zero-Based Budgeting within their agencies.

Internal caucus politics and intra-house rivalries can be good when harnessed to ensure that every member is doing the most they can to move the ball forward, but when the fighting is over the emoluments of hierarchy rather than seeking the best for our citizens, it is wasted effort at best, counterproductive at worst.

I can’t help but believe that we’re leaving improvements to the way our state government functions by not looking to the example of Steve Jobs in some aspects of the way we do the peoples’ business. Here’s hoping that in our mourning over the business world’s loss, we don’t also lose these valuable lessons.

Dunwoody Council Candidates explain why they should win seats - Dunwoody Reporter

The following article was published online at the Dunwoody Reporter newspaper site and I have copied the article verbatim. Reminder that all Dunwoody residents will be able to vote for each of the Council posts shown below, as well as the Mayor.

Dunwoody voters head to the polls Nov. 8 to choose a mayor and three members of Dunwoody City Council. Council candidates will run citywide for posts representing the areas in which they live. Three candidates, including incumbent Councilman Robert Wittenstein, seek the Post 4 seat. Two seek the Post 5 seat being vacated by retiring Councilman Danny Ross. Councilman John Heneghan faces no opposition for Post 6.

The Dunwoody Reporter asked the candidates for their opinions on the chief issues facing Dunwoody and why they felt they were qualified to be chosen for the council. Here are their replies, edited for space. 

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Post 4

Rick Callihan

Rick Callihan
Director of Operations, AmeriGlo
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? I bring a common sense approach to our fiscal responsibilities. Just like your family, Dunwoody must live within its means. While we’ll be confronted with many worthwhile projects and ideas, we must prioritize the city’s needs. Dunwoody should build and maintain a safety net of cash in our operating account. I’ll work to ensure that tax dollars are spent wisely by carefully prioritizing our city’s needs. I will work with the Perimeter business district to make Dunwoody attractive to employers, and I’ll work with our state legislators to develop a plan to create a City of Dunwoody school district.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? One problem facing Dunwoody is our infrastructure. Although the city has a paving and sidewalk plan in place, I’d like to see it accelerated. Residents I speak with want roads paved, sidewalks installed, and intersections improved; they don’t want money spent on non-essentials like expensive branding and way-finding sign projects. This year Dunwoody will have a budget surplus due to a decision made earlier this year by DeKalb County on how HOST tax dollars are allocated. This is a unique and favorable development but we can’t rely on this type of windfall every year.
Why should the voters pick you? Voters should cast their ballot for me because I will bring a conservative, common sense approach to budgeting and spending priorities. I will work to maintain the quality of life that attracts families to and keeps them in Dunwoody. My volunteer work and commitment to keeping residents informed through my blog demonstrate my dedication to our city.

Terry Nall

Terry Nall
President of U.S. insurance subsidiary for Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? I will focus on accomplishing my key principle and positions. Key principle: small, efficient, disciplined government with accountability. Key positions: keep taxes low and protect against risks and excessive debt; maintain appropriate level of police protection; measured and balanced approach to growth and development; enhance parks incrementally with budgeted funds; stick to a plan of paving the worst first.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? Disciplined spending: Needs must come before wants. We must carefully budget and avoid decisions to spend when we do not fully understand all actual costs. If elected, I will be the only active CPA on the council.
Zoning: This next council will conduct a total re-write of our Zoning Code. I will insist on including the best zoning tools to achieve a measured approach to growth by increasing our tax base without overwhelming our infrastructure and schools with high-density development.
Why should the voters pick you? This election is about priorities. I bring conservative, comprehensive financial expertise to City Council and a belief that needs must come before wants. I believe we must carefully budget for our needs first and then our wants so that we may ensure disciplined spending at all times, but especially during the difficult economy that affects our government and our citizens.

Robert Wittenstein

Robert Wittenstein (incumbent)
Senior vice president, Alere Health
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? We have spent the first three years creating long-range comprehensive plans. The next four years will be focused on turning those plans into reality.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? he two biggest challenges facing Dunwoody are zoning and economic development. We have been using DeKalb’s zoning map and zoning classifications since incorporation. It is time for Dunwoody to decide how it wants to manage development.As the economy improves, we will need to work to attract high-end businesses to help revitalize the PCID and other commercial areas.
Why should the voters pick you? We have made a great start to our new city. I’ve worked with citizens across the city to understand their concerns, take their issues to the council and communicate why actions have been taken by our team. As a member of the budget committee, I helped craft budgets over the last three years that have generated budget surpluses and provided excellent city services

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Post 5

Lynn Deutsch

Lynn Deutsch
Mom/volunteer (former public policy researcher)
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? I am passionately committed to ensuring that Dunwoody is a great place to live and work now and 20 years down the road. To reach this goal, I will work with the council and Dunwoody citizens to maintain a small and efficient government that works for the good of our community; operate in a fiscally conservative manner; work to preserve the character of our neighborhoods; repair and improve roads and sidewalks; improve parks; promote Dunwoody to businesses looking to relocate; continue to support public safety and other valuable city services; bridge communication with our local school system to ensure quality education; provide outstanding constituent services to our residents; strive to be a great example of good governance.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? Traffic, both the number of cars and the behavior of drivers, creates problems in Dunwoody. We must use our public safety and public works resources to address these challenges through road maintenance, improvements, education and enforcement. Our plans must include improvements that make our city pedestrian and cyclist friendly. The adoption of the Complete Streets policy is a step in this direction.
Why should the voters pick you? My education, experience and commitment. My education and experiences have given me the skills needed to be an effective councilperson. I can competently address the challenging land use, traffic, economic and other situations that will arise in our city. I serve on the Dunwoody Planning Commission, where I have had the opportunity to listen to Dunwoody residents and to work towards building consensus. I have served on the board of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, where I gained insight into the challenges and opportunities our community faces. As a long-time DeKalb County schools volunteer, I understand the actions that the City Council takes, especially related to land use and transportation, will have a tremendous impact on our schools.

Kerry de Vallette

Kerry de Vallette
Principal, The JKS Abbott Group – a Healthcare Information Technology consulting firm
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? Enhance our focus on the basic services that the citizens of Dunwoody anticipated with the move to cityhood – Police / Public safety staffed at appropriate levels, accelerate the repaving of our roads, installing sidewalks and bike lanes where appropriate, and addressing our traffic issues. And I will work closely with the business community, the Chamber of Commerce, and the PCID, to insure the stability of our tax base for the benefit of all homeowners.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? It’s not sexy, but it’s our infrastructure – our roads, storm water system, sidewalks and bike lanes, traffic flow and addressing several dangerous intersections.
I would work with the mayor and council to determine new options for accelerating these needed infrastructure improvements. We would then present all options, in detail and let the voters decide which, if any, cost to value equation makes sense. As I speak with our citizens during this campaign, there is one clear and consistent message I take away: “If council provides the citizens with the information needed to make sound decisions, they will support it!”
Why should the voters pick you? I am best qualified to serve because of my proven leadership and demonstrated ability to work with people with differing views to reach a consensus. I’ve not only served on Boards and committees, I’ve lead them. My qualifications include over 30 years of business experience and community leadership. These experiences have prepared me well to deal with the critical issues the city faces.

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Post 6

John Heneghan

John Heneghan (incumbent)
Regional Director, U.S. Dept of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
What do you hope to accomplish as a member of City Council? Looking back I am very proud of my many personal accomplishments on the Dunwoody City Council but I am proudest of the group that I had the pleasure of serving with as each member brought something special to the table and it was the collective actions of the group that moved this city forward to where we are today. Looking forward to my next four years on council, I will continue to strive to make Dunwoody one of the greatest communities in Georgia.
What is the biggest problem facing Dunwoody? Traffic is a big problem, as our two-lane roads can’t handle the volume, yet nobody (myself included) would ever want to four lane residential streets like Womack, Tilly Mill or Chamblee Dunwoody. We need to work at the edges, reducing the choke-holds at the intersections, modifying the schools schedules and finding other ways to reduce the overall volume.
Why should the voters pick you? is truly my pleasure and a distinct honor serving the community on the Dunwoody City Council. I would like to say thank you for allowing me to serve for another four years, as I will promise to work with the same passion that I have in my first three years in office.

Dunwoody warns candidates on political signs and provides guidelines for placement.

Full Document

Final slate of Dunwoody candidates for November 8th municipal election.

 Official Dunwoody Candidate List

This evening the final slate of canadidates for the November 8th municipal election was finalized as registration closed at 4:30 pm.  There are three contested races; that of Mayor, Council post 4 the at large seat from District 1 (Westside of Town) and Council post 5 the at large seat from District 2 (Center of Town).  My name will also be on the ballot for Council post 6 from District 3 (Eastside of Town) but I was the only candidate who qualified, therefore I am in an uncontested race.  All three contested races in November are elected at-large, meaning that every Dunwoody resident will be voting for Mayor and the representatives from District 1 and 2 no matter where you live.

The Mayoral race has had two individuals (Bob Dallas & Mike Davis) looking to replace outgoing Mayor Ken Wright for what seems like months and then today there was a last minute addition of Mr. Gordon Jackson who also entered the race.  This evening I had the pleasure of talking to Gordon (whom I have known for many years) at the Dunwoody High School Football Game and I know that he will be bringing his vision for the future of Dunwoody (which he believes is slightly different that the other two candidates) into the many public discussions yet to be had.

Robert Wittenstein in District 1 will be facing two challengers Mr. Terry Nall and announcing today also at the last minute, Mr. Rick Callihan.

In District 2 there are two candidates looking to replace the outgoing Councilman Danny Ross and they are Ms. Lynn Deutsch and Mr. Kerry de Vallette.

Though it appears that my election season is over, like everyone else in the City, I want the best Mayor and Council available therefore I want to hear their opinions on various items so that the Citizens of Dunwoody can vote effectively for who they believe will work towards what is best for the City of Dunwoody.  

Councilman Robert Wittenstein has a track record of previous votes, taken public positions on items and has published monthly updates to residents for quite some time therefore the community knows where he stands on many issues.  Everyone else is basically new to the game or has a clean slate (besides what I can find on the internet) therefore before I know who to vote for, I need to hear the positions of those running.  I need to hear their ideology, their philosophy, their aspirations, goals, positions on items that I know will be coming in front of council and after all else, I personally want to see their work ethic.  Everyone on the ballot in November will be vying to Serve & Represent all 48,000 Dunwoody residents therefore I want to hear how you will be serving all aspects of the community and doing so fairly in such a way as to bring the community together, without appearing to tear us apart.

I have met with a few of the new candidates as they wanted insight as to the position and I happily answered every question.  I explained workload, the joys and trials of public service, the positives and negatives as well as where I stand on many issues.  But as I told them, I am already an open book with 3 years of service, 1,700 blog posts and numerous public votes but now it is their turn to tell their story to convince you and me why they deserve our vote over the other candidates in the race.

I will be posting candidate pages up to my site for Ms. Deutsch, Mr. de Vallette, Mr. Callihan, Mr. Gordon and Mr. Wittenstien in the coming days as I have done for the others and am toying with the idea of doing video interviews with any and all who are interested.

If I were to do that, what questions would you like answered?  I think we need to start a list therefore please feel free to comment on the blog or send me an email as I am interested in your thoughts.

As long as this election is all about the issues, forward looking and positive; I believe this election cycle will be a good thing for the city.

Doug Thompson announces that he's in it to win it for District Three Dunwoody representative.

DOUG THOMPSON TO RUN FOR DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL

It is with great excitement and with the support of my family, friends, neighbors and colleagues that I announce my candidacy for the local District 3 City Council post with the City of Dunwoody. Tom Taylor has done a wonderful job in this position before stepping down to run for State office and has agreed to endorse my candidacy.

I will shortly begin the process of fund raising and campaigning.

Having run for this position in the inaugural election, I am well aware of the financial and time commitment required.

I look forward to your support and the opportunity to serve the citizens of Dunwoody.

Doug Thompson
www.douglasthompson.blogspot.com
(770) 396-3661-w

Letter of Endorsement noting my proven leadership and civic experience.

Letter to the Editor in the Dunwoody Crier

It’s no surprise that almost all of the Dunwoody candidates are worthy of serving us. So why should we pick one over the other?

It takes a different skill set to start something from scratch or change the course of a large operation than it does to maintain or fine tune and existing operation. It’s very hard work and takes a tenacious, experienced, smart individual.

Look for the guy or gal who has experience with the issues and government, experience with big contracts and sub-contractors, great integrity and intelligence, and also someone who can go toe-to-toe with the big dogs, stand their ground and get results. No on-the-job training if it can be avoided! As a start up, this election should not be about rewarding folks who have worked to get us this far. The worst is yet to come. We need to elect the candidates who have the smarts, diplomacy, experience, skill set, determination and tenacity to take us to the next level.

Look at John Heneghan running for post 6 (District 3 at large - we all vote for at-large positions). I know John personally to be of high character, but I can also attest to his experience, diplomacy and results when dealing with Dekalb County. I have worked with John across the table from Elaine Boyer on the white-elephant skate park. John stepped up got many concessions for the neighborhood. John personally got the intersection completed at the new school on N. Peachtree so our kids can cross safely at the same time traffic flows. When Dekalb wanted to do a massive road widening in 2005 greatly increasing cut-through traffic, John was on the front lines of the effort that completely stopped sure devastation to our bedroom community. I could go on with many more specific examples of his experience and efforts on our behalf.

John currently works for the Department of Transportation: he knows how things work and he’s familiar with the politicians and bureaucrats. He’s a pillar of the community and he can get the results we need!

Since John is a government employee, he can’t take donations and he can’t get the signs up and word out like many other candidates. Spread the word to your neighbors and friends that he’s the guy we need. We need his transportation and community experience on our city council - he’ll get results and fast. The other candidate worked hard to help us get this far, but it’s not a time to reward and experiment. John Heneghan is the only candidate in any council race with a proven track record of what it’ll take to move us to the next level. Please vote for John Heneghan, a vote for a successful Dunwoody.

BTW, the next Dunwoody Cruise Night is Thursday, September 11, at Dunwoody Village. I hope the candidates come out to meet the cruisers and vice versa.

Ric Woroniecki

My top priorities for Dunwoody

In preparation for this evenings political forum (Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 7 pm) the Dunwoody Homeowners Association asked each of the candidates for a quick bio of their qualifications and their highest priorities for the new city.

Once seated on the City Council, my initial priorities will be as follows.

Do we accept the sole source bid of CH2MHill? Are there other options available?

The biggest issue facing the new city council will be one of the first decisions that they will be forced to make and that will be whether or not to accept the master contracting bid from CH2MHill or to look for other options as to the day to day operations of the city. It is my belief that the contract negotiations going on now are being productive but with only one bidder on the contract, the city council should be willing to scrap the only proposal if it comes in too high to either rebid or find other solutions. Choosing the CH2MHill bid would mean a relatively smooth start up and running of the backend city services but if the cost is too high, acceptance of this bid would mean very little money for capital improvements and extended police services, both of which the city drastically needs. This decision would also tie the hands of the City Council for the term of the contract, possibly up to 5 or 6 years. The elected officials need to have options to decide what is best for the long term viability of the city and being locked into a long term, over priced contract doesn’t look like it offers the best deal, especially if we won’t have money for needed expenses other than general operations.

I believe that smaller government is better government and that the contracted out model of one company to do all essential backend services is very attractive. But if the master contract of CH2MHill doesn’t make sense at the time of proposal, I will be looking for other options which may include rebidding the original RFP or going with a highbred contracting model whereby City Department Directors are hired and then they bid out individual contracts for their respective needs, be it Roads, Payroll, HR, etc.; instead of CH2MHill having one master contract for all such services.

Public Safety – Dunwoody Police Department

The Dunwoody Police Chief position will be one of the first positions filled and I take it for granted that the candidate selected will have vast experience in local law enforcement and possibly experience in working for a local start up police department; therefore the person hired will have my utmost trust as far as setting up the police department. I want a police force that is visible in the community serving & protecting the citizens and what DeKalb County previously offered Dunwoody citizens didn’t come close to what I envision for Dunwoody. I want regular patrols ready to respond to emergency calls but I also want dedicated officers patrolling the high crime areas of the city protecting the innocent citizens while letting the criminal element know that they should move elsewhere. I want crime statistics online, searchable and mapped to clearly identify trends so to target our resources. I want enough detectives on the force so that they can actually solve crimes vs. just being glorified insurance adjusters who barely have enough time filling out reports, jumping from case to case because they are overworked. I want Code Enforcement Officers to enforce the codes currently on the books while doing so in a neighborly way, if possible. I would also like to offer incentives to police officers to live within the city limits so that they are closer in case of emergency, their police cars are parked in our neighborhoods and they become entrenched in the community in which they serve. The above staffing levels may not be possible the first year but that is where I hope to be as soon as our budget allows.

Zoning, Land Use & Transportation.

A comprehensive land use plan which also is linked to a transportation plan must be developed for the city and citizen input is imperative. Zero growth is not an effective city planning strategy but smart growth is; therefore I promise to always consider the needs of the current residents prior to deciding what is best for a specific piece of property. I want walkable neighborhoods, dedicated bike lanes, improved cross walks, transportation options, conservation of open lands, local character and a vibrant Dunwoody Village and other town centers.

Starting out SLOW, proving revenues first, being Open & Transparent

Dunwoody doesn’t have a proven track record to know exactly what our revenues are, therefore I promise to be especially fiscally conservative the first year and always work to obtain a balanced budget to keep tax increases at bay. DeKalb County purposely worked at hiding public information from the citizens they are entrusted to serve; and I promise that I will do everything in my power to have every important government document published to the web to keep the citizens informed. Transparency in Government breeds self-corrective behavior and I will work hard to be the exact opposite of the DeKalb County Administration that we have just broken off from.

Coordination with other governmental agencies, DeKalb County School System / Ga Perimeter College.

I will encourage coordination with the school systems in the area to possibly find solutions to transportation and infrastructure issues impacting our roads and over all quality of life. If the Mayor doesn't appoint an official city liaison to the schools, I with two children scheduled to be in two different elementary schools next year will continue to be active in this area.

John Heneghan's Qualifications for Dunwoody City Council

John Heneghan

In preparation for the Tuesday political forum (Dunwoody United Methodist Church, 7 pm) the DHA asked each of the candidates for a quick bio of their qualifications and their highest priorities for the new city.

Below are my qualifications and my priorities will be posted by Tuesday.

1. President of the Dunwoody North Civic Association (1,200 homes, largest subdivision in Dunwoody). What has your neighborhood association done for you?


2. Chairman of the Transportation Task Force for the Citizens for Dunwoody


3. Citizens for Dunwoody Task Force member assisting with boundaries & mapping.


4. Rated Georgia’s 3rd most influential Political Blogger for Heneghan’s Dunwoody Blog


5. Fights for open government and electronically available records. e.g., CfD Task Force Reports, Brook Run, Peachtree Middle, New School


6. Fought for intersection improvement at Peachtree Charter Middle School


7. Working with DeKalb County on improvements to Womack Road for new school.


8. Advocate for improved police services, the officers themselves & reduced crime.


9. Fiscally conservative, the city needs to start slow until revenues are proven.


10. Successfully rallied my neighborhood to stop harmful rezoning on N. Peachtree Rd.


11. Believes Dunwoody should be a walkable, bikeable & sustainable city.


12. Publicly identifies waste & corruption in Government and not afraid to be vocal.
    Brook Run $500,000 extension, DeKalb Parks Master Plan, playground maintenance, Vernon Jones security force, improper spending, Vernon Jones skate park approval.


13. Advocate for Brook Run Park – $11.5 Million, Benches, Security, Speeding, Skate Park,


14. Husband to Dunwoody Mom of the Year and father to three active boys who attend DeKalb County Schools.
    


15. Degree in Public Administration and Senior Manager for the U.S. Dept. of Transportation

Dunwoody Police Task Force Report

The Citizens for Dunwoody Police Task Force report is now available on line.

Is this right size department for Dunwoody or should we start with a smaller one and grow to this level? Even if we wanted to fund this department proposal which is well in excess of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government projections, how can we?

Tough questions, without easy answers.

Task Force Reports & will CH2MHill be a good deal for us?

Saturday was the first day that all of the candidates got a chance to meet as a group and then we listened to the various Citizens for Dunwoody Task Force Reports and asked questions. We went over the Dunwoody charter, possible future ordinances, courts, planning & zoning, parks, permits & inspections, code enforcement, transportation and then finally police was rushed in at the tail end of the day. The reports are the culmination of thousands of hours of work whereby hundreds of Dunwoody volunteers looked at other cities best practices and then wrote a report on their suggestions to the future city council on how Dunwoody should operate.

As a Candidate, Transportation Task Force Chairman & an electronic pack rat; I requested to each of the other Task Force Chairs that electronic documents be provided to me in advance so that I could burn compilation DVD’s for each of the candidates. That was done for all presentations that were made today, except for Police and they will be forwarding that very soon to all the candidates. Once I get a copy of the police report, it will be uploaded to the police folder and all of the task force reports will also be available shortly on the Citizens for Dunwoody website. There are sill several of these task force sessions (Aug 20 & 28) with the candidates and Human Resources, Finance & IT will report out on these dates with their reports being uploaded at that time.

The report discussions were just quick over view sessions since the candidates will need to analyze the documentation in each report and then pose questions back to the Task Forces for clarification. As of today, all of the reports that were discussed in the public meeting (David Markiewicz of the AJC was there today and has already written an article) are now a matter of public record and are therefore available to the Citizens of Dunwoody to review.

Please note that it is taken for granted that there is probably a little bias built into each of these task force reports whereby the people who volunteered to work on a specific topic, probably felt that their subject was the most important of the task forces and therefore wanted to possibly spend more money than realistically available. For example, the people serving on the parks committee probably thought that park development was more important than the police department and the police committee may have wanted a larger police force but didn’t care about the roads being maintained. Because of this, these reports are just suggested starting points for the city council; they can accept and implement these reports as they are, reject them completely or pick and choose the pieces as they see fit. The elected officials when finally seated will be the decision makers in the process and these reports are only being offered as advisory suggestions.

Also on the agenda was a block of time on contracts presented by Mr. Oliver Porter. It was at this point that the candidates were informed that there were two official bids that were presented to run the city and that only one bid was strong enough to consider because the other bid only wanted a very small portion of the overall city work. The one now acceptable bidder to the RFP is the company CH2MHill and they talked to the candidates for about an hour regarding their qualifications and the services they would provide. Time was limited and this subject could have gone on for days. Luckily there is a separate committee of Dunwoody residents skilled in purchasing, contracting and law negotiating the services of this contract for the future City Council. Unfortunately with only one bidder if the negotiating team can’t get a fair price the city council will either need to continue the negotiations after being seated or will need to go a different route at that time. Hopefully for all concerned we hope that this turns out well, but the city council may need to be prepared to make some very tough decisions quickly after being seated if they fail.

The Task Force Reports as well as a few related documents that I provided to the candidates on the DVD have been saved to my personal servers and are now available below.

http://www.jkheneghan.com/city/Task_Force

My personal ethics keep getting in the way, not to mention the State & Federal Laws.

Running for political office as a federal employee who because of the Hatch Act is not allowed to accept any political contributions has been quite an interesting ordeal so far. First, I set a budget of $1,500 to fund my own political campaign, in order to obtain a position that pays $11,000 per year and will last 3 years. If I was running for office to obtain a second job, this choice was a really bad one since the pay, divided by the number of hours, would equate to the amount per hour I made on my paper route when I was 11. I am running for office because I believe I have the ability to make a difference and under the legal circumstances which I have to abide, I am even willing to self fund my campaign, to a point.

Because of my limited budget, I have to be extremely thrifty and decided early on that political yard signs and mass mailings cannot be afforded and therefore they will not be done. My expenses so far have been the ballot registration fee & business cards totaling about $800.00 leaving me another $700.00 to use wisely on other forms of advertising.

Here’s the issue that I am facing. My friends and supporters are already seeing the political yard signs and receiving mass mailings from my opponent and they feel helpless because they want a Heneghan yard sign in their front yard, yet they can’t get one. My supporters feel like they want to do more then they currently are and they are being limited by the restrictions of not being able to provide me financial support in any fashion.

Questions are being raised like…

• Can we buy yard signs for you?
  
• Can you sell us yard signs?
  
• Can you hold a fund raiser? Can we?
  
• If not, when is your birthday, maybe we can attend a party and then give you “gifts”?
  
• Maybe you could hold a garage sale and I could buy one of your son’s “antique” Matchbox car’s for $500.00?

Wacky questions are being raised and I’m laughing off most of them. (Humm…With three boys, I think we have hundreds of Matchbox cars that my wife has collected at various garage sales?)

On Wednesday, I attended a candidate training session at the Georgia State Ethics Commission to learn more about what was, and was not allowed to be done. Since I was the only person in the room who didn’t want to accept any political contributions, I had to learn the technicalities of the definition of the word “contribution” and then explore with questions on how it affected my specific circumstances. Basically they brought in their attorney so I could question every angle and nuance of Georgia law. Besides the monetary contributions that I knew that I couldn’t accept because of my Federal employment, I also cannot accept any "in kind contributions" either. People are not allowed to buy signs and give them to me, because that would be a contribution in kind, which would be a violation of the Hatch Act that I must abide by. I cannot sell political signs because the money coming in would be considered a political donation which I am not willing to accept. The Hatch Act may have allowed a separate political committee that I was not officially apart of working on my behalf, but that would have caused the appearance of possible influence and I was advised by my work attorneys to not go that route.

In doing my own legal research on Georgia law to find if there was a way around some of the technicalities, I discovered that if two or more individuals took my logo off my site or used a bumper sticker graphic that I was thinking about using and printed their own political literature without my knowledge or approval; those individuals would need to have formed an independent committee and then filed the necessary legal and financial disclosure forms as shown in 21-5-34(f)1. The way I read the definition of independent committee in 21-5-3 (15) shown below, an individual is not covered therefore different rules might apply.

(15) "Independent committee" means any committee, club, association, partnership, corporation, labor union, or other group of persons, other than a campaign committee, political party, or political action committee, which receives donations during a calendar year from persons who are members or supporters of the committee and which expends such funds either for the purpose of affecting the outcome of an election for any elected office or to advocate the election or defeat of any particular candidate.

So what are the rules that need to be followed by individuals who independently and without knowledge of the candidate (me), go ahead and make expenditures (signs) on behalf of a candidate? Section 21-5-34(e)1 exempts individuals who make $25,000 or less of aggregate contributions to all candidates in one year, but it is silent on the amount of expenditures allowed to be made. That being said, if a complaint was filed against some individual (not me, because I had no knowledge) the Ethics Commission may decide that the $25,000 rule would be extended over to expenditures as well contributions. Or they may not, and the individual would then have to deal with the legal circumstances of his actions.

Trust me when I tell you that trying to run for political office on the cheap without allowing your friends and neighbors to assist you in any way, is more difficult than it sounds. They want to help in every way possible in order to get me into office and I'm conflicted because I want to follow not only the letter of the ethics laws but also the spirit of the various laws that I am suppose to be following. Because of this, I have informed my friends to abide by my requests and to not attempt to assist me financially in any way.

Instead, I would rather my supporters personally tell their friends and neighbors about my campaign and to encourage them to start reading the over 300 plus articles posted on the Dunwoody Blog, if they haven’t already been aware of the site. My supporters in the Dunwoody North area can write letters to the editor explaining to the community at large what I have done here for our little community. If those letters do not make it into the Crier due to space or editorial fairness policies, please send them to me via e-mail and I will print them here once the Crier has had the option to do so first. To my supporters outside of the Dunwoody North area, invite me to your neighborhood functions and swim tennis clubs where I can walk around with you to meet your neighbors and friends.

So that my supporters know, I have been campaigning diligently for the last several weeks, visiting school registrations, PTA meetings, political events, standing in front of grocery stores, visiting various swim tennis clubs and I will continue to work hard to get elected in this citywide seat.

Maybe I am naive, but I have faith that the voters in Dunwoody will not blindly vote for the candidates who spend the most money but instead they will research each candidate’s background and positions in order to make an educated decision come Election Day.

To my supporters and friends, the next time you see a sign from my opponent, keep in mind that every yard without a sign is already voting for me, so I thank you for spreading my message and continuing to support me.

It is much appreciated.

John

PS: I'm thinking about placing a newspaper ad the same day as the political forum. Is anyone in the market for an “antique” Lightning McQueen Matchbox car?

Dunwoody will need a Comprehensive Land Use Plan, are you ready to get involved?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDIzEGXq-YU

Take a look at the video above, the residents don’t want the development and the developer thinks that it is the best use of the land. Who wins this argument & why?

On the surface I tend to side with the residents because the street looks to be a quiet residential street but later you learn that it is North Druid Hills and it sits directly across the street from another apartment complex. The big question for me comes down to what does the Comprehensive Land Use Plan say? How old is it and what has changed since the plan was developed? What did the community decide was best for that property and why should it not be followed now?

After the new Dunwoody City Council is seated one of the items to be worked on quickly is our overall comprehensive plan which will do an assessment of the communities many needs to see where we are and then we will plan on where we want to be 10 years from now. What was the land use plan for that specific street in the video? Maybe three years ago the ten year comprehensive plan said that a mixed use development project might be best suited at that location? If that was the case does the project get approved? Maybe, maybe not, I don’t know? The DeKalb County Commission has the responsibility to make that specific decision and they will do so after reviewing all the facts.

My point is that we the Citizens of Dunwoody will be going through this comprehensive planning project very shortly and we as a community will need to discuss block by block what should happen where. There will be “lively” discussions where people may disagree with one another but that being said everyone needs to be well informed and then involved because it will be this document that the City Council will be using as a guidebook for future land use decisions.

In the next couple of years the long term policy of the City will be put into place and we cannot afford to trust six well meaning neighbors (including, possibly me) to sit in a room without your input to make that policy.

OK, go ahead and call me naive, but I happen to still believe in democracy - even at the local government level. If you want to have a positive impact on the new city, pick the best qualified and smartest people on the ballot that you believe will listen to reasonable arguments in order to make informed decisions. Next you need to show up at meetings and make your views known because politicians want to lead the community, but they need your input in order to do so.

Checkout the candidates who have submitted me their campaign announcement for posting to this site; and I will post other announcements as they are provided to me. In just five short weeks from today, you will be voting for four of the six City Council members. You will vote for your local district candidate who is elected by only the people of your district and everyone will vote for all three districts, at large (citywide) positions. Are you ready to do so?

Thank You Dr. Crawford Lewis for the late night phone call.

Dear Dr. Lewis,

It's Friday night at 11:00 P.M. and I just finished posting my political opponent's campaign announcement on my website (doesn't everyone do that?) when the phone rang with the caller id identifying the number as coming out of New Jersey. I quickly picked up the phone so to stop the ringing which I am sure would have woke up my wife if I didn't catch it before the second ring.

Who do you think was calling the Heneghan household at 11:04 P.M.? It was you, the DeKalb County School System, Superintendent, Dr. Crawford Lewis informing me via a robo call that Monday was the first day of school and that we should take our children's education seriously.

Thanks for calling Crawford, we do take education seriously and we appreciate the fact that my sons two teachers at Chesnut Charter Elementary School personally called the house this evening (at a reasonable hour) in introduce themselves to us. Kudos to these teachers and the staff at Chesnut.

Besides calling my home way to late in the evening, please allow me to inform you of another oversight made by the school system this week. I filed an open records request on Monday for design plans for the new school on Womack that is currently under construction and when I hadn't received a reply by this morning I called the project manager (Barry Booth) who was well aware of my request but he was not allowed to discuss the matter with me in any detail. I informed him that I wanted the electronic drawings or at this point I am willing to accept the paper copies but I would still like an official reply to my request and he said that he would convey the message. Yet I received no reply at all.

At one point in my conversation with Mr. Booth, he stated that the drawings were not final because there were still some minor tweaks being made. It was that point that I asked when does the community get to review the plans and suggest our own tweaks to the design and he said "What makes you think that we allow the public input on the school design?" I was floored at the comment and I immediately requested a formal reply to my open records request and hung up.

Mr. Lewis, I do take my children's education seriously, so much so that my wife & I are involved in many facets of their education, including the design of the facility where my son will be going to school next year.

If I had your home number, I would be tempted to give you a call right now to discuss the matter; but I guess I'll send you an e-mail instead and hope for a better reply than the one that Mr. Dale Davis & Ms. Pat Pope never sent.

If you could please talk to Ms. Pope and let me know when the drawings of the new 4th & 5th Grade Academy on Womack will be available, it would be much appreciated.

Thank You.

John Heneghan
John@JKHeneghan.com
770-234-0678

Judge Michael Rothenberg endorses John Heneghan for Dunwoody City Council

Michael Rothenberg

In this small town political campaign where friends and neighbors are running against each other, local political endorsements may possibly be withheld so to protect the feelings of the one not named in the endorsement. Michael Rothenberg is a part time judge whom I respect and call a friend; today I am honored to accept his endorsement. Thank You, Michael.

Rothenberg endorses John Heneghan for Dunwoody City Council

I am excited and pleased to wholeheartedly, and without reservation, endorse my friend, John Heneghan, in his campaign for the District 3 (Eastern) At-Large Councilman position in the September 16 non-partisan primary.

Below I am reposting John's press release. I also invite you to check out his informative and easy to read blog about all things Dunwoody.

John is accepting no campaign contributions of any kind, so his is a true grassroots campaign. I would encourage all my friends and readers to contact John and get to know him, and I believe you too will be convinced that Dunwoody needs John on the City Council.

Heneghan Press Release

Still looking for School Plans and worried about traffic on Womack.

School Site Traffic Plan

Dear Ms. Pope & Mr. Davis,

When I started this quest for the electronic drawings of the 4th & 5th Grade Academy on Womack back in June, the residents on Windhaven Court had trees behind their homes and construction of the new school was just an item scheduled in the future. Now the site has been cleared, construction is under way and the residents (as well as the community) still have many questions regarding the project; therefore I am again requesting the electronic versions of the drawings requested previously which are now approved or their updated versions.

Also based on your ORRII reply concerning Womack Rd, it showed that there was no coordination between the DeKalb County School System and the DeKalb County Government as to how the traffic flow chosen for the site would affect the local traffic flow of Womack Road. Due to your response and that of the County, I contacted Mr. John Gurbal of DeKalb County Public Works who finally is now looking into the capability of Womack Road being able to adequately handle the ingress & egress of the schools traffic impact. Hopefully the DCSS, the County and the Citizens of the new City of Dunwoody can all work together to make this school a success while limiting the impact on the neighbors as much as possible.

I look forward to obtaining the electronic drawings so that I can immediately post them on my site so that the Citizens of Dunwoody can see where our children will be going to school next year. Thank you & I look forward to working closely with the PTA & Principle of the School as soon as they are named.

Sincerely,

John Heneghan
President of the Dunwoody North Civic Association
Candidate for the Dunwoody City Council
Dunwoody Academy Parent 2009-2012

Attachments
Aug 3 open records request for electronic drawings

June 16 open records request for Womack Documentation

Three DCSS replies to open records request
(OOR I, after being told in person I could get the electronic; they changed their mind.)
(OOR II, no documents regarding Womack)
(OOR III, electronic drawing below not available in their office.)

Example of Electronic Drawing C-05c which existed previously.

Notes
lack-of-oversight-on-dunwoody-academy.html
traffic-study-road-configuration-for.html
no-change-to-dekalb-school-boundaries.html

John Heneghan announces candidacy for Dunwoody City Council, District 3 at large.

Heneghan Family

Dunwoody, GA, July 31, 2008. John Heneghan, a resident of Dunwoody for over eleven years, announced today that he will seek the District 3 (Eastern) At-Large Councilman position in the September 16 non-partisan primary.

If this was a formal press release statement, this announcement would go on talking about me in the third person but I just can’t do it in that style. It’s just not me. I would rather just tell you who am I, why am I qualified and what do I promise to do?

I am the father of three, very active young boys enrolled in the DeKalb County School System and the husband to the most vivacious & effervescent woman in town. If you know my bride, you know that I am a merely a wall flower who fades into the background of her existence. It is only with my family’s love & support that I have agreed to be a candidate for the City Council of Dunwoody.

I am originally from Chicago where I attended the university where my father worked as a painter for 35 years, because it offered his four kids the benefit of a free college education. I majored in Public Administration / Business Law, became President of the Student Body and was then named the first student to the University's Board of Trustees. While working on my Masters in Public Administration, I was hired by the U.S. Department of Transportation to inspect trucking companies in Chicago and a few years later I transferred over to inspecting chemical companies ensuring that they ship & transport hazardous materials correctly. After 17 years of Federal Service, I have worked my way up to a senior management position and oversee my agencies regional enforcement program. After church and family, my sense of duty follows to my employer who has been very good to me, and it is only with their support that I have agreed to be a candidate for the City Council of Dunwoody.

Due to the circumstances of my Federal employment and the requirements of the Hatch Act, I am allowed to serve my community under two very special circumstances that I would like to explain. As a Senior Manager of the Department of Transportation, I serve the President of the United States and his Administration, no matter what the political affiliation happens to be. The City of Dunwoody is a non-partisan election and because of that fact, I am allowed to serve. Partisan politics has never, nor will be a topic for my blog; nor will it ever be of any relevance to me in anything I do in relation with the City of Dunwoody. If you can’t get over the fact that I will not say if I am a Republican or Democrat, then please don’t vote for me.

Second, I will not solicit nor accept any political contributions of any kind. Zero, zilch, none.

The entire election campaign will be out of my pocket and because I am not a wealthy man in terms of finances, my campaign will look different from that of others who may be running. Note that I am running in a citywide seat, therefore when you see a house in Dunwoody that doesn’t have a political sign in the front yard in early September; please know that the house is actually voting for me. In fact, if you look around Dunwoody right now, I am already very popular. I am willing to expend the necessary funds to run, as well put in the many hours needed to get elected because for the last few years I have openly campaigned for the City of Dunwoody and now I feel compelled to prove that it can work.

My mother & father instilled working class values and a deep Catholic faith into their four children and each one of us kids have jobs which strive to serve the greater good. I personally believe that when I have the ability to make a difference, I have the responsibility to do so. That being said, I try to implement that ideal into the way I raise my children, the way I interact with my neighbors and the reason that I volunteer to serve my community when I can. For as long as I can remember I have served on the board of the Dunwoody North Civic Association and took over as its President just several years ago. Our little neighborhood association representing the 1,250 households provides numerous services like an extensive neighborhood watch program, neighborhood directory, website and lately an internet blog to publicly voice our issues. My extensive experience with the civic association on topics such as proposed rezonings, code enforcement issues and every day neighborhood squabbles has given me the confidence to know that I will be a competent city councilman, if so elected.

My experience on the Board of the Citizens for Dunwoody, as well as serving as the Chair of the Transportation Task Force, has given me an extensive background into the needs of the community as well as the proposed revenues that we will have to work with. The city will need to start slow and will need to be fiscally conservative the first several years to ensure that we can meet our basic expenses. Cityhood will not be easy and the status of incorporation alone will not be able to magically satisfy everyone’s wants and desires. As a citywide candidate, I would promise to serve and do what is best for the city as a whole in order to make this a vibrant community. Tough decisions will need to be made on zoning and land use but the viability and growth of the business community is in the best interest of all Dunwoody residents. If the heart of Dunwoody is the Perimeter Center business district, it needs to stay healthy in order maintain the soul of the community which I believe are the many small residential communities which provides us with a wonderful “small town” quality of life. Development may slow down because of economic concerns but it will not stop therefore I believe that a comprehensive land use policy developed by citizen input needs to be created and then followed.

I am not afraid to fight for what I believe in, nor afraid to make public the failings of ineffective government. My little neighborhood blog started as a place to announce garage sales and to help find lost cats. Over time it has morphed into a social media tool which I have used to further my agenda of obtaining quality governmental services for the residents in my neighborhood. Transparency in Government breeds self-corrective behavior and I promise that if elected that I will do everything that I can to ensure that city information and services are open, transparent and available online for public viewing by all.

Now that I am officially a candidate for a citywide seat on the city council, I need your help. Unlike others who may be asking for money, I would rather have you my friends & neighbors read more about me, my values and my ideas for the future of Dunwoody. Please accept this blog as my position paper on the future workings of the city, I encourage you to explore it fully, enter your e-mail address in it for updates and encourage your neighbors to do the same. The blog is really easy to find on line by just searching Google for “Dunwoody Blog” therefore let your friends know that I exist and who they should be supporting in September.

I also look forward to campaigning and getting the chance to meet residents in all areas of Dunwoody. To assist me in this endeavor, I will be convening a citywide panel of “advisers” to assist me in my quest for elected office. If you are interested in helping me, please drop me a note via e-mail with your contact information, phone number and a good time of day for me to call you back, my e-mail address is John@JKHeneghan.com. Also feel free to call me at home, my number is 770-234-0678.

Thank you for not having a sign in your front yard supporting me, it is much appreciated.

John

I am narrowing down to my decision, but I know I will not be running for President.

I have been fielding numerous calls and e-mails asking if I am going to be running for elected office in Dunwoody and the answer I have been telling people is yes, I will probably be running at large for the City Council seat in district 3 (Eastern Side).

For the last five years, I have been a community leader, activist and political blogger best known for exposing politicians and governmental bodies’, ineptitude and non-service. This election is now my opportunity to switch sides and prove that these governmental services can be done better, more efficiently and more effectively. As President of the Dunwoody North Civic Association, the largest outside of the DHA, I have proven my ability to lead this community. I listen to my resident’s needs & concerns and follow through to the best of my ability to assist them with their issues. My commitment to the Future City of Dunwoody is unyielding and I am willing to put forth the effort to finish what I started. If elected to a city council seat, it is my belief that I would be able to effect positive change on a city wide scale.

I still have several weeks before the election registration and I need to spend some time away with my family before embarking on this huge endeavor, but I promise that I will be announcing publicly one way or another on this site by August 1st.

If I decide to run, it will be under my terms and done in a way which will be very different than any other political campaign ever run previously.

For those who know me, you wouldn’t expect anything else.

Bird aviary vs. needed roads improvements, we can’t afford it all, must have items will take priority over nice to have.

This morning I received an e-mail asking what I thought would happen with Brook Run Park as it relates to the master plan that was developed several years ago?

First, as I said yesterday the City has to officially obtain the park which may be difficult depending on how much the County wants to fight over the issue. Since it will probably be litigated I won’t jump to conclusions nor speculate as to the outcome.

For argument sake let’s say that the city does get control of Brook Run, what would happen then? First it depends if the County graciously hands over the unspent 7 million of the 11 million dollars promised to Brook Run in the parks referendum; which is pretty unlikely. Without the deed to the land and the promised bond funds, the park will most likely remain much like it is now.

The Citizens for Dunwoody, Parks Task Force was put together by a group of citizens who studied the issue and since I haven’t seen the final copy, I also won’t speculate at to what it says. That being said, here are some of my own personal ideas.

I have been inside and toured every building in the park and there are two buildings which I feel need to be torn down as soon as possible, they are the building next to the dog park and the building behind the theater. If we received money from the bond fund, having those buildings removed would probably serve us very well. The other buildings range from good (Theater, dormitory, maintenance shop) to fair (Administrative offices) therefore they just need to be maintained or improved over time.

Next with a limited parks budget after grounds maintenance, I would concentrate on small items which would make the biggest improvements to the quality of the park visit. First and foremost, I would want an adequate number of benches to be installed in the children’s adventure playground so that parents and grandparents could have a pleasurable experience while supervising the children. Next is supplying additional shaded areas as well as additional picnic tables, both of which are in very short supply. The same lack of proper seating is also an issue back in the dog park and with those two areas currently being the biggest draw to the park; that is where I believe the initial improvements should be. Additional crosswalks need to be installed at the entrances of the park and the internal roads need to be striped for bike lanes to encourage their use and to slow traffic. Finally, how are the bathrooms being maintained in the park, are they clean and appealing? If not, they should be. Installation of additional public water fountains should be explored so to encourage walking and biking to the back reaches of the park, which are currently away from such amenities. The City needs to ensure that the basic needs of people are taken care of first and from there; the nice to have items (like a bird aviary) can be discussed once the projected revenues are proven.

The city needs to start slow. We need to be fiscally conservative the first several years to ensure that we can meet our expenses. That being said we also need to use the available money wisely ensuring that we utilize Federal & State matching grants to make necessary road and transportation improvements.

As the Chairman of the Roads & Transportation Task Force, I have now become more in tuned to those needs and their related expenses. There are several transportation projects that I believe are priority improvements but I will leave that subject for another article.

Getting back to Brook Run, I believe that recreation partnerships will be a big issue in coming years. A partnership with the DeKalb County School System for joint programs between Brook Run and Peachtree Middle School should be explored ASAP. Finding uses and utility for the buildings in Brook Run should also be pushed as a priority, otherwise without use the infrastructure deteriorates. Cooperative agreements and partnerships with theater companies, garden clubs, Georgia Perimeter College, the Spruill Arts Center, Senior Service Centers, YMCA’s – all need to be explored.

The City needs to be exploring grant opportunities being offered by the business community, without looking very hard I was able to find that the Atlanta Falcons are offering assistance grants on playgrounds and athletic fields. Couldn’t Windward Hallow Park near the water works use a new playground and I believe the athletic fields at Peachtree (now part of Brook Run’s recreation strategy) could also use some major improvement? Innovative funding needs to be explored in all city departments to stretch our limited tax dollars.

Cityhood will not be easy and the status of incorporation alone will not be able to magically satisfy everyone’s wants and desires. The toughest aspect for those who decide to serve as Mayor and City Council will be learning to say “No”.

Bird Aviaries will just have to wait.

Is Money Magazine able to tell the future? Dunwoody Crime is up and rising but people in DeKalb are dying on a very regular basis.

Dunwoody Crime is way up.
Police_Stats_2002_2007.pdf

In April of 2006 (wow, I've been doing this for a while), I received an e-mail from a woman who lived out of state and was going to be moving to the Atlanta area. She wrote me to ask about the rabid crime in Dunwoody as it was being shown in Money Magazines 2005 index of the best places to live; as being a very, very high crime affected area. I viewed the data, replied the best I could to disavow the claims and then copied the DeKalb North Precinct, DHA and the Dunwoody Crier for assistance. The police department explained that Dunwoody was not a city and that crime rates were not kept for just that small section of DeKalb County, in fact the crime rates being reported were the total crime rates for all of unincorporated DeKalb County. The Crier ran a nice article explaining the situation and even had Money Magazine retract the data off the website because of the error.

Fast forward two years where the current DeKalb Police Department is in complete disarray, crime is up and the number of police officers is way down with no quick fix in sight. Money Magazine is again trashing Dunwoody by saying that our personal crime stats are 6 times worse then the other places on the survey and 3 times worse than the average property crime statistics. This again is probably based on the entire unincorporated crime statistics which if accurate is just another reason for all the citizens of DeKalb to demand better from this Administration then they are currently receiving.

Then again, the demands of the citizens are ignored every day in this administration. I have witnessed citizens lining up to speak at the County Commission meetings asking for improvements to the police department, a Grand Jury has made recommendations for change and even the police officers themselves are revolting by airing their concerns over department mismanagement in public; yet Vernon Jones and the County Commissioners take no immediate action to correct the situation.

Those most affected by crime are ignored while the CEO is guarded by a large entourage of officers in order to protect his own personal safety from the people that he himself has the responsibility to protect.

Why doesn't DeKalb County provide crime stats?

The Citizens for Dunwoody police task force has been exploring the police needs of the future city and they were able to piece together Dunwoody's crime statistics for the last six years that show that serious crime has almost doubled in that time period. I'm sure it was no easy task in getting this information since the DeKalb County Police Department website has no county wide statistics, no drill down tool to see what happens in your neighborhood; no crime information at all? Is it purposely done this way to keep the citizens of DeKalb feeling sheltered up to the day that crime finally happens to them?

In 2007, DeKalb County set a new homicide record of 99 murders yet with it being less than half way through 2008, the DeKalb Officers site reports that the County is again on a record pace with already 59 homicides so far this year. That statistic isn't publicized anywhere officially because if it were someone might ask...

Vernon Jones & Terrell Bolton, what are you doing about this situation?

People are dying to know.