The legacy of my Father, John Heneghan, age 86 from Chicago, IL @RooseveltU @DC14YoungLions @SVdPChicago @StMonicaAcademy

My Father, John Heneghan, recently passed away at age 86 after an extended period of palliative / hospice care. While sad that his body was failing, it was also a real blessing for the family as we all got to spend quality time with the man who meant so much to us, as he was as sharp as a tack up to the very end. We had deep conversations, lots of "I love you's," talks of finances for my Mom, visits & discussions with the grandkids, and countless viewings of Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and yet another fun but ultimately disappointing Cubs season.

His obituary is below, but the words fail to document the various levels of service, friendship, spirituality, and his deep dedication to serving those in need. Service to others while offering kindness, and hard work for the greater good was a legacy he passed down to all four of his children, serving their communities in public service positions. His unyielding dedication to his bride, with various ups and downs, has also taught us well. My Father didn't have to tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it.

Dad, it has only been a few weeks, but we miss you; we love you and know we will be seeing you once again. 

Johnny

........

John P. Heneghan, age 86, passed away peacefully at home on October 26, 2023. He was the devoted husband of Therese for 57 years, beloved father of John (Kristin), Kathleen (Robert Narowski), William (CPD), and Michelle (Ted) Rymarcsuk, and grandfather of Riley, Gavin and Declan Heneghan, Jack (Magda) and Ella Narowski, Kaitlyn, Molly and Abbey Heneghan, and Billy Rymarcsuk. Dear brother of Jim (Ruth) Heneghan, the late Bill (Carol) Heneghan and the late Mary (Gerry) Carlton. Son of the late William and Nora (nee Duffy) Heneghan from County Mayo, Ireland. Fond Uncle to many nieces and nephews and dear friend to many.

A lifelong Chicagoan, John attended Our Lady of Sorrows parish school and was an alumnus of St. Philip High School, Class of 1954. He worked as a painter in the physical plant at Roosevelt University for 34 years, where all four of his children attended college. John held various leadership positions (President, Vice President and Trustee) in Painters Local 180, which merged with Painters Local 273, where he was a life member, with 67 years of union membership. He also served as President of the St. Vincent DePaul Society and Men’s Club at St. Monica Parish in Chicago and in leadership positions at Edgewater Pines Resident Owned Community in Seminole, Florida, where he and his wife Therese spent their winters for 27 years. Since 2019, John and Therese enjoyed living at the Resurrection Retirement Community where they enjoyed dinners and activities with family and friends.

A social and gregarious person, John enjoyed connecting with people and once you were his friend, you had a friend for life. For over 25 years he organized an annual picnic with his childhood friends and their families, and over the years he organized outings from beach days with grandchildren to family reunions. He enjoyed telling stories, playing cards, traveling, bragging about his children, following the news, watching Jeopardy, Chicago history, and social events. A deeply spiritual person, his faith and surrender to God was a central focus of his daily life. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s name may be made to St. Monica Church and School, 5136 N. Nottingham, Chicago, 60656.

Memorial visitation will be held on Friday, November 17, 2023 from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Cumberland Chapels 8300 W. Lawrence Ave Norridge, IL 60706.  Lying in State Saturday at St. Monica Catholic Church from 9:00 am until the time of Mass at 10:00 am.  Interment is private.

Sláinte - an Irish toast to your health & a memory of my wedding on this St. Patrick's Day. @oldstpats

Today is St. Patrick's Day and it will not be the typical one for me or my family.  There will be no parade, no Irish Bar, no church services, no restaurant meal of corned beef, and honestly, there doesn't seem like there is much to celebrate.  People are suffering, scared, unsure how they are going to pay the bills and they are worried for their health and for those they love. 

I am 100% Irish, with four grandparents being born in Ireland.  My paternal grandfather William Heneghan was from Tourmakeady, County Mayo, and my grandmother Nora Duffy was baptized at the Ballintubber Abbey just down the road.  They both left Ireland at a young age (15 & 17) because of hard times, emigrating to America and winding up in Chicago where they married and had four children.  My maternal grandparents Maurice O'Regan and Catherine Ryan had similar stories except they were from Limerick and Cork, and they met in Chicago after they left Ireland looking for a better life, and they also had four children.

When Kristin and I were married back in 1996, in the oldest public building and oldest church in the City of Chicago - Old St. Patrick's Church.  None of my grandparents were alive to attend my wedding, but they would have loved it.  The priest was the beloved Father John Cusick, who is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination and he still feeds my soul with his wisdom and guidance.  There was a five or six string ensemble and our soloist Ms. Catherine O'Connell sang like an angel.  At the end of the ceremony, there were bagpipes, and at the reception, there were Irish dancers.  Of course, the party was epic.

Our wedding was not only a celebration of our love and future together. It was a joining of families and a milestone in our lives that needed to be acknowledged and honored.  It was a celebration that her parents were able to walk her down the aisle after being in a horrific traffic accident several months earlier.  It was a memorial for her grandmother Bubby who died in that accident.  The Irish traditions we placed in that ceremony were not only for us but for those that came before us, to honor our parents who set the examples for us, but also for William & Nora as well Maurice & Catherine.

On our wedding day, Kristin & I dedicated the song, "How Bright is the Day" to our Grandparents and at 1 pm I will be live streaming the Mass from Old St. Patrick's Church where Catherine will once again be singing.

My grandparents didn't have easy lives, yet among the toils and suffering of everyday life, they lived and they loved.   We too need to live and to love, to drive out our fear and reduce the suffering not only for ourselves but for all those that cross our path.

Sláinte - an Irish toast to your health.

The great Dunwoody write in challenge - Kristin Heneghan has been declared the winner over Justin Dike, as well as other stats.

Justin Dike & Kristin Heneghan

Looking at the write-in stats is always interesting for me on an open uncontested race to see whose name might show up, be a neighbor, a celebrity or even a protest message.  The Dunwoody stats do not disappoint as there are write-ins for Mayor, and all three City Council seats.  Looking at the pdf, City Council race for District 1 between Stacey Harris and Robert Miller is coded a race 260, and it follows the Dunwoody Mayor write-in stats.  District 2 stats for the contest between Joe Seconder and Heyward Wescott are listed next as race 270 and finally, the uncontested District 3 race identified as number 280 had the most write-ins.

The challenge posted by What's Up Dunwoody's Justin Dike to my wife Kristin to see who would get more write-in votes for the Ddistrict 3 race wasn't even close;  Kristin won by a landslide.

Full Write in stats for Dunwoody Election

Looking at other results, Dunwoody was by far the most popular location to vote early with 3,000 people doing so.

I haven't plugged the numbers into a spreadsheet yet but the turnout in Dunwoody shows that most precints where there is a high percentage of single family homes voted at a much higher rate vs where there is a majority of multifamily, for example Austin 40%, Tilly Mill 35%, Mt. Vernon East 37%, Mt. Vernon West 31%, Kingsley 35%, Dunwoody Library 35%, North Peachtree 18%, Dunwoody 17%, Georgetown Square 15%, Chesnut 15%, Peachtree Middle 11%.  To see the polling paces and maps check here.

DeKalb's final results (Unofficial & Incomplete that still need to be certified) are here.

What's Up Dunwoody - Write in challenge against my bride Kristin Heneghan. Vote for her - not me.

Vote for Kristin Heneghan - Not Justin / Not John

I have had the distinct honor of serving on the Dunwoody City Council for the last eleven years and have put my name into the hat to do so for another four but I can attest that it wasn't done on a whim.  Serving on the City Council is truly a family affair and it wouldn't have happened without the full support of my beautiful wife, Kristin.   I am truely blessed to have her love and support.

Justin over on the "What's Up Dunwoody" empire, heard about me posting the write results for my elections when I have run unopposed and therefore publicized that he wrote himself in for my office in order to see his name show up in an official government document (other than those numerous birth certificates for his many children).  Later in the day, a neighbor gave a quick endorsement of who he was going to vote for (Lynn, Stacey, and Heyward) and then added that he was not voting for me but instead voting for a better candidate, my wife, Kristin.

Justin, being the jealous type, took a that comment personally and has now challenged my wife (whom he has never really met) to a write-in challenge, and I'm not sure Justin knew who he was dealing with?

 2005 DHA Dunwoody Mom of the Year

If you don't know my wife Kristin let me explain that she is the most vivacious & effervescent woman in town. If do you know my bride, you know that I am merely a wallflower which fades into the background of her existence.  Kristin was a United Airlines Flight Attendant and aerobics instructor before I moved her from Chicago.  Upon arriving to Dunwoody and having children, she threw herself in supervising neighborhood playgroups, expanded into the community MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program, assisted with the Dunwoody North Babysitting co-op, started the All Saint's Parents Night Out and then started volunteering with the Dunwoody Homeowners Association where she supervised events like Light Up Dunwoody.  As my three boys became older, she was room-mom, volunteered at schools then went on to become team-mom for most of the sports teams my kids played on.  At the Dunwoody North Driving Club, Kristin was the social director organizing every party and social event for 10 years, whereby my job was just putting away the chairs at the end of the evening.  Kristin goes out of her way to welcome new neighbors, to help friends in need, care for children, deliver home-cooked meals, or for close friends she even puts a balloon on your mailbox if it is your birthday.

Trust me, I am the introverted wallflower, and Kristin is the dynamic social butterfly who knows everyone's name and makes friends immediately upon meeting people for the first time.  I honestly believe most people elected me to the Dunwoody City Council only because I am related to her.

In this election, the Heneghan's are voting for Lynn Deutsch, Stacey Harris and Heyward Wescott to lead the City of Dunwoody forward.

But for the giggles of it, when it comes to the District 3 seat in Dunwoody, please don't vote for me on Tuesday - vote for Kristin.   Oh, and vote No on the Ethics item.   Thanks

Talking to your middle school son about suicide is not easy, explaining that everyone is special therefore deserving of respect and love was much easier. #hugs

Video - Councilman Heneghan was giving away free hugs at Dunwoody High

 
I'm a Dad.     As the father of three boys ages 19, 17 & 13, I am well aware that the life of a teenager is tough.  My boys are all very different from each other with various skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Parenting didn't come with a manual for each child, therefore, Kristin & I do the best we can with discipline, advice, love, structure, and guidance.   Sometimes we think we get it right, and sometimes we change our tact the next time or maybe with child number two. In the end, parenting for us is all about love and our children knowing that they are loved.

This week I needed to sit down with the 13-year-old to discuss the suicide of a classmate from Peachtree Charter Middle School. (Just typing those words is shocking to me.)

It wasn't an easy discussion for either of us; my son didn't personally know the boy, but the conversation about why someone would kill themselves was heartbreaking as my son talked about bullying, rejection, being made fun by your peers because you are not like them. He talked from personal experience about how it felt to be called out as different, how dumb rumors were being spread on social media and hateful comments were being shared.

He then talked (actually beamed from ear to ear) about those friends on his football team who stood up to the negative commenter on social media on my son's behalf. They supported him and empowered him, as my son was now part of a team.  My son and I talked about how these events made him feel, what lessons he learned from them, and how these lessons are related to how he treats others. It was a great conversation, and in the end, he knows he is special, he is loved, and everyone he meets is just as special and should be loved just the same.   My kind soul of a 13-year-old now has this character strength of empathy that is wise beyond his years.

Today I watched a video recommended by education writer, Maureen Downey of the AJC Get Schooled column, which shows a high school girl explaining the challenges of going to high school with disabilities and chronic illness. High school is typically hard or challenging for most, but for this young lady faces challenges that many of us couldn't imagine and she does it with grace and pure strength.  I recommend it to all, but parents you may want to share it with your teenagers.

Back in 2015, the City Council held a City Town Hall meeting at Dunwoody High School; therefore knowing how rough some high school students had it with various pressures, I wanted to find a way to let them know that I care. I wanted to personally connect with them and in turn, have them connect with one another on a level that social media just doesn't work.

I offered them a simple gesture of kindness, I looked them in the eye, asked for their name, and offered a hug. I told them that we as human beings are all equals, that they are important and that they matter.

As a Dunwoody City Councilman, I treated those many high school students as one of my sons and in retrospect, it may have been the most important lesson those Dunwoody High students learned all year.

Looking back on the subject of hugs - I still remember a hug someone offered me on the Peachtree Center MARTA platform.   It was wonderful.

Hugs to all those in need and I will happily dispense if one is desired - just reach out.   Thanks

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite @childrensatl from an Orange wristband Dad.

A week ago, my 13 yr. old son Declan came home from a trip and wasn’t feeling well, the next day there was fever and coughing followed by a trip to the pediatrician who put him on Amoxicillin and bed rest. After several days with limited improvement we brought him back to the pediatrician, I guess it was Thursday afternoon, which led us to the Emergency Room at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, two nights in the Pediatric Intensive Care followed by one night in a regular room.

It is now Sunday and my boy is home, completely on the mend, therefore, his Mom and I couldn’t be happier over his fast recovery.

After 19 years of parenthood with three rough and tumble boys, this was my first overnight experience (truly blessed) at Children’s and I couldn’t have been happier with the experience. The emergency room staff and nurses were amazing, handling injured and hurting children while still comforting and explaining every detail to the parents who were just as afraid as the children. The technology used was top notch and was made especially for children, whereby I watched as the special intravenous ultrasound team was called in to assist with placing my son’s IV.

About 11:30 p.m. I hit the late-night cafeteria as I hadn’t eaten dinner with all the excitement and my son’s emergency room nurse came over to me during her down time to ask how I was doing. I said I was fine but honestly, I was more worried about her.  That fact was confirmed when from the next table over I heard her tell her husband that she had been running from one case to another non-stop for four plus hours and that this was the reason why sometimes after a difficult night she has a hard time getting to sleep when she finally gets back home. Her team's service was impeccable as far as I was concerned, she just had a lot on her plate, and she juggled it wonderfully with skill, love, and compassion.

The next several days were a blur with antibiotics, breathing treatments, oxygen and respiratory gizmos to speed his healing. There was peeing in a cup for the boy because he had enough wires on his chest to jump-start a car but the chocolate milkshakes for dessert for lunch and dinner made up for the minor inconveniences. When my son was finally moved into a normal room, we were able to have visitors where there were epic battles of Super Smash Brothers Bawl happening on the bed (Switch Gaming System) while the parents chatted on the couch over current events happening within our daily lives. During one parental conversation, we looked out the window and noticed there was a helipad without a helicopter. Unfortunately, much later that evening I can confirm that I witnessed an emergency helicopter land and it just made me worried for the occupant, the family, as well as the emergency room staff and all others that were about to be involved.

By day three the security guards at the front desk seemed to know me as I was wearing an Orange wristband (it identifies the person as a parent of a sick child) they always smiled and made me feel welcome, even walking around at odd hours. Knowing that my son was on the mend and was going to be going home, made me extremely thankful for our health. When I saw another orange wristband walking towards me, it made me want to comfort them, to nod or smile, to hold that elevator for them a little longer then I usually would for another human being because I know that they might be going through something much larger and more difficult than my short stay, watching my son whom I knew would be just fine. Some of those Orange wristband parents are not so blessed.

Long story short, I’ve spent the last three days in a small room bonding with my son while he received top-notch care.  I told corny Dad jokes in order to make him laugh and cough which would assist in clearing his lungs. The nurses, doctors and respiratory specialists were all great, the facilities were wonderful, and I hope I never have to return.

If I ever do, I’m just very thankful Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with their skillful and caring staff is just down the road.

Dunwoody's favorite family friendly Haunted Farm Tour is Saturday from 3 to 9 pm.

Find spooky surprises and giggles around every corner, as Boy Scout Troop 477 brings Dunwoody’s historic Donaldson-Bannister Farm back to life for Halloween on Saturday, October 27th from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the newly renovated Donaldson-Bannister Farm (corner of Chamblee-Dunwoody and Vermack Roads). 

This popular annual event, part of Dunwoody’s Apple Cider Days, will include a “ghost tour” that begins inside the restored farm house and continues through the gardens. Children will be challenged to discover the spell to send the ghosts home. The event also includes a field of games tailor made for kids of all ages, fun crafts and campfire s’mores. You can also enjoy a food court with soft drinks, yummy snacks, hot dogs, hamburgers and turkey legs! Costumes are encouraged. Don’t miss Dunwoody’s favorite Halloween tradition.

Video

Hosted by Boy Scout Troop 477, this fun annual event raises money to provide scholarships for boys that couldn’t normally afford to participate in scouting.

“Last year we had more than 1,600 people come and enjoy the festivities,” said Barry Deutsch, Scoutmaster for Troop 477.  “And this year, we are expecting a bigger crowd, especially since people can see inside the farmhouse and all around the wonderfully updated grounds, so we will have even more food, more games and more fun.”

Plenty of free parking is available at Independence Square (corner of Chamblee Dunwoody at Peeler) with regular shuttle bus service. Additional parking will be available just down the street at the Vermack Swim Tennis center.

Boy Scout Troop 477 thanks its sponsors, including Smurti Corp. for supplying the food court.

Fifteen Eagle Scouts advance from one patrol of Troop 477 in Dunwoody, GA

Video of the 15 Eagle Scouts of the Batman Patrol of Troop 477

When little boys join the Boy Scouts they band together to form a patrol of boys their own age in order to go through the adventures of scouting as a group. Only 4 percent of all Scouts ever make it to the rank of Eagle but there is an incredible story coming out of Boy Scout Troop 477 from Kingswood United Methodist Church in Dunwoody, Ga.

15 Scouts from the Batman Patrol have made the coveted rank of Eagle Scout before their 18th birthday, the deadline of aging out of the program. Records are being checked with Boy Scout Headquarters but this level of achievement is unprecedented and may actually be record setting.

The 15 Eagle Scouts are - Levi Hoey, Nicholas Fraser, Sam Lucius, Barrett Williams, Cole Griffith, Evan Maxwell, Caleb Sparks, David Antonino, Joshua Wall, Peter Richardson, Drew Cottle, Josh Bieber, Jackson Kuller, Riley Heneghan, Ben Todd.

Special recognition goes out the Scoutmasters and adult leaders of the Troop, including Bob Melton, Barry Deutsch, Nathan Sparks, Peter Bain, and the many others who helped make this happen.

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to John & Therese Heneghan

Here's to you both, a beautiful pair
On the birthday of your love affair
Here's to the husband and here's to the wife
May yourselves be lovers for the rest of your life

Foodstock 2015 - please register the family to wear a silly hair net and help feed thousands of people!

I have participated in numerous Stop Hunger Now events in various Dunwoody churches and it is always a rewarding family event that fosters teamwork and shares the joy of working together for a great cause with your fellow participants (including your children).   Dunwoody United Methodist Church will be hosting a huge community event on Saturday whereby 300,000 meals will be assembled over a 10 hour period and they need more community volunteers to sign up.   Please note: The Dunwoody Butterfly Festival is also taking place on Saturday from 10 am till 4 pm so please find time for both events if you can.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We need your help on Saturday to fill and pack our 300,000 meals.  Please click on the picture below to hear a message from our FoodStock leaders and sign up for one or more of our available shifts by clicking a link below.

SIGN ME UP FOR THE 8 - 10 A.M. SHIFT!

SIGN ME UP FOR THE 12 NOON - 2 P.M. SHIFT!

SIGN ME UP FOR THE 2 - 4 P.M. SHIFT!

SIGN ME UP FOR THE 4 - 6 P.M. SHIFT!

SIGN ME UP TO SUPPORT FOR A SHIFT!

Please join the fun as this is a great event that is also very rewarding too!

My shadow for the week will be my father, John Heneghan Sr.

John Heneghan Sr.

Grandpa Heneghan is coming in from Chicago to visit the boys before they start school as he wants to see what keeps this family hopping, including hanging with me at a few of my civic and social events.  I've scheduled some time off work so if you run into me in the next week there is a very good chance that my Dad will be with me.  If you see us, please give him a warm Dunwoody welcome.

We will probably be at Food Truck Thursday, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association Meeting, a Special Called City Council Meeting, Sunday Mass, a Knights of Columbus meeting, various school open houses & registrations, tax free school shopping, watching high school football practice, viewing a production of Mary Poppins, seeing the Stone Mountain Laser Show, Dunwoody North Driving Club for Water Volleyball, numerous trips around the neighborhood walking the dog, probably a trip downtown for a ride of the street car to the Farris wheel as my wife won tickets in an auction that we haven't used, as well as maybe have lunch at the top of the Westin to see the city sights.

We might also do a Braves game and if all goes well Dad might like to hit a few golf balls & take a nap or two.

Anyway, figured I would share what I am doing for the last week of Summer (at least according to the DeKalb County School System Calender).  I hope you enjoy your freedom as much as I am looking forward to mine because even if you don't have children is school; you may still be experiencing the school traffic on Monday August 10th.  Like I said, enjoy the last week of Summer as it is almost over.

John

Grandma Heneghan's Irish Soda Bread Recipe - Happy St. Patrick's Day

A couple of years ago I posted my mothers Irish Soda Bread recipe and today I am posting my grandmothers which is slightly different.  My grandmother passed away 32 years ago and I still remember her cooking.

Ms. Nora Duffy was born in 1896 in County Mayo Ireland, baptized at Ballintubber Abbey and emigrated to America specifically Chicago because it was where everyone from the area went.   She worked as a personal chef & nanny for a family on Astor Street for quite a few years and then married my grandfather William Heneghan who was also from County Mayo.  There was a saying that there were more Mayo weddings in Chicago then there were in County Mayo because there was little to stay in Ireland for at that time.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

RIP Granny Ruth Cameron and a few upcoming Dunwoody meetings.

Ruth Cameron & Kristin Heneghan

I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday season as we contemplate returning to the grindstone of everyday life and like many parents we start preparing our children for their return to school after the long break.

The Heneghan family experienced the loss of my wife's 99 year old grandmother, Ruth Cameron and if you know my bride or have ever had the pleasure of meeting Kristin's mother "Woodle"; you could guess that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in this family as Granny Ruth was an incredible lady who lived a very full life.  We celebrated her memorial services in two states over the break as my boys learned first hand that death is part of life and that no one lives forever but they also learned about the deep bonds of love that it means to be apart of this wonderful family. 

Please allow me to share with you the poem that Granny Ruth Cameron wrote and Kristin had the privilege of reading at the funeral.

WELCOME HOME
For those I loved, and for those who loved me,
When I am gone, release me, let me go,
I have so many things to see and do,
You musn't tie yourself to me with tears,
Be happy that we had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave to me in happiness
I thank you for the love each of you have shown
But now it's time I traveled on alone,
So grieve awhile for me, if grieve you must
Then let your grief be comforted by trust
It's only for awhile we must part
So bless the memories that lie within your heart
I won't be far away, for life goes on
So if you need me, call and I will come
Though you can't see me or touch me, I'll be near
But if you listen with your heart
You'll hear all of my love around you soft and clear
And then when you come this way alone
I'll greet you with a smile and welcome home.
-Ruth Cameron

Upcoming Dunwoody Meetings & Events

This morning (Monday), I will be joining the Chamber of Commerce at the Teacher of the Year breakfast to honor our best, brightest and most creative teachers from area schools and hope to have photos up tomorrow.

Tuesday Night's Dunwoody Zoning Board of Appeals meeting will be interesting to me and many others as All Saints Catholic Church is in front of the board for variances needed for the proposed new church. The meeting starts at 7 pm and it will be live streamed and available here.

Saturday, January 10: Post Holiday Electronic Recycling Extravaganza at Northlake Mall

Dunwoody Homeowners Association's annual meeting is next Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2pm at the Kingsley Swim/Tennis clubhouse. Yearly recap, awards, speeches, New City Manager, State Legislative preview & DeKalb School System Update.

City Council Meeting on Monday January 12th where we will be discussing code revisions to Land Development, Zoning and Building Regulations as well as many other interesting topics.

Dunwoody Elementary School - Prospective Parent Night is Thursday, January 22nd at 6:00pm in the cafeteria, immediately following the PTO General Membership Meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity for new parents to get to know our school.

On February 7, 2015, Saint Luke’s Presbyterian Church is hosting the 2015 Tartan Trot 5K/10K race where an anticipated 1,500 runners will gather to the sound of bagpipes to compete. Audra over the AHA Connection has a discount code for $5.00 off.

The City of Dunwoody, the Rotary Club of Dunwoody, and the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce the sixth annual State of the City event on Thursday, February 12th at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel.

Dunwoody City Council Planning Retreat - tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 20th probably at a local hotel. The "retreat" in case you are not aware is just a fancy name of an all day work session discussing a huge list of topics where we set the legislative priorities for the coming year. This one meeting reviews the last year puts into place the 2015 work & priority list for council and staff to attempt to achieve. With Mr. Eric Linton coming on as our new City Manager this week, this annual retreat meeting was pushed back a bit but I expect this will be very similar to other years.

Here is the agenda from the January 2014 meeting as we had presentations on changing city demographics, possible fire protection changes, city survey results and intersection improvement timelines. There is no telling what will be on the February agenda but guessing that with DeKalb thinking about County Wide changes in sanitation services, I figure this topic will be discussed. With the passing of revisions to the Dunwoody Charter in HB 1109, a group of four council members could now create a Dunwoody Fire Department and I can tell you that this scenario should never be taken lightly as it is an expensive endeavor to even consider.

The City Council has expressed an interest in exploring service delivery options to try to improve fire services for Dunwoody by locally controlling the tax rate and service levels provided to the community. To date, the City Council has not voted to nor implied any intent to change providers for Fire services. As with a variety of services, the Council, from time to time will investigate options.

I am of the opinion that we do not need to rush into any changes on fire protection and that a detailed multifaceted analysis would need to be conducted, published and well vetted by all parties. As this decision will be impossible to reverse and would not need to be done on a short time frame, it may be a good candidate for a citizen referendum prior to council approval if it were ever proposed?

Ken Scott Magic performed a fantastic show for the Heneghan family and we highly recommend him.

Ken Scott

Mr. Ken Scott performed a fantastic, hour long, magic / comedy show for about 70 children in the Heneghan home and he thoroughly amazed and captivated everyone's attention (including me).  We highly recommend Ken Scott Magic and already know that we will be booking him again for next year's little gathering that we host.

Ken is a professional entertainer who has twice been named the Atlanta Magician of the Year, he has performed at the White House five times, been on America's Funniest Home Videos but the most impressive credential is that he has also performed at the Dunwoody Library for educational programs that he also specializes in performing.  If you are looking to offer a large scale School Assembly Program please check out Ken's credentials.

http://www.kenscottmagic.com

School Programs

Happy Anniversary Kristin, it has been a wonderful 15 years !!

Video

I'm so very blessed !! Happy Anniversary Kristin

St. Baldrick's 2010 - thanks to those who donated.

Sorry there is no video of the St. Baldrick's event as my flip camera had issues but we did have a great time so thank you to all those who donated.  If anyone would still like to donate, here is the link. 

I'm off to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Atlanta which starts at Noon.

Stone Mountain walk up trail and other kid friendly finds of 2009

Walking to the top of Stone Mountain has always been a favorite activity of mine when I visit the park.  Over the weekend I took my three boys (ages 10, 8 and 4) and a few of their friends to the park for a hike up the 1.3 mile walk up trail and another 1.3 mile hike back down the mountain.  Taking a young man who turned 4, just two weeks previously for a hike of this magnitude on a day when he hadn't had a nap was a big risk but it worked out.  My son Declan walked all the way up and down while holding my hand.  It was an awesome experience that I thought I would share as this is now a family event that we can do as a group.

Since it is a time of year for lists; here is Field Trips with Sue's list of her favorite finds for kids in 2009, in no particular order. Number 1 on the list has a Dunwoody connection that I will have to check out some time.

1. Free observatories and star gazing nights – this would actually make a good date night (in Dunwoody).
   
2. Target Free Day at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta
3. Free Admission to Callaway Gardens in Jan. and Feb.
4. Discovery Backpacks at the High Museum
5. Dauset Trail Nature Preserve
6. Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park
7. Tellus, Northeast Georgia Science and Technology Museum
8. Holi Hoi Day Celebration
9. Tree Climbing at Panola State Park
10. Free Swim at Chastain Park Pool and Piedmont Park Pool
11. Boneyard Beach on Jekyll Island
12. Center for Puppetry Arts Museum
13. The National Museum of Patriotism

Happy Birthday Kristin!

Thanks for being the Queen of the Heneghan household, your four little boys love you very much. Sincerely, John, Riley, Gavin & Declan

PS: Honey, your drivers license is now expired so don't get pulled over as I am told the cops in this little town are tough to talk out of a ticket when you're guilty.
Love you, XOXO

PSS: Chief Grogan, Kristin drives a White Ford SUV with a Flag of Ireland on the front license plate holder and she has a Yellow campaign magnet on the back.
Please call out an All Points Bulletin. Thanks.

Today was a Vacation Day - at least from the full time paying gig.

There is no typical day of serving on the Dunwoody City Council but since I still have about an hour to go in uploading the audio from today's three meetings; let me tell you about my day.

8 a.m. Awake, quick breakfast, shower, my wife drives the older boys to a local one week summer camp and I hang out with Declan, my 3 yr old until Mommy is able to get back home.

9:20 a.m. Declan sees Daddy in a suit and becomes mad because he knows Daddy can't hang out and play all day. If it was a Daddy play day, shorts would have been involved and there are no shorts in sight. Unfortunately Daddy left anyway to do things that had to be done.

9:40 a.m. Met with a mortgage broker at a local Dunwoody bank. Blackberry from work never stops, I read most things and respond when needed.

10:30 a.m. City Hall meeting with IT regarding services and then reviewing documents for this evening.

11:30 a.m. First "Official" Meeting of the Day - Public Hearing on Millage Rate.

12:30 p.m. Working Lunch with City Attorney and two other members of the City Council.

12:45 p.m. Fourth member of City Council joins us for lunch which makes a quorum therefore all conversations of city business stops and we talk about cars, sports & kids. (Better conversations anyway.)

1:30 p.m. Joined the City Attorney for a phone call to a resident.

1:40 p.m. Talked to the City Code Enforcement Officer about items of interest.

2:00 p.m. Walked through the entire Police Department build out and personally congratulated a Detective for breaking up a $50,000 dollar shoplifting sting at Perimeter Mall.

2:30 p.m. Meeting with the Police Chief and City Management for an incident briefing and to discuss Police policies & procedures.

4:00 p.m. Blackberry time for the real job, few phone calls. (It never stops.)

4:30 p.m. Popped my head in the Community Development Director's Office to discuss an item on the agenda. Thirty minutes later, I am fully briefed, understand the issues but still unsure if a proposed possible ordinance will have unintended consequences?

5:00 p.m. Drove over to Mudcatz Bar & Grill to meet with the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce get their thoughts on the Dunwoody Convention & Visitors & Bureau. Decided to go to this instead of seeing my family since I rarely find time to meet with the Chamber when I am hurrying home from work.

5:15 p.m. Find resident who may have the unintended consequences from the 4:30 meeting and bend her ear looking for options.

5:45 p.m. I see Shari O’Halloran, Owner of Mudcatz who gives me a tour of the new music facility they are creating next door. Really impressive - can't wait to see the acts rolling through.

6:00 p.m. Talking to Sheri's husband Mike who discusses the building inspector process, gives both praise and well as suggestions for improvements. Kudos to the Dunwoody inspector Phil who came out today, your service was really appreciated by these good people.

6:15 p.m. I wanted to go back and talk to a few other members of the Dunwoody Chamber but was forced to race (drive carefully in bumper to bumper traffic) over to City Hall for the next meeting.

6:16 p.m. Call home to talk to my bride and Declan gets on the phone and says "I love you Daddy", so I guess he has forgiven me for not making it a play day.

6:30 p.m. Second meeting of the day - Public Hearing and Vote on Millage Rate.

7:00 p.m. City Council Work Session with over 16 items on the agenda. I was prepped on the issues and read everything involved in order to be prepared. Like everyone else, I want to make my points where needed, affect change by interjecting both statements and questions that I feel are relevant. I decided on the fly to question the budget report to position a point on a subject that may be yet hours away on the agenda. (Games, strategy or just kabuki theater without memorized lines? You decide.)

I try to be effective without saying so much that my voice gets lost in the background noise of the meeting. Three and a half hours later, you come out believing it was a good meeting, you think you affected some positive change somewhere but to be honest in work sessions you're never sure what got accomplished since no votes were taken.

10:40 p.m. Executive Session of the Council to discuss pending legal actions & lawsuits.

11:15 p.m. Wendy's drive thru window, tried to eat healthy?

11:30 p.m. Download 3.5 hours of wav files from a device, converted the 14 files to the smaller mp3 file format and start the process of uploading to the server.

11:40 p.m. Type overview of the meeting in order to post links of the meeting audio, once the files are completely uploaded in an hour or two.

12:00 a.m. Figured that I had at least an another hour to upload all the audio files therefore decided to give an update of my "Vacation Day" spent representing you.

It's now well after midnight, I have saved the final version of these blog posts and manipulated the post times to only be a minute after midnight so that I don't look like a freak working on a computer at 2 a.m.

As long as the day was, I enjoyed every minute of it but I am now looking forward to tomorrow (today) so I can put on those shorts so Declan and I can have some quality time at the swim meet where his brothers are competing.

So what do you do on your days off?