The DeKalb School Watch posted a blog a while back looking for WhistleBlowers or retirees from the DeKalb County School System which had information that could be used to improve the efficiency of the system. I was reminded of this post after I watched the speech below given by a Chicago reporter by the name of Mike Volpe.
Mike caught my eye a number of years ago with interesting articles on Vernon Jones, Derwin Brown and Grady Hospital. Mike hasn't reported Atlanta issues in awhile but in case he sees this and is looking for a new subject, DeKalb County and the DeKalb School System could sure use some "sunshine".
I have been a fan of this man's work, I enjoyed his keynote speech on reporting / whistle blowers and figured I would share.
The Editor of the Dunwoody Crier, Mr. Dick Williams hosts a political talk show at 8:30 am Sunday mornings on Fox called the Georgia Gang. I try to real hard to get up out of bed even though Sunday is the only day of the week that I am actually "allowed" to sleep in since I usually have an early boys soccer game on Saturday.
Anyway if you know Dick, you know he is opinionated and has no fear in saying what is on his mind. Well I know the Georgia Gang show is taped on Friday mornings therefore the breaking news that Vernon Jones the ex-CEO of DeKalb County will be forced to pay damages in a discrimination case, whereby the county has already paid Millions of Dollars in legal fees, and now because of these findings the County may also have to pay the plaintiffs legal fees, will more than likely not go unnoticed by Mr. Williams.
There is no love lost between Vernon Jones and Dick Williams as this "Death by Bow Tie" video clearly shows.
Another fun aspect of the Georgia Gang show is that Buzz Brockway and a number of bloggers over at Peach Pundit do an interactive live blog of the show with both a minute by minute summary as well as "colorful" commentary. The link to the live blog will likely be found at http://www.peachpundit.com early Sun morning.
To all the bloggers out there; congrats on the recognition by the State Legislature commending Georgia's political bloggers for their unique role in promoting openness and transparency in state government by naming April 1st, 2010 as "Blogger Day At The Capitol".
Hey wait a second, was that an inside joke played out on April Fools Day? Nah, I'm sure they real do love us.
My guess is that Monday night's Dunwoody City Council meeting will last less than half an hour even if we receive 25 minutes of public comment since there is only one item on the agenda and it will immediately be referred to the Planning Commission for action.
Though I do not think that the situation above will match my concerns on this topic, please allow me to get up on my soap box for one second. Politician's naming public facilities after political cronies for political gain turns my stomach and I am of the opinion that the City of Dunwoody should have a strict policy in place of not naming any public facility after any person until after that person has been dead for at least two years. Maybe my views are a little too extreme on the subject but I know of various examples of this happening in bad taste and I would prefer to just outlaw or strictly restrict the practice. Ok, I have just stepped off my soapbox. Thank you for allowing me to vent.
For the last several years I have been a harsh critic of DeKalb County and particularly the Vernon Jones Administration for the numerous items of waste, fraud and abuses of power.
January 5th is a new day in DeKalb County and I am very hopeful that CEO Elect Burrell Ellis and his very capable Executive Assistant, Mr. Keith Barker will be able to quickly correct many of the issues now facing the County. Myself and several other members of the Dunwoody City Council will be in attendance at the inauguration to congratulate Mr. Ellis and wish him well.
Attached is a copy of the 91 page Transition Report which outlines a number of recommendations made by a blue ribbon plan to the new CEO.
I had a request to post all of the Dunwoody videos in one place, so here quite a few of them. For the more than 200 people who have signed up to receive this blog via e-mail, I have included the specific links to each video but you would be better served by clicking the blog entry title to see the HTML version where the video's are actually embedded.
Jill Chambers explains her vote against the City of Dunwoody
Charlie Dixon and his friends are worried. Every weekday for the past 19 years, Dixon and his group of almost 70 mostly retired men in their 60’s and 70’s meet at Blackburn Tennis Center for three hours of tennis and fellowship. It’s an important daily ritual that provides the men with good exercise, a chance to get outdoors and companionship. As Dixon puts it, “it helps keep us alive.”
Dixon is effusive in his praise for Jon Niemeyer, who has held a county contract to operate Blackburn since the center opened in 1976. When Niemeyer opened Blackburn on Ashford Dunwoody Road 32 years ago, there were only four courts and a trailer that housed the pro shop. Today, Blackburn boasts 18 lighted courts, along with a fully-stocked pro shop, a staff of five teaching professionals, wheelchair access, ball machine rentals and a junior tennis academy. In 2005, USA Today named Blackburn as one of the top 10 public tennis centers in the country.
But, Niemeyer’s days operating Blackburn may be numbered. Approximately one month ago, Niemeyer met with a representative of Economics Research Associates, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm. The representative told Niemeyer the firm had been retained by the DeKalb Parks and Recreation Department to assess the operating contracts for the county’s three tennis centers and two golf courses in preparation for the county seeking to rebid the contracts. DeKalb officials are expected to receive the consultant’s report this week.
The news stunned Niemeyer. Not only does he still have two years remaining on his current contract to manage both Blackburn and the DeKalb Tennis Center near Emory, but, according to Niemeyer, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) believes the two tennis centers he manages are the only two public tennis facilities in Metro Atlanta, and perhaps the state, that earn a profit.
“We clearly have the number one public tennis center in Atlanta, so it seems very odd the county wants to do this now,” said Niemeyer. “Every other public tennis center around us is losing money, including the county’s facility in south DeKalb, and the county want to end our contract? Something is rotten, because this just doesn’t make sense.”
Niemeyer said Blackburn had made money despite the county’s refusal to maintain the center’s asphalt courts, as required in the contract. “Our courts are in terrible shape,” said Niemeyer. “The county says they don’t have money to resurface the courts. Because the county won’t fix the courts, we’ve lost the national wheelchair tournament we held for 20 years.” “Worse, we’ve lost the opportunity to host major USTA Southern and national events. Last year, a USTA event we’ve hosted four times in the past brought in $8 million for Mobile, Alabama. USTA has told me they would love to come back here, because of our proximity to Perimeter Mall hotels and restaurants, but they won’t come back until our courts are fixed.”
The county’s desire to terminate Niemeyer’s contract prematurely, and after 32 continuous years of operating Blackburn, infuriates Dixon. “This just isn’t fair,” said Dixon. “How can they do this when he still has a contract? My friends and I can’t understand the county’s rationale. It’s such a no-brainer to keep Jon here. He’s good for tennis, good for business, and he’s good for DeKalb.”
Dixon said he’s heard rumors out-going DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones wants to terminate Niemeyer’s contract before Jones leaves office at year’s end. The reason? To allegedly open the door for one of Jones’ friends to take over the profitable Blackburn and DeKalb tennis center’s contract. However, Dixon said even if the Jones rumors are false, he and his friends don’t understand the county’s reasons for ending Niemeyer’s contract. DeKalb County spokesperson Kristie Swink said the Parks and Recreation Department has no complaints with Niemeyer. Instead, Swink said the Parks Department, like all county departments, was reviewing its operations to find additional revenue sources and reduce spending.
“With the challenging economic conditions we face, the new CEO, Burrell Ellis, has asked every department to go over their existing contracts with a fine tooth comb,” said Swink. “The Parks Department feels it’s in the county’s best interests to rebid Mr. Niemeyer’s contract. No one is saying he’s not going a good job. But, he’s held the contract for more than 30 years. Mr. Niemeyer is welcome to submit a new bid in the next few months when we post the request for proposal. The county wants to make sure taxpayers dollars are being spent wisely.”
Dixon isn’t satisfied with the county’s response. “I’m worried that the county may be strapped for cash, particularly with Dunwoody becoming a city,” said Dixon. “But, Niemeyer is part of the solution, not the problem. This is Jon’s livelihood, and something he’s invested the last 32 years of his life in making a success. Ending his contract now just isn’t right.”
Tennis, anyone? "A lot of sports, over the years, become a game," says legendary tennis star Billie Jean King, ranked No. 1 in the world five times between 1966 and 1972, listed in the top 10 for 17 years and a four-time winner of the U.S. Open, which starts Monday and runs through Sept. 11. "If you are into tennis, it becomes part of your lifestyle," she says.
Today, she is an active promoter of public access and public programs in tennis (70% of all tennis in the USA is played on public-access courts). "I'm a product of the public parks system, and if I had not had my first free group lesson at Houghton Park in Long Beach, I may not have become a tennis player." Here, she shares with USA TODAY's Shawn Sell some favorite public spots to "keep tennis alive in hometowns" and elsewhere.
Blackburn Tennis Center, Atlanta Here in Atlanta, "they really enjoy their tennis," King says, and there is "an abundance of excellent tennis facilities, such as the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center, Stone Mountain and Blackburn, an outstanding county facility that features 18 lighted hard courts and instruction for all levels." 770-451-1061
At the Sept 23, 2008 DeKalb County Board of Commissioners meeting, the lawsuit against the City of Dunwoody was discussed and then deferred until the next meeting. It was at that time that Commissioner Elaine Boyer entered a few corrections on what was said previously and then CEO Vernon Jones wanted to reply to Ms. Boyer's comments.
He espoused his knowledge of Constitutional Law then went on to discuss Brook Run Park but forgot to mention that he specifically promised the park 11.5 million dollars in the last bond referendum but only spent about 5 million to date. The premier park that he discusses is a playground which has no benches nor shade for the parents who want to watch their children, a water feature that has been broken for several years, a skate park that is now a large capital drain for operations, vandalized buildings that are still unlocked and a safety hazard to the community.
He then discusses the lack of diversity on the Governor's Commission and the new City Council claiming that the new City of Dunwoody was created to accomplish the goal of "Bleaching Governments".
The CEO then goes on to state that Dick Williams, Editor of the Dunwoody Crier played to peoples fears in order to get the city and because of that the CEO then stated that he prays for Mr. Williams "because one day Dunwoody is going to change and I hope that bow tie doesn't get so tight that it chokes him and kills him because he can't accept the results."
A member of the audience then yells out, "That's Disgusting!!"
When Mr. Williams was informed of the comment he stated... "The disappointing, vindictive comments made by the chief executive Tuesday were just another example of why 40,000 Dunwoody residents voted with their feet this year and are itching to start their new city. Eight years of embarrassing behavior, racial divisiveness, higher taxes and declining services are Vernon Jones' legacy for the people of DeKalb County."
If you are voting early absentee, please be sure to mark the following question Yes.
"Shall the Act be approved which provides for the presiding officer to preside over meetings of the DeKalb County Commission and for the commission to establish its own agenda for such meetings?"
The full text of the law is found here and the AJC just wrote a nice article here
Early voters casting absentee ballots at the county election office will be the first to say whether the county commission’s presiding officer should run board meetings and whether the commission should set its own agenda. Every member of the county commission supports the proposal now, including newly elected CEO Burrell Ellis, who would become the first chief executive to operate under it.
If voters go for the change, it will end more than two decades of strong — some say autocratic — control by a succession of county chief executive officers.
DeKalb lawsuit against the State filed by Roy Barnes
Who am I kidding, it's only business as usual in DeKalb County.
The Vernon Jones administration has demonstrated for seven years that County government cannot even get along with its own cities. Jones and DeKalb reneged on their original agreement to fairly share the HOST taxes with the cities and city taxpayers. That was the basis upon which people voted for HOST. Once it passed, Jones and DeKalb changed the rules and refused to share. I hope that the State resoundingly wins this suit so that in the future we will have some fair and reasonable people in charge of the taxpayers money, rather than the arbitrary, vindictive arrangement we've seen in DeKalb County these past 7 years.
Today the AJC reports that the DeKalb County commissioners may have violated state law last year when they secretly authorized filing a lawsuit over how county sales tax revenue would be shared with a future city of Dunwoody. The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, was approved by all seven commissioners in a vote during a closed meeting on April 24, 2007, according to minutes of the meeting obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
With few exceptions, such as discussion of a personnel matter or litigation, actions by county commissions must be held for all to see, said Hollie Manheimer, executive director of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. "Under the open meetings act, all votes by a public agency must be public." The law is clear on that, she said. "It's a well-established interpretation."
Three days after that meeting, DeKalb hired former Gov. Roy Barnes as legal counsel for the case.The lawsuit, which was filed in Fulton County Superior Court, names Gov. Sonny Perdue as a defendant. That's because DeKalb is seeking an injunction against state enforcement of a 2007 law that changes the way the county's penny-on-the-dollar sales tax is distributed.
DeKalb has been embroiled for years in a legal tiff with many of its cities over the distribution formula for the homestead option sales and use tax, or HOST. Most of the millions of dollars in proceeds subsidize a rollback of homeowner property taxes, but a fifth of the money must go toward construction of new roads and other infrastructure.
On a related note, the AJC article and this interview by Elaine Boyer doesn't seem to mesh? I'm sure there is an explanation.
In case you missed the story of threats made against DeKalb Representative Fran Millar and Senator Dan Weber by Albert Chambers, the husband of Representative Jill Chambers, please watch the news clips below to see what was on the 6 o’clock news Wednesday evening. If you want to hear the creepy voice mail left for Senator Weber click here; courtesy of Peach Pundit.
I don’t know what set Mr. Chambers off to call Senator Weber’s office and to leave such a sinister message but I’ll leave that to others to discuss. It is the deliberate actions of the DeKalb Police Department in this case that I believe are truly wrong. By not allowing Representative Millar and Senator Weber to file their complaint against Albert Chambers the DeKalb Police Department in my opinion has violated their rights to due protection of the law guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. DeKalb could find that the complaint is unfounded and then do nothing, but to say that Millar & Weber are not allowed to file a police report just because they serve the community as politicians is flat out wrong. They should have been allowed to file a complaint, just as anyone else would been allowed to do so. What if these threats were made against a non-politician; would a police report have been allowed to be filed? Without accepting such information, DeKalb County has not allowed Millar & Weber to properly document the situation in case something were to someday come of Mr. Chambers’ threats. Luckily in this case the “evidence” of such threats are now found in archived TV news stories and the audio stored on computer hard drives.
Just because some “high power” politician may be able appropriate funds in order to have a posse of protection with him at all times, that’s not so for most politicians and definitely not so for volunteer community leaders. With the recent history of the assassination of Derwin Brown who was running for DeKalb County Sheriff, you would have thought the DeKalb Police Department would have followed standard protocol and allowed Millar & Weber to file their report. Instead I’m lead to believe that this decision was made from the highest levels of the DeKalb Police Department, who is managed by a man with a posse for his own protection. That point doesn’t seem right to me.
Why do people decide to be politicians, to be public servants, to work for the greater good of the people they serve; just to get abused like this by both the public as well as the system which is supposedly there to protect them? Looking at the circumstances surrounding this matter, you would have to be crazy to get involved with this mess. None the less, it will be a sense of duty which will bring good people to the table to assist in running the City of Dunwoody when it is finally created. The Dunwoody community has a long history of civic minded volunteers and my guess is that duty to serve will outweigh the risks involved.
Remember that only Vernon Jones sets the agenda of all DeKalb BOC meetings.
A resolution to Support Legal Action against the Incorporation of the City of Dunwoody was placed on the agenda for this Tuesday, right before the Democratic primary which will decide the race for DeKalb CEO. This matter is politically charged and was probably placed on the agenda not because Mr. Jones wants to take expensive legal action against the State of Georgia for the City of Dunwoody’s creation, but because it could be used as a wedge issue dividing the County in half. If that is the case, it will probably be played as North DeKalb vs. South DeKalb, and sadly probably also along racial lines too. The Justice Department has already ruled on the matter therefore the pending lawsuit has no merit, or it would have gone forward months ago.
Now ask yourself, who set the agenda item and why? Who running for office does it help and who does it hurt? Is this action politically motivated, I think so?
DeKalb politics is a grand blood sport where power and influence is often wielded to attack their political foes. If only the same amount of energy were put towards making DeKalb a better place to work and live, we would all be better off. Unfortunately this is DeKalb County, change is slow and the referendum for SB 52 which limits the CEO’s power doesn’t come up for election until November.
Immediately following the Dunwoody lawsuit item on the agenda is a third contract extension for Brook Run Park and the last time I checked the work at the park was completed and checked off by Parks Department. So why is the contract being extended? For what work and for how much? The last time they extended the contract it was for only an additional $500,000 on top of the original $1.3 million dollar bid.
I have already made inquiries and it looks like another open records request may have to be made.
DEKALB COUNTY GEORGIA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING JULY 8, 2008
E. PRELIMINARY ITEMS
E1. Resolution to Support Legal Action against the Incorporation of the City of Dunwoody
Parks & Recreation E2. Change Order No. 3 to Contract No. 07-900545 with Dore & Associates Contracting, Inc. Demolition of Designated Structures at Brook Run Park
I received an e-mail from the DeKalb County Police, North Precinct notifying me that due to circumstances beyond their control the meet & greet scheduled for Perimeter Mall on July 12th has been postponed indefinitely.
I guess these questions will have to wait for another time?
1) What is wrong with the ranking officers in Dekalb County? I understand that more lower ranking officers (Lt's) have, or will be hired from APD to fill appointed positions. Does this mean that DKPD has better understanding of quality than (a proven Police Chief - see success in both New Orleans and Washington DC) Chief Pennington? Why didn't Chief Pennington promote these Lt's to rank of Major or Deputy Chief?
2) Dekalb County has had over 60 murders before July 1st. This is a record pace. Last year, Dekalb didn't hit 60 until the end of August. How do you intend to keep Dekalb from breaking the murder record for a third consecutive year?
3) We understand that two of Mr. Jones' drivers have been appointed to high ranking positions within the department. Are these appointments special considerations for the outgoing CEO? What qualifications did these officers have other than being the CEO's driver? Were they more qualified than other higher ranking officers who were passed over?
5) A recent AJC article stated that other jurisdictions are beefing up the police budget to keep trained, experience officers from leaving. What are you doing to keep your officers?
6) Over 1.5 million dollars was spent on mobile precincts. What do they do? Are they equipped with cells, interrogation rooms, radios or computers? Can I go up to a mobile precinct and file a report? It seems that at this time, an officer has to be dispatched to the mobile precinct with a patrol car to file the report? Is it true that they don't have any useful police equipment?
7) Is it true that an officer must be taken off uniform patrol to guard the mobile precinct when it is deployed? I understand that once your ICP officers and Sgt's go home, the team covering that territory is expected to detail an officer to the watch the mobile precinct. I understand from sources that while guarding the precinct, they occupy the time by watching movies on one of the Mobile Home's 2 LCD TV's.
8) What are you doing to improve moral in the Uniform and CID divisions?
9) How often does the computer system used by Uniform patrol to run license plates or suspects and receive their dispatched calls go down? I hear complaints that the new software is usually down and is not as functional as the software it replaced. Was a performance standard part of the negotiations when the software was purchased?
I'm sorry the questions are heavily related to DeKalb's personnel and hiring practices but I have friends in low places and they would like to have some of these questions answered.
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.
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?
The City of Doraville is looking for developers with deep pockets and a vision. If this is you, check out the sales pitch and the college project for ideas.
General Motors Corp. officials said the automaker has received at least 1,000 inquiries, including interest from international firms, about redeveloping its Doraville Assembly plant.
GM officials, speaking at a June 19 press conference in Doraville, Ga., said the company would probably narrow its list of developers to three-to-five candidates by August. It wants to name a developer as early as October to remake the 165-acre assembly plant -- a landmark in Doraville since 1947 -- into what could be the largest transit-oriented mixed-use development in metro Atlanta. A MARTA train runs adjacent to the plant and Peachtree-DeKalb airport is a few miles away.
The plant stands next to Spaghetti Junction and borders the city of Chamblee. GM said it's looking for a developer with experience redeveloping brownfields, or tracts of land previously developed for industrial uses and that often contain pollutants.
The automaker wants a developer that has deep pockets, especially in the current lending environment in which financing is often more difficult to obtain. And it also wants a developer that shares the vision of the city of Doraville and DeKalb County, GM officials said.
The Henry Jones off-leash dog park, named after DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones' dog Henry, is located in a back corner of Brook Run Park in Dunwoody. If you own a dog it is a wonderful location with ample parking, friendly people who share a common bond, nesseled under shady trees with the brook running through it which gives the dogs (and the owners) a great amount of joy. The users of the dog park formed their own association named "Just a Walk in the Park" to protect and maintain the area and with their dedication the dog park is one of the biggest attractions in Brook Run.
All 102 acres of the park need to be used on a regular basis because it is this use by everyday citizen's that keeps the facilities in working order and keeps those who would otherwise be up to no good, away. A good example of this would be the building being used by the handball athletes, they may not have fulfilled their promise of handball lessons to the community but because they were there; that building has been maintained with running water & electricity and there is little or no graffiti in sight.
To let everyone in on a secret that hasn't been kept very well, the back of the park is open with walking trails leading directly back and there are numerous holes in the fences that anyone could slip past if they really wanted to. At one point even the construction gate leading to the back was ripped from it's hinges and months later hadn't been replaced by the county. So to say that the back is closed is a misnomer, it's open but not patrolled by the security officer who is usually stationed at the front guard shack and the County probably wouldn't want to be liable if you were running on the rocky soil they used as fill dirt and got hurt because of the rough terrain. Other than that, it's open and I am guessing that it is being used on a regular basis.
Below is the letter from JAWITP requesting the expansion of the dog park.
Marilyn Boyd-Drew, Director Parks and Recreation Department DeKalb County 1300 Commerce Drive, Suite 200 Decatur GA 30030 Dear. Ms. Boyd-Drew,
This note is in response to our discussion at the May meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board.
Immediately after the off-leash area at Brook Run Park opened in January, 2006, CEO Vernon Jones responded to privacy concerns from a neighboring subdivision and ordered the size of the original area reduced by nearly half. His commitment at that time was to expand the off-leash area across the creek and up the hill to where the hospital building stood. Now that that area has been cleared, and with the increased traffic with warmer weather, carrying out Mr. Jones’s commitment would be appropriate and timely.
Forty percent of households have dogs. What the off-leash area at Brook Run has afforded those DeKalb citizens is the opportunity to use the public green space for all the reasons those green spaces exist. Dogs are “socialized,” which is beneficial for them as pack animals, and they get the exercise they need. Much more importantly, the park serves the people of the community. Users of the park get outside much more than they would otherwise. They can walk with their dogs in a beautiful green space rather than the street. And the park has offered a wonderful place for DeKalb citizens to make new friends and to meet with old friends.
The off-leash area occupies about two acres in a hundred acre park, but accounts for much more than two percent of the park’s use. An expansion to double its space seems reasonable. Four percent of the park’s space to serve forty percent of the community seems very reasonable. When we at Just a Walk in the Park adopted the park, we made a commitment to help the county keep the area clean, healthy and enjoyable to use. We have done that to the best of our ability. Our commitment to the park is demonstrated by the activities we have performed:
We have twice provided a FREE seminar on dog behavior and dog park etiquette.
We have twice provided FREE six-week sessions of basic dog obedience training classes.
We used our own money to purchase an additional bench for visitors' seating within the dog park.
We continually clean the park of both human trash and dog waste. Volunteers gather every single month to maintain this, a county property. Maintenance workers tell us that ours is the only park in the county that has such a support group, and they admire our diligence in maintaining the park ourselves. We call upon the Maintenance Dept. only when absolutely necessary.
We have taken it upon ourselves to bring in fill dirt to repair holes dug by dogs.
Our volunteers recently devoted three hours of a Saturday morning to clear away more than two years’ worth of debris that was causing damage to the fence line. In addition, we planted both monkey grass and grass seed which not only beautifies the park but contributes to the protection of the grounds.
The commitment shown by 200 JAWITP members would of course extend to an expanded area. We will do whatever we can to maintain this most needed space, including fund raising for any expenses beyond the county’s budget restraints. The enclosed petition with 350 signatures, collected almost casually in a weekend, indicates the depth of community support for the park.
Three DeKalb County commissioners are calling for a criminal investigation of purchases that violated county and state policies intended to ensure competitive bidding and spending oversight.
Recent audits found that contracts for technology services in the administration of Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones routinely violated purchasing rules. None of the reviews found any wrong-doing, which was beyond their purview.
Commissioner Jeff Rader noted that the auditors lacked the power of a grand jury to subpoena witnesses under oath and that the grand jury that ended in March issued a report calling for further investigation. The grand jury's report recommended that a subsequent grand jury investigate "piecemeal" and "no bid" purchases and that the accounting firm KPMG, which conducted the audit for the county, be retained to advise them.
Rader said a criminal investigation would "clear the air." He said he will send a letter to District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming and the Superior Court chief judge asking that a special grand jury be empaneled. He said two other DeKalb commissioners — Elaine Boyer and Kathie Gannon — have signed the letter so far.
Asked about the letter, Jones issued a written statement through DeKalb spokesperson Kristie Swink that said the district attorney needed no "political persuasion."
"I have full confidence that her office will do what is proper, appropriate and in the best interest for the citizens of DeKalb County," the statement said.
A spokesperson for the district attorney said Keyes Fleming is not investigating the matter but has talked with county commissioners about it. Jada Hudspeth said Keyes Fleming told the commissioners she was reviewing "all of the documents that I currently have before deciding the next course of action."
In my last blog entry, I guess I hit a nerve? Rep. Jill Chambers sent me an e-mail stating that I was attacking her and then she went on a GoDeKalb.com blog entry to call me paranoid. The entry also raised a number of comments regarding the inadequate infrastructure improvements in the community and a neighbor summed it up well in saying that at times it “seems the politicians do more work for each other, then the residents they are suppose to serve”. In reality I was only highlighting the inequity of the CEO form of government in DeKalb County as it relates to this administration and used the example of Ms. Chambers newly paved street and her close and personal relationship with Vernon Jones as a possible example of such inequity.
Roads cost a lot of money and if they are not maintained properly and adequately, the subsurface of the street will eventually be compromised whereby the entire street will need to be dug up and replaced, instead of just being repaved. The county road engineers are well aware of this situation and there is a grading system whereby every street is to be analyzed every year. I’m not sure if this really happens every year or how reliable the numbers provided are but I have attached the 2007 street ratings for District 1 of DeKalb County so you can take a look at them for yourself and find your street (though some seem to be missing). Anyway the entire County road rating list is not available on line without an open records request; therefore the road repaving program cannot be evaluated or tracked by the citizens of the county without putting forth some effort in order to do so.
In doing research for the transportation needs of the future city, I found that the City of Sandy Springs has a wonderful system for tracking the infrastructure needs of the city as it relates to the road ratings. First & foremost they hired a contractor with a special piece of equipment which has a GPS device and several lasers analyzing the surface of the street and the depths of the potholes. The data from this analysis is then fed into a computer and overlaid on a map of the city so that it can quickly show accurate information for every street. Sandy Springs then publishes this same map to the web so that all of the residents can have access to the information and the politicians would have a harder time doling out street repaving to their friends. I really like this system and would hope that DeKalb could somehow find a way to improve their current method of tracking and providing the information.
If nothing else they could publish the annual road ratings on a county wide basis so that our limited road improvement budget goes to those roads that need the most assistance.
Ms. Chambers why was your little cul-de-sac which receives a very limited amount of traffic, repaved prior to the 45 miles of Dunwoody’s roads that are rated as poor with a score of 30 or higher? Records obtained on road repaving from the county showed that Shelborne Drive was repaved, but your adjoining street of Stonington Circle was not listed as being done. None the less, both you & I know that your adjoining street has been resurfaced and it’s now as smooth as glass.
I wonder why this expense wasn’t listed in DeKalb’s maintenance records, maybe someone was just sloppy, or maybe it was a purposeful oversight to hide the fact that this could be an unwritten perk for politicians who “carrying water” for the CEO. Vernon Jones under the CEO form of government personally runs all county departments and therefore probably has the ability to dole out such political perks. It’s funny how Ms. Chambers little street jumped to the front of the line in 2007, while the rest of us just continue to bump along on our barely patched infrastructure. How do you think that happened, Ms. Chambers? I guess the roads in your district are in pretty good shape, otherwise you probably wouldn't have allowed such special treatment for yourself?
(Did anyone else hear a rumor that Mr. Jones recently picked up the phone and personally made the same offer to a nearby, newly elected public official? I wonder who else in DeKalb has a freshly paved street; maybe some enterprising reporter should take a drive around town? I’ll even provide a preliminary list (scroll down to the bottom), but a thorough review of donor lists and known FOV, might actually make it more interesting.)
I had the pleasure to serve on the Citizens for Dunwoody, transportation committee where we created this map of possible needed infrastructure improvements to assist the future city council in setting priorities. It is my belief that the citizens of the future City of Dunwoody will not allow these types of political games to be played with our tax money as they currently do in DeKalb County; and that is just another reason why I will personally be voting for the city on July 15th.
As many of you know, Representative Jill Chambers continues to raise the same old questions about a City of Dunwoody. This week she will try to rehash the legislative session at Perimeter College since the League of Women Voters and “neutral” DeKalb Chamber of Commerce will give her a microphone for her re-election campaign.
I agree that DeKalb County could always bring a lawsuit against the State of Georgia on HB264 (HOST Bill that Chambers voted for). However, why would DeKalb County want to prevent the Perimeter CID (business community) from receiving $1 million to $1.5 million for transportation improvements which is one of the primary purposes of the bill? A large portion of the Perimeter CID will remain in unincorporated DeKalb (inside I-285 where major expansion is planned). Finally, DeKalb County will continue to receive all of the sales tax revenue and at least 90 percent of the property tax revenue from business properties located within the city of Dunwoody. If the commissioners have any sense, they will not take any legal action and to date they have not.
After two years, I have some questions that Representative Chambers needs to answer:
Why did you sponsor legislation allowing people in unincorporated DeKalb to become part of the city of Doraville ($200,000 anticipated deficit) and yet you are opposed to people in Dunwoody voting to become a city with a possible surplus? UGA did both fiscal studies. We both know Representative Watson (DeKalb delegation chair) kept his word to me and let the Doraville bill go forward.
Why didn’t you draft the annexation bill for all of Huntley Hills to become part of the city of Chamblee when you said you would?
Since you represent Doraville and Chamblee and both cities passed resolutions supporting the Dunwoody incorporation, why are you opposed?
Isn’t it true that you and your seatmate are the only Republicans to vote against the legislation which allowed people to vote on incorporation in Dunwoody (98-2)?
How did you know Roy Barnes was hired by Vernon Jones for a potential lawsuit and yet none of the Commissioners were aware of this action?
Isn’t it true that over the years your campaign donors include CEO Vernon Jones, Richard Stogner (Vernon’s Executive Assistant), former MARTA head Ed Wall (Vernon Senate supporter) and HJ Russell & Company (big Vernon supporter)? I was also one of the donors, but never again.
Anyone can vote for or against the creation of the City of Dunwoody. I have no problem with opposing viewpoints. When I see an elected official trying to create a re-election issue or carrying someone else’s water, then it needs to be exposed. This is particularly true when this elected official cloaks him or herself in the mantle of transparency and open government.
Further, factual information can be obtained June 19 at the next forum at Dunwoody Methodist. I urge everyone to get informed and vote July 15.
At least two prior county grand juries deemed Vernon Jones' security detail excessive and this will make it at least number three. I guess "protecting" the CEO with a large entourage of officers is more important than picking up known criminals off the streets of DeKalb? http://www.championnewspaper.com/grand_jury_report.html
DeKalb County Officers – Officers Serving Outstanding Warrants: We strongly recommend that virtually all of the county’s law enforcement officers, currently assigned as part of the large entourage which rides with and allegedly “protects” the DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer as published in reports, on a daily basis, be immediately reassigned away from the County CEO and instead be added to the ten Sheriff’s officers which presently are trying to carry out the daunting task of serving the county’s 20,000 outstanding arrest warrants. As much as the County CEO may feel he needs the “protection” of these officers, we deem that the citizens of DeKalb County need their “protection” far more.
We urge that such resources be reallocated and that immediate action be taken to reallocate manpower to serve these outstanding warrants. Defendants should be speedily brought in for arraignment, the wheels of justice could proceed, and the streets of our communities would become safer. DeKalb County would be a better place for our families and children to live.
