An Election With No Contests?

Will Dunwoody's 2nd election have three incumbents on the ballot and zero challengers? Looks that way so far. This is a sign of one of two things. Most likely it is a sign that the three council members have performed in an acceptable manner this first year. Or it is a sign of voter apathy?

There are plenty of volunteers here in Dunwoody, a few active political blogs, and lots of involvement and feedback to the mayor and council so I do not think the case for apathy holds up.

But should those on the fence of running or not for office look to the past performance of the three incumbents or rather look to future events these three will vote on.

Several hot topics will be on the council lap next year. First off will be the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Although residents craft this plan with the guide of an outside group, Council will have line item veto power on the final version. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan will be our guide to the future Dunwoody (unless we don't follow the Plan like in Sandy Springs where a few new developments have gone through against the established Land Use Plan there). The Plan is a big deal. It will set density and building heights, etc. Is the person representing your district the person you want making those decisions?

District 2 council member Bonser is 100% against new apartments according to her web site. I think Tom Taylor is also opposed to increased density, although I'm not sure if his opinion is as strong as Bonser's. I suggest you email your two council members and ask them directly their opinion of new apartments, mixed use developments, owner-occupied housing, and increased density. Do they favor only owner-occupied? Do they think Georgetown should be developed up (as in multi level apartments)? What type of housing, if any, do they think is appropriate for Dunwoody Village or Jett Ferry area? Ask these questions this week. If you don't like what you hear, then you have time to do something about it, possibly.

Next on Council's plate will be piles of trash. Who gets the honor of hauling Dunwoody trash will be decided next year as well. Will we keep DeKalb or will Council find a 'better' deal? Let's talk about trash for a minute.

The mayor wrote an editorial for The Crier this week. He explained how Council was preparing for a worst-case scenario whereas DeKalb increases our rates a lot or simply decides they do not want our trash anymore. If we (the city) were blindsided by news of this sort we'd be in a panic and would have little room to negotiate. I understand that and it makes sense.

As of now the city does not profit (receive revenue) from the trash that's hauled away. And they shouldn't. As much fun as it would be to see a councilperson hanging off the back of Big Yellow tossing in bags, they don't. The city does not haul the trash so they do not get paid. However, should the city choose to appoint a new sanitation hauler, it could then impose franchise fees. A company would pay for the right to haul our trash. That trash company would pass that fee on to the residents.

I'd take a slightly different approach to the trash issue. Before I go further, the mayor and council may have already done what I am about to suggest, but I do not think they have. I'd request a meeting with the head of DeKalb Sanitation. Perhaps they could meet at Mellow Mushroom; home to fresh, baked to order pizza, and cold drinks (I always suggest eating inside, the patio is too humid this time of year). I'd negotiate now for an extension to the current deal. If DeKalb wants to increase the rates a little, so what.

We pay $264 per household now. I am not interested in having council negotiate on my behalf with a new sanitation company. What if council came back and said,

"Rick, go post on your blog that we just inked a deal with Waste Management that will save every household in Dunwoody $100. Plus, you need only to haul stuff to the street twice a week because Waste Management is a Green company and wants to save the environment and reduce wear and tear on our streets. They'll only be in Dunwoody Mondays & Wednesdays."

I would not be happy with saving the money because I know I'd receive inferior service. Forget about saving $100 a year. I'd PAY an extra $50 or $75 or maybe $100 a year to keep DeKalb! Bottom line is we know how well DeKalb does with trash and we know it is a good value. Many people have spoken out, sharing stories from Sandy Springs neighbors and their experiences with a private service.

One other option is to allow residents pick their own service. If some residents want once a week service from Waste Management for $175 a year, go ahead. If people want to stay with DeKalb, go ahead. Perhaps Handy Andy could buy a garbage truck and start his own trash removal service. The only problem with having multiple trash providers in the city would be deciding whose garbage truck gets to bring up the rear of the annual July 4th parade. It would be a sad 4th of July without Big Yellow rumbling down Dunwoody Village Parkway. I know the mayor wants what is best for the city and its residents and he'll work with council on this issue. But saving a few dollars is not worth the risk to me. You get what you pay for. Enough trash talk for now.

What else will council decide in the next couple of years? Sidewalks and road resurfacing. This will be very interesting. Of course Dunwoody Club folks naturally get the first official Dunwoody blacktop. Can't have a council member drive to Dunwoody Country Club on a road filled with pot holes. Bad enough he may have to drive over a speed hump along the way. With 55 miles of roads in Dunwoody there is no way most of you will see a paving machine in front of your house any time soon. Fact is it is expensive to resurface roads. DeKalb failed to maintain the roads around here as soon as they knew the City was in the works (and even before that).

Should we expand the police department? Should we have our own fire department and ambulance service?

How much negotiating should we do for the parks? Or should we try to get the State house/senate to legislate the parks to us?

Lots of things are sure to come up the next few years. Are you fine with your current council member and have confidence they will make the right decisions the next four years?

Back to the ballot this November. I think the ballot will have zero challengers. Therefore, we need to put something on there. How about some ballot initiatives just for fun?

Vote For One

The Dunwoody Official Logo should be:

1. The Farmhouse
2. A London Black Cab
3. A picture of a $5 tomato from the Dunwoody Farmer's Market

The Official Festival of Dunwoody should be:

1. Lemonade Days
2. Dunwoody Beer Festival
3. Light Up Dunwoody
4. Soap Box Derby (driving over new city installed speed bumps)

The Official Sport of Dunwoody should be:

1. Tennis Under the Lights at The Branches
2. Swimming Across Vernon North Stream
3. Driving Your Three Kids to Three Different Schools Within 30 Minutes
4. Avoid Hitting Bicycle Guy or that Scooter Guy with your minivan
5. Finding a Parking Spot in Front of Moe's