Don’t forget about tonight’s City Commission and School Board Forum at Oakhurst Elementary!
Michael sends in the details…
The forum kicks off at 7 p.m., with School Board candidates Valarie Wilson and Rob Pope answering questions from the audience in the first hour. Both will make closing statements just before 8 p.m.
After which, City Commission candidates Kyle Williams and Patti Garrett answer questions. The forum wraps up at 9 p.m.
Note cards and pens will be provided to audience members at the forum — and they may submit questions anonymously if they prefer.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend so if anyone feels like giving a recap of the action in the comments section post-forum, I’d be most appreciative!
This should be good…
For both debates, there was lots of generalities, back patting, and trying not to talk without saying anything, but the basic message I got was-
Rob Pope: 5th avenue is too far away for the academy, and we shouldn’t be building new schools.
Valarie Wilson: Let me finish what I started, and we’ve made a lot of progress the past 8 years.
Kyle Williams: We need to overhaul our city codes for green buildings, better Oakhurst redevelopment, and smarter parking requirements. He was big on framing his issues within his personal story.
Patti Garrett: We need to work together to do things better. In my opinion, she came off as blander, less experienced, and less polished in her answers.
My take on Rob Pope’s stance: CSD has a lot of strengths but he would like to improve the falling test scores in certain groups, empower school leadership teams, facilitate communication with parents and the community, and redirect the focus on building to a focus what goes on inside the classroom.
In terms of your accessment of the City Commissioner candidates:
I have to agree that Patti did not come across as a politician … not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. Kyle came across as a slick, politician-type that is a little off-putting for a small local election.
One point that was stated that I found incredibly disturbing was the mention that 88% of Kyle’s $24,000 campaign money came from outside Decatur! That is over $21,000 from outside Decatur! Does that fact bother anyone else?
You’re not the only one who’s noticed this, John– it was also brought up in a couple of other threads on the candidates. I don’t know whether it “bothers” me, per se, but it sure does make me wonder why someone gets more financial support from people who won’t even be affected by his tenure in office, as opposed to the people who would be his neighbors/constituents. The fact that one has raised more money is certainly no indicator that s/he would be the better person for the office (as we’ve seen over & over again on the State & federal levels). At the end of the day, it has to be about who’s truly invested in his/her community’s issues, and despite my doubts about where his funding comes from, Williams does deserve credit for how involved he’s been with the district. Will that translate into a vote? Don’t know yet.
People who donate money to local elections like this aren’t doing it to control the reins of power- they’re doing it to help their friend or family member. Like Kyle said- I’d rather have someone whose friends and family put a lot of faith in them through campaign contributions than someone who simply couldn’t raise as much money. Patti strikes me as someone who ran because Mayor Floyd asked her to and who will probably just follow his lead on the commission. I’d rather have someone with independent, new ideas for this position and who has a little more political experience to get things done.
“People who donate money to local elections like this aren’t doing it to control the reins of power- they’re doing it to help their friend or family member.”
Winnona Park Stud wonders into which category you would place the Teamsters’ DRIVE Committee Political Action Fund and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC: friends or family?
It’s just kind of paranoid to think that the 9% of Kyle’s funds that come from union PACs represent evidence that Kyle is some kind of double agent. Kyle has a history of working to address problems in Decatur, working on the zoning board of appeals, the Decatur Education Foundation, and participating in the Decatur Rotary Club. By Patti’s own admission last night, the only times Patti has even ever been to a city government meeting were when she had some personal issue at stake. Shouldn’t we choose someone who has at least shown some interest in improving our city before 6 months ago?
While it’s the season for scarecrows, your straw man may be a bit much – nobody is accusing Kyle of being a double agent. It would be interesting to hear your answer to the question as posed, but given your response, that’s probably unlikely. In any event, Winnona Park Stud will let Patti Garrett’s record of service to her community respond to your allegation that she has shown no interest in improving Decatur before this election.
http://www.votepattigarrett.org/grounded.html
Well if you’re not saying that Kyle has some mysterious unseen motivation related to his union support, what are you saying? And how am I to know whether Kyle is related to whoever made the decision to donate those funds to his campaign?
And Patti is running for a job in city government. I admire her volunteerism, and I was mistaken in saying that she hadn’t shown “interest in improving our city”, but her involvement and ideas seem limited to volunteer efforts and community building. Without any background in city code, or any demonstrated interest in or understanding of how our city government functions, how does she expect to translate any of her objectives into reality?
I would say that “volunteerism” is one of the highest callings to which one can answer.
I would not say that by “applying” for a Zoning board position and being accepted trumps years of multiple volunteerism.
Wait just a minute, Jack. I respect your support for Patti. She is a good person. Patti has been a great volunteer over the years. But she doesn’t own that title.
Kyle has spent the past several years donating time, money, books, and art supplies to the Decatur Education Foundation for the City Schools of Decatur for their pre-k programs so that teachers do not have to pay out of their pocket for these things.
Kyle and his partner have volunteered for many events and festivals in Decatur over the years, including the MLK Service Project, the Oakhurst Festivals, and BBQ Bluegrass. He has devoted time and money to just about every local organization in Decatur.
Kyle got to know Elizabeth Wilson when he wanted to help seniors in our community a few years ago by collecting funds to buy new fans and delivering them so they could survive the summer heat. He has been helping Ms. Wilson with her senior meetings and events ever since.
Kyle has been known to donate time, money, food, and other supplies for people in need, in our community, without request or solicitation, but has always done so without tooting his horn or making a big deal about it.
So, yes, Patti has been a great volunteer for the City. But so has Kyle. And, yes, Kyle is the only candidate who has actually served on one of the city’s volunteer boards like the Zoning Board, and that experience is important. But Kyle has leadership background and abilities in other areas too.
I don’t live in this district (I live in Oakhurst North aka as Lenox Place) so I will not be able to vote for Kyle. But I find it exciting that someone with his background, like working with the GA General Assemble, may become a City Commissioner. That could be a great benefit for the City. I would vote for Kyle if I could.
I attended the forum last night since I am relatively new to Decatur politics & was curious about what these folks were about.
Valerie is/was obviously more experienced than Rob – which makes sense since she is the incumbent. I was looking for a reason in Rob’s presentation to replace Valerie & I did not see anything that was compelling. Even though I don’t have kids I was impressed with her & figure she would have been ‘outed’ 4 years ago if she was not doing the job. Rob seems like a nice guy but just not the person.
After getting a phone call & 2 slick postcards from Kyle, I was interested in all this fighting he proclaims in his message – South Decatur, neighborhoods, schools, etc. I guess I don’t understand the nature of this community since I did not see the need for any fighting or grave injustices here. I was looking to be convinced that we need less women representation on the city commission but that was not made clear. Patti was not as polished or smooth as Kyle as stated by others but she seems like a real hands-on kind of gal. Since Kyle is an attorney I would expect him to be more comfortable. He was totally in the politician mode – a little too much for me really.
When he proclaimed that he had about $24K in funds I was a little stunned. The question he was responding to was about over 80% of it coming from sources outside Decatur & he did not answer the question but said how proud he was to have gotten that much $. I wonder about the special interest or agendas attached to the $. I don’t feel comfortable with that.
Patti gets my vote because I think what you see is what you get & she seems truly genuine
But does her stand on the issues match yours? I would hope the lesson of Bush and Palin would teach us to move away from voting for whom we’d like to have a beer.
Re: Kyle. I am not surprised that he has lots of outside cash. Friends of my are best friends with Kyle and his partner; this couple live in Virginia Highland, but I know they have given him money and come out to support him at events. Also, Southern Voice has mentioned and featured his candidacy several times with encouragements to readers to support him.
As one “out of the district donors” I want to tell you why we put money into a race that you may think we have no stake in.
First off, Kyle is a dear friend, and we believe in supporting the hopes and dreams of those in our lives that we love care about.
Secondly, I have family that lives in the city of Decatur and therefore I guess you could say I do have a interested in the city.
Third, I support the City of Decatur on a monthly basis by shopping at it stores and eating in various wonderful places it has to offer. So I would like to see what money I do contribute to the city managed effectively by its leaders.
Forth, I did not know that being politically minded and politically involved had boundaries. I have given to candidates all over this country because they were candidates I believed in, and that I thought could move this society along. Perhaps if some of you thought beyond you own back yard and beyond you own needs you might understand this kind of giving. The city of Decatur is not an island, and how it is run does impact the communities around it.
Perhaps, if any of you bothered to sit down and meet the man one on one, you might know why people believe in him as we do.
Valarie’s statement that we are “sticking to the strategic plan that was developed over 5 years ago” rings hollow for me. That was further indication that she and other Board members are inflexible and do not find it necessary to investigate other options. Our system has changed dramatically since the strategic plan was developed, and I am excited about getting some new voices on the Board who are interested in our future and not just in implementing changes that may not fit anymore.
Tellingly, her oft-quoted reason for wanting to be re-elected is that she “wants to see Fifth Avenue get built.”
I’m very much concerned that we have seen absolutely no assessments done on the sweeping changes we’ve made in our system over the last 5 years. How is the 4/5 academy working? Is it really better than K-5? How is having the CHECLC making a difference in our children’s academic achievement? How is the charter system working? What is our plan for assessing the effectiveness of the new calendar that was adopted for next year?
That’s a great point on the lack of assessment, CSDMOM.
I do know the School Board revisits the strategic plan and updates it, and that they instituted a report card. So it’s not an on-the-shelf document, but something that is guiding our system. I really liked that Valarie Wilson said that the plan becomes the filter for decision making. I have seen too many organizations go through planning as an exercise, and they’re not serious about it.
I didn’t take away that “finishing 5th Avenue” was the reason Valarie was running. She said that while she is proud of the progress made in the last 8 years (and I remember 8 years ago very well — our schools were in a much different place), there was work left to be done. I was satisfied with her assurance that she will serve her next term completely.
As for the assessments — student performance metrics and the System’s report card are good starts. Glennwood now has IB. We are good to demand accountability in our community, but let’s also remember that so much of this is new action. For example, I think it’s premature to expect high results from a charter system that is just 1 year old.
Those metrics get manipulated every which way depending on what results are desired. Luckily, several in the community including candidate Garrett Goebel have gotten pretty good at analyzing them too.
Clarification: I’m talking about official metrics of student performance (i.e., state-reported scores, etc.) Also, i think we have four candidates who are very good at reading and analyzing metrics.
I agree, Kyle Williams did a horrible job answering the quesiton about why just over 88% of his money comes from outside of Decatur. In fact, he didn’t answer it at all. Like others have said, he was being a little too slick.
I thought this was a great forum. Its too bad there’s no equivalent for District 1. I think the voters really benefit from having a live debate on the issues. I personally learned a lot about the at-large school board candidates, and this forum probably decided my vote.
James: I am in your District. I have known Fred for like 35 years or longer. When you first announced, I loved your presentation of your self. I just need a reason not to vote for an incumbent who seems to have progressive ideas. Can you tell me why you and not Fred.
Dear Another Rick: thanks for your comment. To learn more about my views on the issues facing the City, please go to my blog at http://jamesradford.blogspot.com.
In a nutshell, what you will get with me is a commissioner with an earnest desire to listen to his constituents and help them wherever he can. You will get a commissioner with some expertise in the function of local and state government, derived from my legal practice. And you will get someone with a willingness to put energy and muscle behind constituent demands. As I have said time and again, my goal is not to bring some particular ideology to the commission. My goal is truly to be the voice of those in my district.
I think that Fred and the other commissioners have done a great job. However, the concern shared with me by the most voters has been a lack of responsiveness. I think that when a public servant–whether it be a city commissioner, a school board member, or a U.S. Senator–is part of an institution for a long period of time, he can easily become entrenched in the momentum of that institution and lose touch with what his constituents demand. This is especially true when the citizens’ demands diverge from the path of its leaders.
Local governments almost always benefit from a fresh voice. I hope to be not only a fresh voice, but also a competent and energetic leader.
Please feel free to email me with any other questions: jamesradfordjr AT yahoo DOT com.
Re fresh voices: Have decided that in elections like this in which you have basically sound candidates*, both incumbents and challengers, it comes down to the balance between fresh voices vs. experience. I certainly think that’s true for the School Board races this time. The voter has to pick which is the more important issue for any particular election for any particular position for any particular set of candidates. In the end, do you the voter want to see more of the same or do you think that new voices will improve the stewardship of your schools or city.
*by sound candidates, I mean that all have at least a basic level of competence and honesty that has sometimes been missing in greater Atlanta city and county politicians. Of course, a voter may prefer the style, values, and platform of any particular candidate over those of another.
One of the reasons that I support James Radford is his strong commitment to the school system. During the online debate Mr. Boykin expressed his willingness to let the school system go. I believe that CSD is a key and vital part of the city of Decatur. I am disturbed by Mr. Boykin’s comparison of the school system to a diseased tree that may need to be cut down. I think that it is time for a fresh voice in the Commission.
I don’t really want to hijack this topic as I attended last night’s forum and I’m very interested in reading what folks have to say about the candidates and their responses.
However, feel free to visit my campaign site, http://www.fredboykin.com and take a look at my “Issues and Concerns” page. There are articles on annexation, city and school system communications, traffic, parking, and why I’m running again. My latest blog post asks the question – “Are we there yet?” which alludes to the major question of what kind of Decatur do we envision in 15 years? The City is about to revise our Strategic Plan and we need to have a community conversation on where we’ve come from and where we want to go.
However, the Strategic Plan is definitely a topic for a different post – this thread is about last night’s candidate forum. And I would really like to hear from others who were present.
If you take the time to go through my site, I think you’ll get a pretty good idea about me.
Fred, if I could vote for you, I would. Over a decade ago, we were asking for a variance on our corner property for our fence. 2 neighbors were protesting, one because she thought a fence there would be ugly. You actually went to the trouble to come out to the property and investigate the issues involved, did some measuring and poked around my property I still appreciate that.
Dave’s got video of the opening and closing statements by the School Board and City Commission candidates last night.
Thanks Nelliebelle.
I remember my first vote on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) back then – I had not done my homework and had to vote on a variance that I was not that familiar with. From then on, I made it a point to visit every property site that was up for consideration. Same thing when I served on the Planning Commission. I still do it – if there is a contentious issue coming up, I will attend the ZBA, Planning Commission, neighborhood meetings – whatever – so I can listen to the debate. What the neighborhood has to say, the developers, the various boards, etc.
Couple other points. The school system. I think it’s one of the best in the state. I think the 4/5 academy is a great concept. My daughter is in her first year at Renfroe and she benefited greatly from her experiences at Glennwood. I an not in favor of turning our school system over to the County. BUT, I made this point to some folks who were strongly against any consideration of annexation:
Over 60% of our city taxes go to support the school system and the vast majority of residents do not have students in the system. If costs continue to escalate and you feel you can no longer raise taxes any higher AND you will not consider annexation, THEN you are forced to consider the alternative of radically altering the system, including possibly turning it over to the County. If we can’t find ways to keep paying for the system, then it has to go. To say that I am in favor of letting this system go is incorrect – what I am in favor of is finding the means to pay for it.
Two other points:
I started attending City Commission meetings back around 1992 because Decatur Business Association (DBA) President-Elects were expected to. I continued doing it after I became DBA President and I have gone to pretty much every City Commission meeting since. I think I have a good understanding of the interplay between the Commissioners, the staff, the audience, etc. and the politics. I have seen some great Commissioners and some not so great ones.
If we’re keeping count of who’s been to more Commission meetings, that nod goes to Patti Garrett.
Campaign financing. Good question – why would two Washington DC based Political Action Committees contribute $1900.00 to a small town local campaign?
Hmmm… Danny has a point. I’ve historically been a Patti supporter, but after this comment I believe that I’m going to have to take down my Patti sign. I totally understand that we all have a right to free speech and Commissioner Boykin can say whatever he pleases about the campaign. However, I wonder how productive it is to have local Commissioners posting around online smearing candidates for City Commission. That sort of thing might work well at the state and national level. However, at the local level, I wonder if it’s a good idea. In such a small, close knit working environment, it seems that if the person being smeared actually wins, it would make for a difficult working relationship with the folks who tried to take him down during the campaign. I also have my own concerns about north side Commissioners being so concerned about a south side race. Call me crazy, but this sort of thing really is making me take a hard look at Kyle as my candidate of choice.
Also, my understanding is that CSD has actually reduced its portion of the millage rate over recent years so I don’t think that they are creating any new tax related problems. Times are tight for everyone, but CSD is faring much better than most of the surrounding school systems. I’m not too concerned about whether CSD will be able to survive as an independent school system unless they are targeted.
I can dig the curiosity about a sitting commisioner from one district making what seem to be remarks supportive of a particular candidate in another district; however, I don’t see where he’s “smeared” anyone. What did you mean by that?
You must not have been too invested in your support of Patti, if all it took for you to change your mind was a commentary by Commr. Boykin. I abhorred many of the things Rev. Jeremiah Wright said, but I didn’t drop my support of Obama just because Wright endorsed him.
Mr Boykin says: ” I an not in favor of turning our school system over to the County. BUT, I made this point to some folks who were strongly against any consideration of annexation”
The comments were made to me and Pat Herold, and I feel should tell what happened myself. Mary Alice Kemp was also present.
Pat and I did not say, nor would we, that we are opposed to any consideration of annexation. We are not any and all annexation, just poorly thought out annexation. We are in favor of examining the full impact of annexation, and that is what we intended to help Mr Boykin do in that meeting.
In fact, we hardly got much of a chance to say anything. We had found errors in the City Report on annexation regarding the projected student count. Faithful readers of DM are familiar with all of this. In a meeting with the company that did the student count, they raised the number to a more realistic figure. The City Report had also calculated the number of classrooms needed by putting 60 students in a room, therefore vastly underestimating the cost. We were trying to share information with two City Commissioners about a potentially heavy negative impact on CSD in terms of enrollment and cost — therefore a heavy impact on the tax-payer.
Mr Boykin showed no interest in looking at our findings, which we in fact never presented to him. As soon as we told him about our concerns regarding CSD and School taxes, he said (as I remember quite vividly): “The school system cannot last ten years. Why not kill it now?” When Pat asked in amazement: “Kill the schools?” that is when Mr Boykin compared CSD to a dying tree that could not be saved but needed to be cut down. He repeated the analogy two more times before we were done.
Now, Mr Boykin did tell me — several months later, when he had announced his bid for re-election — that he didn’t mean that we should meld with DeKalb Schools. He said he meant we should radically reconfigure the schools, such as a central mega-campus in downtown Decatur.
If Mr Boykin will now says that he does not favor closing the schools, I will take him at his word and welcome that position. I will say that when I heard former mayor Walt Drake describe a movement in the 1970s to close CSD, I could not help thinking of Mr Boykin’s words to me and Pat. It is an old opinion in Decatur politics that lost — and thank God it did, and I hope it never rears its head again.
Finally, I will also say that, despite Mr Boykin’s claim that large-scale annexation is a non-issue since it will never come up again, Mayor Floyd said in his state of the City address earlier this year that “we” still think annexation is the way to go and “we” will keep talking about it. Personally, I’m inclined to trust the Mayor’s political sense of the issue. In any case, saying that it won’t come up should relieve a candidate from stating publicly what their position on that issue is.
Other thoughts here.
1. Precisely because 60% of our property taxes go to the schools, one would expect an annexation plan to pay special attention to the impact on CSD, and one should at least listen when major errors are found. If, that is, one is genuinely concerned about CSD and the overall tax bill.
2. Decatur School taxes are 19% higher than DeKalb’s, but our non-school taxes are 185% higher. “Cutting down the tree” of CSD would save relatively little for Decatur tax-payers. If Mr Boykin is worried about high taxes jeopardizing public services, he should be looking closer to home.
Judd,
We just don’t agree on this annexation issue. We’ve had a number of conversations about it and I have not taken your point of view. I’ve told you that I appreciate your contributions to the discussion.. You say my comments reflect my wish to close down our school system. That is not the case. My comments reflect my concern in finding ways to pay for the system.
Tax rates in Decatur have held steady (or declined slightly) in large part because of the addition to the tax base of structures like The Artisan and others. Plus Decatur home values have risen steadily over the years. There are no more properties like The Artisan being built right now and home property values (thankfully) are holding relatively steady (but not increasing). I hope Decatur does not get in the situation of having to either raise taxes or cut services, but times are tight and the immediate future is a big concern of mine.
My point has always been that we have to find ways to pay for what we have.
Fred, your comments over time about our school system come across as threatening, whether you want them to or not. This is disheartening to those of us who have worked so hard to protect our school system and make it great. Perhaps you should work on the language you use when you talk about our school system–right now my perception is definitely that you wouldn’t hesitate to ax the school system in order to “save” the city. Instead of threatening what will happen “if if if,” perhaps you could talk more assuredly about how you plan to protect the system?
CSD Mon,
Your point is taken. Obviously I should have considered another analogy besides a tree! And don’t get me wrong about the school system. We’re happy users and getting our full money’s worth – and have been from Clairemont, through Glennwood, and now Renfroe.
I hope we never get in the situation where Decatur might have to consider alternatives to what we enjoy today; that’s why I want to make sure we have as many options available to the city as possible.
Oops…too quick on the keyboard.
Make that CSD Mom!
“We just don’t agree on this annexation issue. We’ve had a number of conversations about it and I have not taken your point of view.”
Fred: My point of view on annexation is that I am opposed to any plan that would overwhelm CSD with students and expenses that would either spike taxes or bankrupt the system. Do you disagree with that? If you suppose that this plan that you evidently still support will not do that, I don’t see how you can know this if you will not even look at major and obvious errors in the financial analysis you were given. It’s just math, not my personal opinion, and I still would be happy to take you through it any time, if you’re interested. (That would make, by my count, our second conversation on annexation.)
“You say my comments reflect my wish to close down our school system.”
If you read what I wrote, you’ll see that I did not attribute any view to you. I simply reported what you said and how the conversation went. And you have never, including here, denied any of that report. If in reading it now, it sounds to you like it expresses a wish to close down CSD, I can’t blame you. I heard it the same way. In fact, it seemed to me at the time that went to great lengths to make it as plain as possible that this was your view because CSD, you said, is unsustainable. If, however, you now say that this is not your view, then I welcome that.
If you’re looking at your DeKalb tax bill that you get in the City of Decatur, you’re not looking at an apples-to-apples comparison. County taxpayers pay for County services that are provided by the City in the City and vice-versa, like public safety and sanitation. Essentially, the County tax bill in the City is paying for the justice system, the jail and (ugh!) traffic engineering. Check with some of your friends who live in the County and have similar assessments to get a truer comparison.
Steve: I’m using the tax comparison calculator provided on the City of Decatur website:
http://www.decatur-ga.com/cgs_citygov_annexation.aspx
Plug in a property amount, and it shows the breakdown of Decatur versus unincorporated DeKalb property taxes. I ran two or three different values and got the same results.
Fred, don’t you have your own campaign to worry about on the northside of town? Why do you and Mayor Floyd – two District 1 Commissioners – care so much about electing Patti as the next District 2 Commissioner?
Perhaps both Fred and Mayor Floyd have seen over and over through the years the hard work and tireless volunteer hours Patty has given our Decatur community?
There is no reason to infer a nefarious plot underlying their support.
I’m supporting Patti Garrett in this campaign, and I wanted to say a few words about why. First, though, I wanted to correct some misinformation: I attended the debate last night, and what Patti said (and it is true) is that she has attended commission meetings many times as a representative of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Assn, as a representative of the Decatur Tour of Homes, as a private citizen with an interest in the issues, and as a candidate—not just “when she had some personal issue at stake.”
Second, I am supporting Patti because she has a really healthy and holistic view of Decatur, and because she is an incredible leader and consensus builder. She sees how everything affects everything else—how annexation affects not just the schools but our roadways and infrastructure; how economic development affects traffic patterns and pedestrian/cycling safety and access; how pedestrian and cycling safety affect the environmental and human health of our citizens. I could go on! I would say that if you want a politically ambitious zoning expert as a commissioner, then vote for Kyle. But if you want someone who sees zoning as one of many valuable aspects of how we continue to shape and improve our quality of life as a community, then vote for Patti. She is one of the most able leaders and hardest-working people I know, and I know this because we have worked together as volunteers and leaders on several of the finest endeavors here that make South Decatur a great place to live.
Ditto wp Patti supporter.
Not sure about the expectation of “polished” for a commissioner as a positive for Mr. Williams or a negative for Mrs. Garrett, or how that even relates to job performance.
There have been several past commissioners who, while polished, didn’t set well with the community while some “average Joe’s and Jane’s” MORE than rose to the occasion. So that dog just won’t hunt.
I think Patty’s many, many years of service in many differenct community positions (here and in her previous home, Chattanooga) provides a much preferred realistic, multifaceted view of intertwined community needs and how to meet those needs. Zoning Board positions are fine, but provide a very narrow scope in terms of greater community issues. My preference is for a person who exemplifies service, selfless giving, andwho has the support of those who are affected by their choice, not funded by fellow solicitors. Over the years, I have seen how Patty’s hard work has improved my community and my life in it. That is where the rubber meets the road..(yes, I am THAT old!).
As for the monies raised, I am not a big fan of anything that involves groups of lawyers and that is especially true of politics. But we all have to make our own choices as to whom we support.
Both Mr. Williams and Mrs. Garrett are good persons who, without questionm want the best for ALL of Decatur. The District is fortunate to have two such candidates.
Amen on the lawyers!
I think my biggest concern with Mr. Williams is his experience on the zoning board and the $$ donate to him by contractors and builders. I am concerned that he has made himself indebted to too many folks with their own personal agendas and will not be able to represent all of the citizens in this district. I have also heard that he plans to run for a state seat and am wondering if Decatur is just a stepping stone for him.
I have no intention to take sides on district two’s race, but that sounds like pure rumor and speculation.
Why does is seem like all of the nastiness and accusations seem to be coming from supporters of Patti Garrett?
Doesn’t Patti have her own problems with conflict of interest representing District 2 when she admitted in the debate that the reason she is running is because “Mayor Floyd asked her to run?” If elected, will she really be accountable to District 2 or to Mayor Floyd?
If the alliances weren’t clear prior to this thread, they sure are now! 🙂
Yeah, but I’m still open to bribes. Or at least a cool election night party!
Now that would be an awesome story. Frequent DM commenters being bribed by campaigns to write positive statements about candidates.
“Is this CSD Snowflake? I’d like to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
“Gasp! How did you get this number?!”
Fade black.
But seriously, I wonder how many folks here are closely associated with campaigns. Some seem to know a suspiciously great deal about their candidates.
In Decatur, everyone is associated with everything! If you put a yard sign on your lawn, it is guaranteed that someone will contact you requesting that you donate, or come to a Meet and Greet, or distribute flyers. And that’s by BOTH contenders, not just the one whose sign you have.
In my humble opinion, there’s a few close campaign advisors around but everyone else is really a voter. Many Decaturites are highly informed advocates by nature, whether or not they are actively involved in a campaign. No matter what my lawn says, no matter what I’ve said up to this point, I reserve the right to keep evaluating the information, keep listening to what the candidates say and do, and make up my mind for the final time once I’m in the voting booth and touching the screen.
Thanks DM for giving us a great source of information and outlet for debate!
If Decaturites are so well informed and active, howcum the typical turnout for a City election is less then 25%?
Good point and I urge everyone to vote. But I suspect that the type of folks who post here are the type of folks who vote. Those who don’t vote probably don’t post strong opinions here nor have yard signs. (Not that yard signs are a requirement of good citizenship. There’s lots of good reasons to not have them including, not having made up one’s mind, not wanting to hurt the feelings of your neighbor who is running but you don’t plan to vote for him/her, and not liking how the yard signs fit in with your landscaping. Personally, I think yard signs distract the eye from our yard’s obvious deficiencies).
It will be interesting to see how the city turnout goes this year. I think the presence of more new faces in the election indicates heightened interest in the issues and maybe predicts a greater turnout. I never can remember–does a greater turnout favor the incumbent or the new candidates?
DM–I have been working on Rob Pope’s campaign since the very beginning. I’ve also helped Garrett Goebel with his. I drive around town with a trunk full of signs!
CSD Snowflake–Rob will be at El Tesoro with his volunteers on election night!
Oh, and I’d like to add that knowing a great deal about your candidates should not be suspicious. Anyone out there will know as much as I do about the candidates I’m supporting if they’ve visited the websites, sent messages asking questions, gone to meet & greets, and attended the ONA/WPNA forum. And the Westchester forum tonight will be another great opportunity. I would hope that voters know at least a little about their candidates, and the stereotypical “Decaturite” probably knows a great deal more!
Okay. I’ll take the plunge on the election eve get-together. We’re going to be at Eddie’s Attic starting at 8 PM. It’s a campaign tradition plus Eddie Owen and I go way back (anyone remember when he was the bartender at Conversations? Heck, anyone remember Snow Jam ’82? I remember sitting at the Conversations bar as I watched a MARTA bus move 3 feet in 3 hours)
All are welcome.
Oooh. Two election night parties to attend! I’ll be the one flitting from party to party! Whoops, I have kids, never mind.