Chain-smoking, half-hoarse “newsies” may have long disappeared from our city streets, but that doesn’t mean that paper distribution can’t still be a nuisance.  Enter the “Publication Vending Device” – more commonly referred to as the newspaper rack.

Tonight, Decatur’s City Commission will vote on the recommendation of City Planner Amanda Thompson to toughen Section 86 of the city code regarding “Publication Vending Devices”.

According to Thompson there are a few major changes to the code…

The primary differences between the current and proposed ordinance include indentification of specific areas of the city where the publication vending devices will be allowed as shown on the map titled “Publication Vending Device Area”, limiting the permit to one year instead of a permit that never expires, and requiring vendors to purchase standardized devices from a list of acceptable vendors.

If the amendment passes, look for your alt-weeklies/real estate mags/dispatches at the locations in the map below and nowhere else.

I really hope that one of the “standardized devices” is a cardboard box, because otherwise my brilliant strategy of selling daily copies of DM in front of the Old Courthouse will be ruined.

Click here for tonight’s full commission meeting agenda and supporting materials, which also include votes on purchasing a new front loader & dump truck, along with awarding a bid on building two pedestrian bridges at Hidden Cove Park.

OK, everyone.  After months of debate, posturing, baby-slapping and back-kissing, it’s high time we had ourselves an election!

Tomorrow’s the big day, so warm up your voting finger, coordinate your outfit to match your “Georgia Voter” sticker, and locate your polling place.

Now that your looking good and feeling fit, do you know who you’re voting for?  If not, perhaps this list of resources will help.

Candidate Debates

Decatur Metro’s City Commission Online Debate

District 2 City Commission Debate – Opening & Closing Statement videos

Decatur eLife School Board Debate – Q & A videos

Candidate Websites and DM Posts (by district/alphabetically)

City Commission Candidates

District 1

• Fred Boykin Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Boykin posts
• James Radford Campaign Website – DM Radford posts

District 2

• Patti Garrett Campaign Website – DM Garrett posts
• Kyle Williams Campaign Website – DM Williams posts

School Board Elections

At-Large

• Rob Pope Campaign Website – DM Pope posts
• Valarie Wilson Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Wilson posts

District 1

• Garrett Goebel Campaign Website – DM Goebel posts
• Marc Wisniewski Campaign Website (incumbent) – DM Wisniewski posts

As noted in this morning’s AJC, the latest and greatest “American Community Survey” has just been released by the Census bureau, and while there’s no listing for the city of Decatur, there is a breakout for the City of Decatur School District.  As the AJC notes…

For the first time, this ongoing statistical portrait of America included information from geographic areas with a population of less than 60,000. The 2010 census and the ACS will help determine the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal tax funds yearly.

So without further ado, here are some random estimates about us, in no particular order.

• 326 females had a baby in the last year (give or take 154 babies), with the 35-50 year old demographic birthing the most babies.
• There are around 1,500 veterans inside the city limits (give or take 469 veterans)
• English (18.9%) , Irish (14.8%) and German (14.6%) are the largest ancestry groups.
• 69% of us commuted to work in a car, alone.  7% took public transit, 4.5% walked and 9.6% worked at home.
• 38% of Decaturites live in households that make in excess of $100,000 a year.
• Over half the city’s housing stock was built prior to 1959.
• 42% of households have one car, while 6% have three or more.
• Decatur is 57.5% female, 73.5% white and 22.8% black.

Decatur eLife has now posted some of the question & answer session from last week’s School Board Candidate Forum.

There are two videos of questions posed to the District 1 candidates and three videos of questions posed to the At-Large candidates.