Save Tucker!

The common theme among the public comments from the city of Briarcliff hearings: "Please, give us all the right to vote. The right to vote NO."   Highlights:   Emory says "No" to "Lakeside" and "Let us vote," to Briarcliff.    Young Republican smiles at thought of what this does to Jason Carter's "epicenter of support."  Committee Chairman cuts him short. Long time resident and daughter of a builder from Leafmore states Tucker has always had property inside the perimeter and residents are all friendly with one another. Druid Hills Past President speaks to desire for preservation of history and land.  States they funded the Briarcliff study and large number of residents want the right to vote.  Another resident left out of Lakeside wants the right to vote. Neighborhood in Lavista Park sends association President to ask for right to vote. Another resident against Lakeside hopes Briarcliff and Tucker can work together....

Dear Census Bureau, We live in an area that is deemed to be a “Census Designated Place” by the U.S. Census.   It is called “Tucker, GA” and has a population of approximately 30K.   In the 2000 census, your CDP designation included the territory that exactly matched the same turf as our dedicated zip  code.  However, the 2010 census changed slightly.  Even though it appeared that Tucker had grown in terms of population, the census did not include a portion of our zip code territory that is located on the inside of the 285 Interstate perimeter that circles the city of Atlanta.  Which map is the right way to define traditional Tucker? The map above is the 2000 Census Designated Place (CDP) that matches the Tucker zip code of 30084 and includes portions of Gwinnett County. The map below is the 2010 CDP which shows a smaller area in a single county, yet an increase in population AND the inclusion of the contested Evansdale community...

FROM THE CHAMPION NEWSPAPER: Tucker, Smoke Rise residents speak out against cityhood movement Posted by  Carla Parker  on October 24, 2014 in   DeKalb News The cityhood movement in DeKalb County has gained more support and momentum in the past few months since three cityhood bills failed to pass during the 2014 legislative session. On Sept. 24, a statement was posted on the Tucker cityhood initiative’s Facebook page by the Smoke Rise Civic Association (SRCA) announcing the association’s board of directors’ unanimous endorsement of Tucker’s initiative. In the post, Smoke Rise Community Association president Mike Huerkamp wrote, “by this time next year, the Smoke Rise area may very well be on its way toward incorporation into a city of Tucker, progressing to finalize an annexation into the city of Stone Mountain, or find itself isolated as an area of unincorporated DeKalb fully hemmed-in and excluded by an expansion of the city of Stone Mountain.” “Seeming...

Expressing yourself in DeKalb cannot be any easier than showing up, voting out any and all incumbents and voting NO to everything.  Here's how you can partake in this passive-aggressive activity: In-person early voting for the Nov. 4 election will be as follows: Voter Registration & Elections Office Exclusively for Senior and Disabled Voters 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA Monday through Friday, October 13 – 31, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Saturday, October 25, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Sunday, October 26, 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM _______________________ Tucker Recreation Center 4898 LaVista Road, Tucker, GA Monday through Friday, October 13 – 31, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Saturday, October 25, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM  *Not Open on Sunday* ________________________ South DeKalb The Gallery at South DeKalb Mall 2801 Candler Road, Decatur, GA Monday through Friday, October 13 – 31, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday, October 25, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Sunday, October 26, 12:00 Noon to 5:00...

From The Champion Newspaper: Posted by Carla Parker on October 17, 2014 in DeKalb News THIS IS THE ANNEXATION THAT DID NOT GO THROUGH. DeKalb Farmer's Market remains in unincorporated DeKalb County, for now. While some DeKalb County areas are working to become a new cities, some cities are looking to expand. Both Avondale Estates and Decatur are in the beginning stages of its annexation plans and have annexation pages on their websites, which provide information on the plans and allow for public input. Decatur has a draft of its 2014 annexation master planning process and is accepting input until Oct. 20. A map shows annexation of the Patel Plaza and DeKalb Medical Center, northeast of the city from Scott Boulevard to DeKalb Industrial and DeKalb Industrial to Ponce De Leon. The map also includes annexing areas northwest of the city from Clairmont Road to North Decatur Road, southeast from Katie Kerr Drive to South Columbia Drive and residential areas that round off...

By Robert Stamper of Smoke Rise This article originally appeared in the October issue of Smoke Signal, a newsletter for the Smoke Rise community.  As a side note, Smoke Rise is also the neighborhood of former commissioner Elaine Boyer, Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond, Tucker 2015 Chairman and Lobbyist Frank Auman, Tucker Business leader Honey Van de Kreke, and former School Board Representative Pam Speaks.   1. The cityhood effort is the most divisive phenomenon I have seen in my 40 years in this community. Regardless of its stated goals, cityhood in DeKalb plainly and effectively separates the last majority-white areas of the county from a huge swath of territory populated largely by African Americans. As a former M-to-M student of both Tucker and Towers high schools, and as the father of a fourth-generation resident of Smoke Rise, let me make clear that the obvious, and pathetic, racial element of the cityhood push is an embarrassment. It is in no way co...

From Georgia Unfiltered:   In what can easily be described as a first, a Georgia political blogger is now barred from being within 100 yards of a candidate for DeKalb County Commission. George Chidi, who blogs at Peach Pundit.com, was ordered by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk to stay away from Tom Owens. Owens is a candidate for the DeKalb County Commission seat vacated by Elaine Boyer. Boyer resigned from office after a federal investigation revealed she used public funds for personal use. Tom Owens, a Republican, is one of five candidates hoping to replace Boyer. Candidates for office expect to be placed under a high-powered microscope by the news media and the public at-large. The question remains, however, are bloggers considered part of the news media; and if so, at what point does fleshing out a legitimate news-worthy story cross into stalking territory? That's the question Judge Polk will have to answer in just a few weeks. *****   stay tuned t...

Received today from the "Blueprint to Refine DeKalb" group (an edited version below): Next week the DeKalb Delegation to the Georgia General Assembly begins a series of three town hall meetings to hear from DeKalb Citizens. This is an important opportunity for you and your neighbors to express your desire for reforms in DeKalb County government.   (Our Comments...   This is not billed as a "city feedback" forum, so filling their time with city related questions could backfire.   The city advocates will likely use your comments and questions as some sort of illogical  way to show that everyone wants a city.   They would be wrong, of course, but that's how they operate.    You might consider attending the meeting to hear what they have to say without providing them insight into how you really feel.  Politicians only like referendums they are sure will pass.  If there is any doubt, they would rather pass than go for it and fail. ...

Kevin Levitas , leader in the Lakeside City movement, isn't running for any elections in 2014 that we know about.  But, there is apparently a group called, "Committee to Elect Kevin Levitas" and they have made a couple of interesting contributions. First, a contribution to Rep. Amy Carter, the chairman of the committee that must pass any city bills if they are going to take the issue back up in the next year.  Rep. Carter is the person who reportedly penned a letter giving the city advocacy groups until Nov. 15 to submit agreed upon boundaries.   These are not boundaries that have been voted upon by anyone, agreed to by anyone in the public - just a group of former or wanna-be politicians sitting around negotiating the land right out from under our feet.  How does that feel?  Is this how government that is "closer to the people" is supposed to operate?  Do you feel like you have any of that "local control" we keep hearing about?   Next, t...

The crowd that gathered at the Rehoboth Baptist Church yesterday evening, Oct. 7, had several key topics held over from their previous meeting and they were looking for answers.  Fortunately, a lot of the questions did have reasonable answers, such as the very positive reports that the community heard from the North/Central Precinct of the DeKalb Police Department. It turns out, regardless of what the proposed city organizers would want you to believe, crime is actually down in this area of the county, by nearly 30% year to date across the board.  And, the neighborhoods who were represented were told that it was their involvement and tips that led to significant arrests over the past few months.  Breaking and entering automobiles remains a very large problem in the vicinity of Northlake Mall, but common sense precautions such as not leaving valuables in plain view, locking  your doors and rolling up the windows were all suggested to anyone concerned about  bec...

This is an article that impressed upon us the importance of KNOWING what you are voting for in DeKalb County. Does YOUR idea of the future sound the same as the one the city advocates are painting?   by Joel Kotkin 03/15/2010 California is in trouble: Unemployment is over 13%, the state is broke and hundreds of thousands of people, many of them middle-class families, are streaming for the exits. But to some politicians, like Sen. Alan Lowenthal, the real challenge for California "progressives" is not to fix the economy but to reengineer the way people live. Read:  Georgia is in trouble:  Unemployment is now the highest in the nation.   Read here .  But to some politicians, like Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody), Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven) and Rep. Tom Taylor *R-Dunwoody), the real challenge for Georgia "tea partiers" is not to fix the economy but to re-engineer the way people live.  (And create the demand for virtual education per the objectives s...

TO:  ALL NEWS MEDIA RE:  OPEN MEETINGS, OPEN RECORDS, SUNSHINE LAWS, TRANSPARENCY, ETHICS,  DEKALB COUNTY, GA CONTACT:  770-496-4495 OCTOBER 3, 2014:  TUCKER, GA:   A group of residents in Tucker, GA, today filed an Open Government Complaint with the State Attorney General’s Office over the lack of transparency in the city formation process in Central Dekalb County.  The group, known as “Save Tucker!” says they are fed up with the lack of information they are receiving from Tucker 2014, Tucker 2015, Tucker Together,  City of Briarcliff and Lakeside City, who are advocating a pro-city stance in Central DeKalb while living off public funds in order to do so.   And, they are fed up with their locally elected representatives who cannot seem to put their hands on the data either, despite having voted or come close to voting on the subject in committee at the end of the last session at the Capitol. When  they heard the bills were eithe...

Is the timing of this announcement intentional or are they joking?   Okay, first the text:    Lakeside YES  is hosting a community information meeting on Public Safety on Tuesday October 14, at the Holy Cross Catholic Church on Chamblee-Tucker Road, from 7 to 8:30pm. Please plan to attend this important meeting on public safety and learn why a new city of Lakeside would be able to provide 80 new police officers in our community. You will also learn more about where we are in the cityhood process, have your questions about cityhood answered, and find ways you can get involved. Each one of us is dedicated to this effort because creating the new City of Lakeside will build a stronger community for the next generation. We need everyone’s help and support if we are to succeed. Please join us and get involved! Lakeside YES  organizing members:  Brad Bryant, Liz Hanfelt, Josh Kahn, Mary Kay Woodworth Next, our reminder:  This sudden concern about ...