Save Tucker!

In an email sent to its supporters this week, Lavista Hills Alliance announced that it is closing down some of its operations and suspending some of its campaign activities.  They also alluded to a long-forgotten challenge they once made to the accuracy of the vote that sent Tucker toward incorporation and sent them home empty handed.   According to the email, which was forwarded to us by an anonymous source, Lavista Hills' leaders are still holding out hope that the state department will issue some kind of a final report, telling them whether or not they found any fraud in connection to their allegations against the DeKalb Board of Elections and its Superintendent, Maxine Daniels.    Save Tucker! followers may also recall that we, too, had questions regarding the fairness of some of the voting procedures taking place in DeKalb, mainly the allowing of candidates onto ballots without properly verifying their stated place of residence.  We  ha...

Georgia may be a conservative state, but that does not mean it does everything the "old fashioned" way.   Let's just take today, for example.  Today is the primary election for many important offices throughout the county of DeKalb. And, even though you might normally think of a primary election as the time when each political party gathers their registered voters together to vote for the best potential candidates to square off against one another in a general election, that isn't how we do things here in Georgia.  Nope. Don't ask us why because that would require someone to do some more research on that topic and currently our research department is a bit understaffed and over-committed.  So, let's just skip the "why" part and jump right into the good stuff.... WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?   So, you are probably wondering what all this non-traditional rule bending might mean for you, the DeKalb County voter who lives somewhere near what is cu...

This was the vision for a "Tucker Township" as visioned by a beta version of a new school review website.  The website is:  https://k12.niche.com/t/tucker-township-dekalb-ga/ Who drew this map?  We are not really sure.  We stumbled upon it recently while looking for Tucker election results. We do, however, think this map, called "Tucker Township" actually shows a good compromise between Tucker and Lavista Hills that could have worked well for everyone.   It offers a great way to share the Northlake area commercial tax revenue.  So, why didn't anyone suggest something like this  prior to putting forth competing bills in the 2013 and 2014 legislative sessions?  And, why is Tucker's city still being allowed to move forward when it has been called "unconstitutional" by even the legislators who supported it? Limited services government in the form of a new city is something that the Georgia constitution does not allow, apparently. ...

In addition to the Presidential Primary, today is the first election for the new city of Tucker. Here are your options: Credit:  Info. from Tucker 2015 website. MAYORAL CANDIDATES  FRANK AUMAN   (Smoke Rise) LORNE D. CHEEK  (Tucker) BRUCE K. JACKSON  (Smoke Rise) DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES  (Smoke Rise) POST 1 HONEY VAN DE KREKE (Smoke Rise) POST 2 JON CARR  (Smoke Rise) WILLIAM (BILL) ROSENFELD  (Smoke Rise) DISTRICT 2 CANDIDATES  (Brockett/Northlake) POST 1 * KATHERINE A. ATTEBERRY   (unable to verify) FRANK E. NIX, JR. (Tucker / Brockett) MATT ROBBINS  ( Tucker / Idlewood) THOMAS WALKER   (Tucker / Brockett) * Save Tucker has been unable to verify this candidate's residency status in the district he/she is wishing to represent.  Contact the DeKalb Elections Office for details if you wish to view the qualification data used by the county .  Phone: 404-...

IMPORTANT!!   TUCKER RESIDENTS (AND SMOKE RISE ... YOU, TOO!)  DO YOU KNOW WHAT MUNICIPAL VOTING DISTRICT YOU ARE IN?  NEITHER DOES THE VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE, APPARANTLY.  As of the time of this article, the DeKalb voter's office has not posted any precinct or map information to indicate who is actually in the city limits of the newly formed city of Tucker, or what district they will even be asked to vote in.  Nice accountability so far, don't you think? According to the Stone Mountain - Lithonia Patch, the early voting in DeKalb has begun.  By Tim Darnell (Patch Staff)  Choose wisely, Tucker!  This 25 year county commissioner from the Smoke Rise area was able to pull the wool over a lot of eyes and now sits in prison for stealing from you.  Let's try to rise above the muck that keeps pulling our county down.  January 24, 2016 9:58 am ET ATLANTA, GA -- Voting in Georgia for this year’s presidential preferen...

OUR COMPLAINTS TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE:   Save Tucker! spoke with investigators today regarding the Nov. 3 election that resulted in the formation of the new city of Tucker.  Our complaints about the boundary changes and resulting confusion at the voter precincts were heard, but we were told that the boundary issue is mainly a "political" process and the elections office is bound by the legal descriptions provided in HB 520 for Lavista Hills and HB 515 for Tucker .  Changes that may have been suggested after the final bills were approved were nothing more than that ... suggested changes.  They did not impact the boundaries in the legal descriptions that were approved in the legislature.  For maps that show detailed renderings of the Tucker boundaries and the local city precincts, we must now contact the county GIS department.  QUESTION:   Why is it so difficult to get an actual map or accurate description?  Does it seem f...

According to the AJC: Candidates seeking to become the new city of Tucker’s first elected leaders must file papers to run for office next week. Elections will be held March 1, 2016, to choose a mayor and six city council members. Tucker’s mayor will be paid $20,000, while each council member will earn $14,000 per year. About 74 percent of voters approving creating the city of Tucker during a Nov. 3 referendum. Candidates may qualify for the election from Dec. 7 to Dec. 11 at the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300. Note the largest district (on the right) is actually the part that was never really considered Tucker in the first place.  They appear to have the bulk of the voters and therefore the candidates as well as the power residing there.  What do you want a bet that they will also see the lion's share of the tax dollars spent on improving their own area as well,  just like the situation in Broo...

Sandy Springs (2005) … 94% Milton (2006) … 86% Johns Creek (2006) … 84% Chattahoochee Hills (2007) … 84% Dunwoody (2008) … 81% Tucker (2015) … 74% Peachtree Corners (2011) … 57% Brookhaven (2012) … 55% Lavista Hills (2015) … 49.5% South Fulton (2007) … 15% Source: County Election Offices.

Residents in North / Central DeKalb County will vote today at their regular polling locations.  Voting will include referendum questions regarding the incorporation of the city of Lavista Hills or the city of Tucker if you live inside the designated boundary areas. Please review this blog site and other sources of information so you can make an informed decision.  Thank you for paying attention to this important issue! Save Tucker!  Wrong Map.  Wrong Leaders. No New Cities.  Not Now.  Not Like This. For the latest video from Save Tucker, click here:  https://youtu.be/Zu9gioH4peo

Just a reminder for those who have felt "at ease" with the proposed cities of Lavista Hills and Tucker because they have something in their charter that says you will get a vote if they ever decide to take on more services or a higher tax rate.  That might be what the charter says.  But, that's not what the city councils have to do.  If they want to take on a larger amount of your tax dollars, all they have to do is ask the legislature for an amendment to the original charter.  It can be written, passed and signed into law without ever gaining your input or consent.  In fact, we don't have to look very far back to find an example of how the new cities that have started in Georgia have already betrayed the voters on this seemingly simple concept. In Dunwoody, July  16, 2013, Reporter Kiri Walton described this situation: Dunwoody Residents Demand Public Vote on Proposed Fire Dept. Funding   Dunwoody citizens are speaking out about conce...

Before you vote on Nov. 3, make sure you know exactly what you are being asked to consider.  Tucker, by the new boundaries, will include a lot more people than what you might realize. Just take a look at a search that was run on the state's website for "Section 8" housing.  Here is a look at the available housing in Tucker, as defined by our single zip code, 30084:  Tucker as it exists today.  Easy to identify and the zip code and postal designation WILL NOT CHANGE, regardless of whether or not any new cities are approved in our area.  Tucker will still be called Tucker. Tucker's zip code has a few areas with Section 8 housing readily available, according to the state, but look what happens when the new city boundaries are included in the search (see below). Here is the new version of "big city" Tucker, as divided by its suggested city council areas.  Note:  the largest area in terms of voters and sheer land mass belongs to the real, ...

Jim Eyre, the first ever elected councilman for Brookhaven who later resigned and stepped down from his seat on the council, warns DeKalb County residents about what could lay ahead for them if they approve new cities.You can watch and listen to his speech,  already cued up for you,  here . Jim Eyre warns Tucker and Lavista Hills area residents about the short-shortsightedness of new cities. Here are the highlights of his speech: 1.  Yes, it is a new layer of bureaucracy stacked on top of the one we already have. 2.  There is no independent ethics board.  It is all handled through the city's attorney and the city council itself.  The potential offenders are the same ones overseeing the ethics. 3.  Confusing - who to call for various services.  It is another layer for everyone to hassle with.  It is intertwined with the county services and providers.  Are the services being provided in such a manner that adding this new layer...

THE FOLLOWING ARE RESPONSES WE HAVE RECEIVED SO FAR TO OUR REQUEST FOR A FINAL, APPROVED MAP SHOWING THE BOUNDARIES OF BOTH TUCKER AND LAVISTA HILLS AS INTENDED FOR VOTERS TO APPROVE OR DENY IN A REFERENDUM VOTE THIS NOVEMBER 3, 2015 : ******************************************************************************** 5/25/15 Dear XXXX, Thanks for contacting me regarding access to the proposed City of Tucker map. Unfortunately, my office is not the custodian of the official map or the entity that wold be able to respond to your Open Records Request. Please contact the Georgia General Assembly's Office of Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment. Their telephone number is 404.656.5063. If you have any problems getting your request fulfilled please let me know. Best wishes! ~Billy BILLY MITCHELL State Representative State Capitol 18 Capitol Square Atlanta, GA 30334 404.656.0126 404.656.0250 (fax) billy.mitchell@house.ga.gov **************************...

There is STILL hope that District 1 has a voice! Don't fall for the same lines from the same folks voicing the same mantra:  extreme political views are never good for the community as a whole.  That's why they are "extreme." According to today's AJC, the person who most DeKalb County District 1 residents want to represent them is the ONLY one not running as a Republican OR Democrat.  HOLMES E. PYLES, an 86 year old former federal government employee says he will clean up the mess that others have made of our commission district and, apparently, many people believe in him!  Here are the results: DEKALB COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATE Holmes E. Pyles       26% 9,250 Nancy Jester (R)      24% 8,657 Wendy Butler (R)    24% 8,367 Tom Owens (R)       13% 4,741 Larry Danese (R)     12% 4,393 A runoff will now take place. Related View Larger   Holmes ...

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....