Fresh Loaf

We’ve called the DeKalb CEO possibly the most powerful local elected official in Georgia, by virtue of the position’s administrative clout and its influence over the County Commission. A fall referendum may rein in that power a bit, but the job is still a big deal in metro Atlanta – most important, actually, than similar posts in other counties.

Because DeKalb is Georgia’s most Democratic county, Republicans need not apply for CEO. Accordingly, the race will be decided in the primary, most likely in a runoff election. The candidates are:

• We’ve called Joe Bembry a recreational candidate because he’s run for various offices more than two dozen times in recent years. You may be tempted to vote for someone with the chutzpah to identify himself on the ballot as “Joe from Decatur.” Resist that temptation.
• By most accounts, Commissioner Burrell Ellis is the man to beat for CEO. He’s raised over $400,000 – more than his four opponents combined – has near-universal name recognition, and enjoys wide support across the county. A frequent opponent of Vernon Jones, Ellis – who’s also well-spoken, clean-cut and youthful – has especially endeared himself to residents of the north end of the county. His supporters look to Ellis to undo the racial polarization that has occurred under Jones. Ellis is endorsed by the AJC.
• While Ann Kimbrough seems well-liked by many neighborhood leaders, as Jones’ chief of staff, she’s been forced into the unenviable role of defending the current administration during debates. Also, the legions of Jones-haters, a group that includes much of north DeKalb, seem unlikely to support the notion of a Jones dynasty. She must poll well in South DeKalb to earn a runoff berth.
• Steen Miles is familiar to much of DeKalb, having covered the county for 15 years as a WXIA-TV reporter. She has a calm, dignified, authoritative presence in debates and can claim two years of experience in the state Senate. But she has had poor showings in the 2000 race for CEO and in 2006 for lieutenant governor; there’s little reason to expect a better performance this time around, when she has the least funding and visible organization of any of the candidates.
• State Rep. Stan Watson has strong support among his House colleagues, who see him as a skilled mediator and bridge-builder, but it’s difficult to gauge what impact that will have on voters. A scrappy pol of the old school, Watson must expand his appeal beyond the boundaries of his Lithonia House district in order to make the runoff. As of Wednesday evening, he was the only CEO candidate who hadn’t filed his campaign disclosure; the deadline was Tuesday.

You can read more about the candidates in the AJC and the website GoDeKalb.

Got a take on any of the candidates for CEO? We welcome your comments.

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The Spanish-born philosopher Santayana is best known for coining the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s a maxim unlikely to go out of style because there’s always an example to give it currency. Which brings us to DeKalb.

At tomorrow morning’s county board meeting, Commissioner Lee May will introduce a resolution calling for DeKalb to initiate legal action to block the formation of a city of Dunwoody.

Now, to anyone who’s been paying attention over the last three years, this action will spur a sense of deja vu. The Fulton County Commission did the exact same thing in May 2005, a little more than a month before a scheduled referendum for the city of Sandy Springs. It took less than 10 days for the U.S Department of Justice to summarily reject the county’s argument as so much sour-grapes whining.

In DeKalb’s case, there’s only a week left before the July 15 referendum. Not only does May seem ignorant of recent legal precedent regarding local incorporation votes, but he also appears to lack a calendar. Here’s the official description of his measure:

The Governing Authority supports a legal challenge to the Incorporation of the City of Dunwoody by the County Attorney given Senate Bill 82 inclusion of the Perimeter Community Improvement District (CID). Senate Bill 82 (Incorporating the City of Dunwoody) would not be in the best interest of the citizens of the County, including those of the area of Dunwoody. Furthermore, the legislation would exclude from the referendum many citizens of unincorporated DeKalb County.

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From the DOT:

The Georgia Department of Transportation has installed 11 new meters on I-85 entrance ramps between North Druid Hills Road (Exit 89) and Pleasant Hill Road (Exit 104). The meters will begin operating during afternoon rush hour on Monday, July 7. The entire corridor should be operational by Friday, July 11. Fifteen additional corridors with 140 ramp meters will be phased in within the next year.

Ramp meters are turned on before rush hour, and operate at different times of day depending on traffic patterns. Every 3-5 seconds, a cycle from red to green allows one vehicle at a time to merge onto the freeway. On two-lane ramps, the left and right lanes have alternating lights, so the left lane goes while the right is stopped, and vice versa.

“Although motorists will spend a little extra time on the ramp, they should see a decrease in overall travel time,” Georgia DOT Operations Director Steve Henry said. “We’ll monitor these new ramp meters very carefully. If traffic starts to back up on the ramp, sensors will speed up the meters to allow more vehicles to move through. If our cameras show traffic spilling out onto the surface streets, we can turn them off completely.”

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The ramps that will be operational during the week of July 7 are:

North Druid Hills Road (northbound and southbound)
Chamblee-Tucker Road (northbound only)
Jimmy Carter Boulevard (northbound and southbound)
Indian Trail Road (northbound and southbound)
Beaver Ruin Road (northbound and southbound)
Steve Reynolds Boulevard (southbound only)
Pleasant Hill Road (southbound only)

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Do you find it annoying when the news media uses the name Decatur to refer to places or events that are outside Decatur’s city limits?

The AJC’s coverage of yesterday’s double-murder in DeKalb County was first reported with the headline “2 women killed, children flee in Decatur.” Later in the day, the headline was corrected to “2 women killed, children flee in DeKalb.”

Are there other parts of Atlanta so routinely misidentified?

And, yes, I live in Decatur.

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CLINTON: With hopes dwindling despite winning Puerto Rico, her campaign sends e-mails to staff summoning them to NYC Tuesday night and telling them their roles in the campaign are ending. The campaign is silent as to whether this means her campaign is ending.

ON THE HALF SREL: UGA’s nationally renowned Savannah River Ecology Lab soldiers on with fewer than half its scientists despite the Bush administration cutting its funding eightfold last year.

LOW WITH THE FLOW: Beginning Sunday, all houses sold in DeKalb must have low-flow toilets.

DIPLOMA KILL: Clayton’s corrective superintendent scraps seniors’ diplomas because they don’t have his name on them; printing company offers to waive reprinting fee due to error.

TAKEN FOR A RIDE: Athens’ homeless population, which was 462 as of January, is partly fueled by resource-strapped rural police departments driving their homeless residents there under the premise of better opportunities, Athens officials allege.

BONES TO PICK: The Augusta Chronicle profiles Dr. Rick Snow, the GBI’s first full-time forensic anthropologist, who has 62 sets of nameless remains to identify.

“MAKING NEWS”: TV Guide Network reality show about Savannah’s low-rated WJCL/Fox 28 local news station debuts Wednesday night at 8.

WACHOVIA CEO: Asked to retire by the board of directors. AccessNorthGa brightens my day with presumably unrelated keypads and police lights.

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The controversial PATH trail planned to run between Medlock and Mason Mill Parks in DeKalb County began to take shape last week as work crews clear-cut trees and completed a construction entrance to reach the trail’s proposed location. The Three Forks Heritage Alliance, a neighborhood activist group that has been the most vocal opponents of the multi-use trail, have posted before-and-after photos of the construction on its Web site. The group claims that the county and the PATH Foundation — partners in the $1.6-million project — are violating a stop-work order issued by the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

And it looks like that’s something that’s happened before in DeKalb County and irks one of the board’s members.

From a DeKalb Champion article about the construction:

As construction continued April 10 and 11, it highlighted a continuing trend ZBA member Lundsten referred to during the hearing – that the county is ignoring many decisions made by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Lundsten called the Three Forks case a “home run” to show that the county isn’t even following its own rules.

“How do we get this county to respect the actions of this board?” said Lundsten. “In previous administrations, any action or decisions by the ZBA were final.”

Members of the alliance say the multi-use trail — which has been in the works for more than 10 years — will mar the undisturbed forest that is already popular with residents and parkgoers. They also say the county’s goal to increase connectivity in the area with the trail is unrealistic and poorly planned.

A hearing about the construction is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Courthouse.

(Photo Courtesy of Three Forks Heritage Alliance)

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Rather ominous screenshot, pasted below, from the Three Forks Heritage Alliance’s Web site. The organization is a neighborhood activist group that opposes the joint PATH Foundation/DeKalb County multi-use trail that is planned to connect Medlock and Mason Mill Parks.

In mid-March, the alliance successfully blocked preliminary construction on the trail. Critics of the concept — which originated under former County Commissioner Gale Walldorff — say the trail will mar the old-growth forest between the parks, fail to connect surrounding areas, and has a price tag that has risen from $750,000 to more than $1.6 million.

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DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones will step down from his county job at the end of the year, but his influence will still be felt if Ann Wead Kimbrough has anything to do with it.

Kimbrough, who has served as Jones’ chief of staff for several years and was his official spokesperson before that, has filed paperwork with the state to form an exploratory committee to run for her boss’ seat – the first step in any campaign for office.

Kimbrough was noticed making the rounds of Easter services at a couple of prominent South Dekalb churches, telling parishioners of her intent to run for CEO.

“I’ve been listening to neighborhood leaders and will be making my mind up pretty soon,” perhaps within the next week, she confirms to CL.

Critics are likely to see Kimbrough’s candidacy as a bid by Jones to maintain his grip on political power in DeKalb. He’s currently running a long-shot Senate race against Saxby Chambliss. Not surprisingly, Kimbrough – who describes herself as having “understudied” for the CEO job – says Jones is “very supportive” of her plan to succeed him.

Before becoming Jones’ Girl Friday, Kimbrough worked in the communications office of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, then was a business reporter for the AJC and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She has also taught journalism classes at Clark-Atlanta University and Florida A&M University.

Kimbrough says she has asked the county attorney whether she would need to quit her job in order to run for CEO. We’re guessing that’s a given, but if not, it could make county commission meetings more interesting, seeing as Commissioner Burrell Ellis is a leading contender for the CEO post. The other major candidate is state Rep. Stan Watson, D-Decatur.

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A DeKalb County judge this afternoon ruled that preliminary construction on a controversial trail in DeKalb County is still a no-go.

Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams said today that the county — which is one of the backers of the PATH-designed and -built trail — had been given proper notice that the Three Forks Heritage Alliance, a neighborhood activist group, was filing a temporary restraining order against the project last week.

Today’s hearing in the county courthouse drew nearly 20 opponents of the .8-mile trail that is planned to connect Medlock and Mason Mill Parks near Emory University. Members of the alliance and its supporters filled three rows in the courtroom gallery and donned white shirts to show solidarity for their cause. At one point during the proceedings, the court bailiff removed five alliance supporters after they laughed with bemusement at Chief Assistant County Attorney Duane Pritchett’s claim that there was little “irreparable harm” done when PATH-hired construction crews cut down 24 trees last week to build a service road to the trail’s location deep in the woods.

Jed Appelrouth, a graduate student who says he visits the dense woods to jog, attended the hearing. He opposes the PATH project because he questions its design and the ability to fund it. He also wonders who exactly benefits from the $750,000 trail.

“Everybody I’ve talked to about this project is against it,” he said. “Who supports it? Who’s clamoring for it? I want to see it.”

Another trail opponent standing near Appelrouth agreed and said the benefits trail advocates list — mainly that it would give access to the woods for the elderly and people in wheelchairs — are already there.

“Don’t tell it’s going to benefit seniors — look who’s fighting it,” Charles Tshiko said, gesturing toward a woman next to him who appeared to be a mix of confused and offended. “Don’t tell me it’s for families with their kids. Look at it now.”

One of the main perks the county and PATH say the trail will provide is increased connectivity between the neighborhoods and a larger trail network planned for the future.

John Sumrall, one of the few neighborhood residents who turned out to support the PATH trail, thinks that the opponents of the trail — namely, the alliance — want to claim the park for their own and have merely been more vocal in their arguments. Supporters, he says, just want to see it come to light.

“I’ve observed the benefit [of PATH trails] in other neighborhoods and what they can do,” he said. “Plus, we’re talking about two large parks that are publicly-owned, but [lack] access. The neighborhood has too much traffic so young kids and most other people can’t even ride a bicycle on the street. Fourth, by beginning at Medlock Park it would eliminate [the alliance's] complaint of people parking on the street. Fifth, it’s a great recreational possibility for every citizen from the ages of 3 to 90.”

But until another hearing is held in April, there’ll be nary a peep from the bulldozers and chainsaws on the PATH trail between Mason Mill and Medlock Parks.

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The same judge who halted preliminary construction last week on a controversial PATH trail between Mason Mill and Medlock parks in DeKalb County will hold a hearing Thursday at 11 a.m. at the county courthouse in downtown Decatur to determine whether work can resume. Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams’ ruling was challenged by the county, PATH’s partner in the $750,000 project. William Linkous, the county attorney, says he and PATH officials were not warned of last week’s hearing. The hearing will take place in room 5420 on the fifth floor.

Members of the Three Forks Heritage Alliance, a neighborhood activist group opposed to the trail, are asking their supporters to wear white T-shirts to show solidarity for the cause.

To read more about and comment on the DeKalb PATH trail and what it could mean for other communities, click here.

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A DeKalb County judge today put the brakes on preliminary construction of a trail in Decatur that has raised the ire of residents who live near its planned site.

The PATH Foundation-built trail is poised to connect Mason Mill and Medlock Parks. Members of the Three Forks Heritage Alliance, a community activist group, have criticized the project for what they consider a lack of public input, and are concerned about the potential damage the trail may cause to the mature hardwood forest through which it would run.

According to a resident who lives nearby, tree-clearing work for the trail began on Willivee Place this morning at 7:15 a.m. Crews must first clear a path in order to reach the trail’s future site deeper in the woods, along South Peachtree Creek.

Cutting continued throughout the day until Brian Daughdrill, an attorney for one of two parties involved in fighting the trail, successfully convinced a judge this afternoon to halt the work. A hearing is scheduled for April 9. Crews stopped working after they were served papers by Daughdrill and members of Three Forks Heritage Alliance.

Photos of the preliminary construction and trees tagged for removal appear after the jump.

(Photos by Thomas Wheatley)

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You’d think that building bike trails wouldn’t be such a controversial issue.

But a planned PATH trail through a mature hardwood forest between Medlock and Mason Mill parks in Decatur has residents irked not only at the idea, but what they call the lack of public input that went into the project. Members of Three Forks Heritage Alliance have proposed alternatives to the trail’s location and asked for a halt to the project that they say will remove many trees lining the parks’ popular natural hiking path. The group has retained legal counsel and consultants and is seeking donations as well.

Commissioner Jeff Rader told residents that no construction would happen until Feb. 1, which — surprise! — is today. We’re watching to see if anything happens.

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Every year, the Georgia DOT doles out federal cash to streetscape projects aimed at “enriching the transportation experience.” The federal government provides 80 percent of the funds and local government covers the remainder of the cost. If you live in this congressional district, CL is proud to present the areas of your town that should look a wee bit prettier. After the jump — courtesy of our good friends at the beleaguered state Dept. of Transportation — we list ‘em …

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By an interesting coincidence, Fulton and DeKalb counties could both see their forms of government tweaked somewhat in the upcoming General Assembly – but in radically different directions.

In Fulton’s case, the push is to expand the authority of the commission chairman, who has no more real power than a district commissioner. And there’s talk of shrinking the governing board from seven commissioners, including the chairman, to a leaner five members to reflect that most of the county is now contained within cities.

In DeKalb, it’s just the reverse. The elected CEO has so much power that the board of commissioners can sometimes seem irrelevant. And so there are competing bills from both parties to shift some of the CEO’s power back to the commission. There’s also an initiative to expand the commission from seven members to nine to provide more attentive representation to the largely unincorporated county.

But the two efforts do have one thing in common: They could live or die on the personalities and political baggage of the affected office-holders.

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Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Maloof Auditorium in downtown Decatur, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on an ordinance that requires homes with pre-1993 plumbing to be retrofit with water-saving fixtures before they are resold. Supporters of the ordinance, such as DeKalb Commissioner Jeff Rader, say water-saving fixtures could save the county as much as 3.5 million gallons of water every day. It was originally supposed to be voted on in mid-November but was met with opposition by the real-estate industry, claiming such a move would shake the market, pose homeowners and purchasers to possible fines or criminal liability, and would not help ease the current water shortage.

CL will be there. From what we’ve heard, Realtors® will be as well. If you’re for or against it, you should try to attend, too.

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So a catchy, although lame, operation name plus a call ahead to the AJC, isn’t a media response to the “embarrassment” (to quote one DeKalb commissioner) revolving around rolling back serving hours in the county? Sure it isn’t. And M.C. Hammer isn’t a washed up has-been.

— Decatur Metro calls bullshit on the media spin accompanying Operation Hammer Time, a series of police raids on DeKalb County nightspots.

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If you view immigrants as “invaders” or bad for America, or you just resent others of different cultures, you need to search your soul and your patriotism.

— Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Josh Lanier answers questions at Tondee’s Tavern.

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Atlanta Fans Regret That The Blackout Was Lifted

— Scott at Bucstats gloats about Tampa’s 31-7 pummeling of the Falcons. The blackout comment is a reference to the NFL not allowing games that aren’t sold-out to be broadcast in the home team’s city. The game was very nearly blacked-out.

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First, DeKalb County Commissioner Jeff Rader wanted to roll back bar hours county-wide, to be more consistent with Atlanta’s drinking hours.

Now, following allegations that Rader was targeting black clubs, the commissioner is offering a compromise: a late-hour bar license akin to what’s used in cities such as Chicago.

According to a press release issued by Rader today, registered voters within 1,500 feet of businesses seeking late-night pouring privileges will have their say in approving the licenses. Those residents are the ones most affected by “noise impact, potential late night traffic impact, trash from travelers, etc,” Rader states.

Establishments seeking the Late Hour License probably already have a good reputation in the community, or will try to develop one before applying, and then put on an open house to introduce themselves and solicit community support. This is one way to provide an option for establishments who have a positive history with their community.

It’s doubtful that residents will get all touchy-feely about their would-be late-pouring neighbors, but at least the process is more diplomatic than merely slashing bar hours.

The proposal will be discussed at the DeKalb County Commissioners meeting at 10 a.m. Nov. 13.

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It didn’t take long for the issue of race to arrive front and center in the discussion over earlier bar hours in DeKalb.

Recall that late last month, Commissioner Jeff Rader complained that a spate of new nightclubs were coming to DeKalb to escape the 2:30 a.m. last call imposed by the city of Atlanta. Rader introduced an ordinance — which could be voted on as early as tomorrow’s commission meeting — to roll bar hours back from 3:55 a.m. to 2 a.m. weeknights, and until 12:30 a.m. Saturday nights.

So, last week, a half-page ad appeared in the pages of CL (page 15 in most areas, to be exact) featuring a photo of Rader next to the claim: “This commissioner does not want African American night clubs in DeKalb County.”

Well, of course, Rader never said anything like that, but it is true that most of the newer, larger nightclubs in DeKalb — such as the Velvet Room and Jermaine Dupri’s Studio 72 — are black-owned or target a black clientele.
The ad pours fuel on the fire by suggesting that closing bars earlier will result in a county deficit that will require raising property taxes. It ends by urging opponents to attend Tuesday’s commission meeting.

But wait. The late-drinkers aren’t the only folks likely to show up at the Manuel Maloof Auditorium. Rader is trying to stir supporters of earlier bar hours to come out in force. And newly Republicanized state Rep. Mike Jacobs has sent out an e-newsletter headlined: “Take action to curb nightclub influx.” He warns that DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones has threatened a veto of Rader’s bill. And, indeed, just last week, Jones told CL he thought the proposed rollback was an ill-considered attack on the county’s efforts to expand its tax base. He didn’t, however, say he believed it was racially motivated.

Tomorrow’s meeting begins at 9 a.m. But if you plan to mix it up, keep in mind you have to pass through a metal detector.

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Prominent Atlanta attorney Alan Begner, who represents four of DeKalb County’s eight strip clubs, as well as an under-renovation bar and restaurant in the county, says Commissioner Jeff Rader’s proposal to roll back last call came as an unwelcome surprise.

Begner says the restaurant and bar, which used to be called Nile International and is set to reopen as Pure, is the impetus for the proposed ordinance. That’s because the county fears Pure will be a hip-hop club akin to the notoriously rowdy Club 112. Club 112 and Pure will share a general manager.

“One establishment is generating a stampede to radically change DeKalb County’s affairs,” Begner says. “It’s Kafkaesque in the extreme. It’s a shock.”

If the ordinance is passed, he says, it will have “a huge detrimental effect on DeKalb County’s tax base,” driving out a late-night clientele that began frequenting DeKalb after the city of Atlanta slashed its bar hours in 2004.

“It’s as if DeKalb County imagines a disaster exists,” Begner says, “the disaster being lots of people they don’t want in DeKalb County visiting DeKalb County.”

The proposal is on the agenda at tomorrow’s DeKalb County Commission meeting, though a vote is not expected.

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When it comes to late-night drinking, DeKalb County could be going the slightly more sober way of Atlanta.

A proposal that’s scheduled to be heard tomorrow by the DeKalb Commission calls for bar-closing times in the county to be rolled back — from current last calls of 4 a.m. Monday through Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday through Sunday, to a much stricter 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and midnight Sunday.

That’s 14 fewer bar hours per week.

According to the proposed ordinance, which was drafted by Commissioner Jeff Rader:

DeKalb County desires to improve the quality of life in all of its communities and neighborhoods by minimizing late night crime, loitering and other deleterious conduct associated with the presence of retail establishments that sell and serve alcoholic beverages.

The timing of the proposal coincides with neighbors’ concerns about an influx of nightclubs into north DeKalb — including megaclub the Velvet Room and Jermaine Dupri’s swanky Studio 72 — that resemble the now-shuttered clubs of Buckhead’s tumultuous party era.

The city of Atlanta’s closing times once were consistent with DeKalb’s — until 2004, when Atlanta City Council slashed bar hours following a series of fatal bar brawls. If DeKalb follows suit, that could stem an influx of bars that had banked on later last calls; under the proposed ordinance, DeKalb’s bars would close a half-hour earlier than Atlanta’s most nights.

The proposal — which would take effect Jan. 1, 2008 — would not affect bars in the city of Decatur, including Azul, which hosts the wildly popular Friday night dance party Decatur Social Club.

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From the AJC:

Former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey has confessed to ordering the murder of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown, DeKalb District Attorney Gwen Keyes Fleming announced Thursday.

Dorsey was convicted of ordering the assassination in 2002.

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How long have you been with DeKalb County Sanitation? Twenty-seven years this week. I worked on the back for seven years. This is my 20th year driving.

Are you going to have a party? I might. Each year I treat myself to dinner.

How did you get started in the county sanitation department? Actually, one day I was sitting on the porch. I saw a supervisor riding down the street in a supervisor truck. I asked him were the county hiring. He said yes, and I need to put an application in now. Three weeks [after] that time, I was called for an interview. I was hired.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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From an elementary school wall in DeKalb County:

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