Fresh Loaf

Sharonda Hubbard

After last November’s elections were in the books and the fervor had died down, local Obama campaign volunteer Sharonda Hubbard found herself wanting more.

“I started thinking, ‘Wow! I can affect my city government,’” she says. “I can affect change in my area, in my neighborhood.”

She considered a run for East Point City Council, that is until her neighbor and former Councilmember Kevin Hudson decided to run. “Once I found out Kevin was running, I just had to support him.”

Then came the news that Hudson was withdrawing from the race.

“Once [Hudson] decided not to run, I figured this is my chance to do it, to seize the opportunity and move forward with it.” Hudson threw his support behind Hubbard, and now this political newcomer is a candidate for East Point City Council (Ward A, At-Large).

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Kevin Hudson

East Point City Council Ward A at-large candidate Kevin Hudson has announced his withdrawal from the race and his immediate endorsement of Sharonda Hubbard.

Hudson was a political newcomer when he was appointed to Council in May 2007 after Gov. Sonny Perdue suspended Councilman Gregory Fann from his post because of an ethics violation investigation.

In March 2007, Fann was indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury for allegedly using city crews and equipment to conduct work on his property four years earlier. He later pleaded guilty — not to the felony counts but to three misdemeanors. He received three years probation, 180 hours of community service and $3,000 in fines.

Since Fann’s suspension was contingent on the felony counts only, he returned to Council in March of this year, replacing Hudson, who later announced his candidacy.

Hudson spoke to CL before officially announcing his withdrawal, saying, “I was apprehensive but excited to have the opportunity to serve two years on Council as an appointed member, and thought I would want to continue for another four years. But since I’ve had these months away from city business, I’ve remembered there’s much more in my life than that.”

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To those moaning over a likely tax increase in Atlanta we offer two words: East Point.

Although the town lying just southwest of Atlanta has achieved widespread fame as home to such hip-hop superstars as OutKast and Goodie Mob, that success hasn’t been matched by the local government. For the past decade, East Point has been, hands down, the worst-managed city in the 10-county metro region – and this includes such screwed-up ‘burbs as Lithonia and Snellville.

You’ll recall that, a few years back, East Point’s then-Mayor Patsy Jo Hilliard revealed the city had somehow squandered an $11 million surplus and had a $8 million deficit. That’s a $19 million mistake for a city that only had a $75 million budget. It also was later discovered that the city owed an additional $18 million to Atlanta for water-system improvements and hadn’t paid a $4.5 million power bill. Taxes were jacked up nearly 70 percent to cover the gaps.

Last year, East Point raised its already punishing tax rate by 20 percent, but still ended the year $7 million short. In fact, as the AJC has reported, the city has spent the past 10 years in the red. This year seems to be a replay with yet another projected budget deficit, this time of at least $5 million. The city is now faced with the choice of sending all city workers home or closing three of its five fire stations.

As someone who lived in East Point for three long years a while back, I have to say I’m glad I got out while the getting was good. Sad to say, but that place is fucked.

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