Fresh Loaf

Last night, candidates aiming to replace outgoing Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver in District 6 gathered at Inman Middle School to win residents’ hearts and minds.

We’re sure it was a crowded house — District 6 includes such politically active neighborhoods as Virginia-Highland, Morningside, Candler Park and Midtown, among other hamlets. And since there isn’t a clear-cut frontrunner among the six candidates vying for the open seat,  voters probably wanted to hear some opinions on the issues.

We couldn’t attend the gathering, mainly because we were in Athens talking to whippersnappers about the future of journalism. (Keep your heads up, yo!)

If you were there, we’d love to hear your take. And if you don’t write anything, it means you hate America. Consider this an open thread.

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Steve Brodie, one of six contenders in the crowded race for the Atlanta City Council District 6 open seat, has received the endorsement of the city’s 1,100-member police union.

In a statement (PDF) released yesterday by Brodie’s campaign, Sgt. Scott Kreher, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 623, said the wooer of water ballerinas is unique because  he’s  “providing specific ideas for improving public safety in Atlanta and the action steps needed to fund improvements….The other District 6 Candidates are working to develop slogans and [Brodie is] seriously proposing plans.”

”I am honored and proud to be endorsed by the police,” Brodie said. “The Police Union’s endorsement
of my candidacy illustrates their confidence in me as a City Council member and their belief that I will
initiate real changes to make Atlanta safer.”

Here’s the public-safety plan to which Kreher referred. (Ben at Terminal Station has a good anecdotal post on why candidates should be giddy when they get such nods of support.)

Brodie’s opponents in the race to represent the district that includes the Midtown, Candler Park, Virginia-Highland neighborhoods are Bahareh Azizi, Tad Christian, Liz Coyle, Miguel Gallegos (who recently earned the Atlanta-North Georgia Labor Council’s endorsement) and Alex Wan.

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Steve Brodie, one of six candidates in the Atlanta City Council District 6 race to represent the Midtown, Virginia-Highland and Candler Park neighborhoods, is first out of the gate with nontraditional campaign commercials.

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Beltline officials have proposed allowing future developers to build up to eight stories at 10th Street and Monroe Drive. (Looking northeast from Grady High School)

Some intown residents who’ve never been ones to shy away from city and developer battles say they’re none too pleased with the proposed vision of the Beltline near Piedmont Park.

According to preliminary plans for the Beltline’s segment that stretches from Ansley Park to City Hall East, future developers would be allowed to build up to eight stories at the congested corner of 10th Street and Monroe Drive.

That’s a far cry from the twin Towers of Babel that Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason wanted to build on the same spot in 2006. But the reduction in size — and the fact that no specific development project’s been proposed — hasn’t stopped some residents from voicing concerns over what they say is an inappropriate vision for one of intown Atlanta’s most popular neighborhoods.

(more…)

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Morningside resident Tad Christian says he’s joined the increasingly crowded race to represent District 6 on the Atlanta City Council.

Christian, who just completed a one-year term as President of the Morningside Lenox Park Civic Association, is now the sixth candidate to join the race to fill departing Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s seat.

From a press release announcing Christian’s candidacy:

Christian is an active member of the Morningside neighborhood, sits on the City of Atlanta’s Board of Zoning Adjustments, is a volunteer on the operations committee at Morningside Elementary School, and a maintenance volunteer at Morningside Presbyterian Preschool. “I am always working to resolve problems that plague our city neighborhoods, and this volunteer action led to me being elected as President of our neighborhood association,” said Christian. “I really want to take the knowledge and experience I have gained thorough volunteer service and participation on various zoning boards, to the City Council, where I can have a greater impact on improving a full range of issues facing our City.”

Before becoming a stay-at-home father, Christian worked 12 years in business development and industrial engineering.

Christian’s opponents in the race to represent the Morningside, Virginia-Highland, Midtown, Druid Hills and Candler Park neighborhoods are: Georgia Tech scientist Bahareh Azizi, Midtown business consultant Steve Brodie, community activist Liz Coyle, political newcomer Miguel Gallegos and Midtown businessman Alex Wan. And we’ll go ahead and say God and Jane Fonda, because it feel like just about everyone is gonna jump in this contest.

(Courtesy Tad Christian campaign)

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Remember that mystery candidate for Atlanta City Council District 6 that we hinted at a few days ago? Well, there’ll be no more waiting, fine commenters! She’s in!

Bahareh Azizi, a Georgia Tech scientist, announced her candidacy on Saturday for the increasingly crowded race to represent the Midtown, Morningside, Druid Hills and Virginia-Highland neighborhoods at City Hall.

According to an emailed press release, Azizi launched her campaign during Saturday’s 40th annual Peachtree Road Race. She says the announcement dovetails with her campaign’s “commitment, endurance and a willingness to join the people of our city on the streets of Atlanta.”

In 2007, she was the co-host of Science Investigators, a PBS pilot show. According to a press release about the show’s first episode, Azizi investigated the disappearance of a certain species of frogs in New York and drove an electric car that went from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds. Wheee!

(more…)

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The race to represent Morningside, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland and Midtown residents at City Hall gets bigger by the week.

The Southern Voice reports that Miguel Gallegos has officially entered the contest, joining Liz Coyle, Alex Wan and Steve Brodie. Councilwoman Anne Fauver has said she would not seek a third term in office.

We’re hearing another potential candidate has been seen handing out campaign information in Piedmont Park. That mystery person hasn’t officially filed their papers yet. When she does, however, be prepared for this race — which is already spinning with political dynamics — to get even more interesting.

Gallegos, who the Voice reports is openly gay, doesn’t have a website just yet. Hey, Miguel! Send us a line sometime!

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1) The Rock ’n’ Roll Monster Bash returns to Starlight Six Drive-In.

2) Evolver Atlanta presents EvolverFest at the Lake Claire Community Land Trust.

3) Randall Bramblett and Geoff Achison perform at Eddie’s Attic.

4) Summerfest winds down in Virginia-Highland with a performance by Manchester Orchestra.

5) End Days continues at Horizon Theatre.

(Photo by Frank Mullen/Matteblack)

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Atlanta City Councilwoman Anne Fauver’s unexpected exit from the District 6 race yesterday took nearly everyone in the politically active and tight-knit neighborhoods she serves by surprise.

In a Tuesday interview with CL, Fauver said the decision, which she’s wrestled with for the last two months, largely came down to two things: frustration with city politics and the desire to try something new.

“[Atlanta] once had a strong council and a weak mayor,” Fauver said. “That’s been reversed. That can be very frustrating because council is supposed to determine policy…As of now, we don’t.”

Fauver added that it’s difficult to juggle a career and serve in City Hall. The job of a councilmember, which pays $39,000 a year and is supposed to be a part-time gig, is more like a round-the-clock position.

“It’s four years,” she said, referring to another term. “Four years on top of eight years is a little bit longer than I want to do it. I’m frankly looking forward to a new challenge and I don’t know what that will be.”

(more…)

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This is wonderful, especially because your humble pixel-stained wretch does most of his banking at this very location!

Consumer advocate blog Consumerist says a “card skimmer” — a device scammers attach onto ATMs which reads and stores your personal information — was found on a ATM at the bank’s Ponce de Leon Avenue and Frederica Street location.

Here’s what Consumerist reader “Kelly” wrote to the blog:

The location was the corner of Ponce de Leon and Frederica in Atlanta. There are two ATMs at the location, one in the front and one in the back. The ATM that had the skimmer on it was the ATM in the back. When I discovered it, I was so surprised that I didn’t think to call the number on the ATM, I called the main customer support number instead (the call was around 5:12 pm saturday).

The put me on hold for a bit and when they came back on they asked me for the location and time of discovery, and they asked me to give the skimmer to the police.

When I flagged down a police officer, he gave me the distinct impression that I was to give it to the bank so that they could “conduct an internal investigation.”

I just thought it was funny that the bank didn’t seem to want the device, and neither did the cops. So here I am, left with an illegal card skimmer with a whole bunch of strangers’ card data on it. I just want to get rid of it!

We’ve sent an email to BofA’s newsroom for comment, as no phone number was listed.

(H/T to @ameliatrace from The Wren’s Nest)

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After two hours of contention and confusion, Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit F voted last night to approve a rezoning designation that proponents say would preserve Virginia-Highland’s charm.

Scrunched in the jampacked meeting room of a psychiatric hospital off Monroe Drive, nearly 200 residents ultimately stamped the organization’s seal of approval on a  two-year effort meant to preserve the neighborhood before developers capitalize on its antiquated zoning codes.

(more…)

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As Virginia-Highland attracts more residents, barflies, and Sunday afternoon pedestrians, it’ll also — for better or worse — catch the eye of developers who want to capitalize on that appeal. And for residents and property owners who want a voice in how their bustling neighborhood evolves, tonight’s their chance.

Members of Neighborhood Planning Unit F, whose boundaries include Virginia-Highland will vote tonight whether its members want Virginia-Highland rezoned as “Neighborhood Commercial.” The designation focuses on three busy “nodes” along North Highland Avenue where it intersects Briarcliff Place, Virginia Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue. The designation could potentially affect The Mix at 841 (above right) — an ambitious mixed-use development proposed across the street from the long strip of bars that includes Blind Willie’s and Diesel — that’s irked some residents for its size and scope.

According to the Virginia-Highland Civic Association, current zoning allows commercial buildings as high as 11 stories in some areas. If ultimately approved by the Atlanta City Council, the rezoning would limit the height of buildings to three stories and encourage such smart-growth concepts as mixed-use design and shared parking. It would prohibit “suburban-style” buildings such as the CVS Pharmacy and encourage developers to take the neighborhood’s architecture into account.  (For the association’s documents related to the rezoning proposal, click here.)

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. tonight at the Hillside facility between Courtenay Dr and Monroe Dr. According to the NPU-F website, “access is available from 1301 Monroe Dr., opposite the CSO facility on Monroe. Parking is available at the rear of the building off Monroe Drive.” The public is welcome, but keep in mind that you have to live or own commercial property in the district if you want to vote.

UPDATE: Christa at Pecanne Log is none-too-pleased with The Mix.

(Apologies for the screenshot. The Mix website appears to be incomplete.)

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