• Welcome!
    |
    ||
    Logout|My Dashboard
  • December 12, 2011

Election results - Dunwoody Crier: News: election results, elections, parks referendum, taxes,

default avatar
Welcome to the site! Login or Signup below.
|
Not you?||
Logout|My Dashboard

Election results

Print
Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size

Posted: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 10:57 pm | Updated: 11:48 am, Tue Nov 15, 2011.

Dunwoody voters declared their opposition to higher taxes Tuesday by soundly defeating two proposals to issue $66 million in bonds for parks acquisitions and improvements. This report is compiled without early voting or absentee totals.

In the races for mayor and city council, Bob Dallas, the front-runner for mayor in an earlier poll for The Crier, led the field with 3627 (or 44 percent) to 3179 (or 38.6 percent) for Mike Davis. Gordon Jackson won 1427 (17.4 percent)votes. Since neither Dallas nor Davis won more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place December 6.

A runoff also will take place in the race for the city council in District One at-large. The incumbent, Robert Wittenstein, trailed challenger Terry Nall 3563 votes (44.2 percent) to 3408 votes (42.3 percent). Rick Callihan garnered 1082 votes (13.4 percent).

In District 2 at-large, Lynn Deutsch defeated Kerry deVallette by 4390 votes (56.3 percent) to 3436 (43.7 percent). In a Monday surprise, City Councilman John Heneghan endorsed Deutsch, who has had years of experience as a volunteer with the DeKalb County public schools and was a board member of the Dunwoody Homeowners' Association. Though the city elections are non-partisan, Heneghan and Deutsch have Democratic Party voting records.

The bond issue for park acquisitions, the dominant issue in the elections, was thumped. Almost 5800 voters (65.9 percent) voted against it, despite the late city council vote to acquire a decrepit 519-unit apartment complex on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard for $19 million. The complex has been cited for code violations hundreds of times, was built under less-stringent codes and is seen as a crime hub. Just fewer than 3000 voters (34.1percent) supported the purchase.

A second bond issue for $33 million for parks improvements also was defeated by 58.1 percent to 39.4 percent. Slightly more than 5000 voters opposed it, while 3600 voters supported it.

A ballot question on redevelopment powers for the city, creating tax allocation districts, fared well, winning 4536 votes and losing 3764 votes.

The biggest and clearest winner on the ballot was to allow Sunday sales of alcohol after 12:30 p.m. That measure, heavily advertised in The Crier and through yard signs, garnered 7053 votes, with only 1765 opposed.

As The Crier has reported, in the mayor's race - pointing toward the runoff elections - Dallas has the most cash on hand. His October 25 report with the Georgia Ethics Commission showed him with a balance of $14,162 against Davis's balance of $3278.

In the District One at-large city council race, Wittenstein reported a cash balance of $10,903 while Nall reported cash on hand of $640.

 

© 2011 Dunwoody Crier. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More about

  • Discuss

Rules of Conduct

  • 1 Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
  • 2 Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
  • 3 Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
  • 4 Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
  • 5 Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
  • 6 Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Welcome to the discussion.

9 comments:

  • Chip Bagman posted at 8:17 pm on Sat, Nov 12, 2011.

    Posts: 15

    Colonel W:

    You might be interested in a topic for the Council Meeting for Monday, Nov 14. City Staff is asking to make the "housing allowance" a permanent, non-expiring condition of working for the police force. This living adjustment bonus was deemed necessary to attract officers into the Dunwoody police force and to encourage them to relocate into Dunwoody.The original housing allowance was limited to 36 months. According to the staff memo, thru 2012,,seven officers will participate for a budget request amount of $28,000. This means each affected officer receivies$ 4000/yr, or roughly $300/mo. to assist them living in Dunwoody. Staff wants to make this transitional "signing bonus" a permanent fixture of the Dunwoody Police pay scale.

    Of course, the issue of parity and fairness to other officers has not been considered; so expect that every officer will be wanting the $300/month after they find out that the "temporary adjustment allowance" is being made permanent. That would mean 36X$4000/yr or roughly $150,000 more in police expenses beginning in 2013.

    Might be worth attending the meeting.

     
  • Ben Greenwald posted at 8:16 am on Fri, Nov 11, 2011.

    Posts: 1

    Its incorrect to assume that those who voted against the bonds for parks are against increased spending on parks. For me it was more about going in debt for the next 30 years to pay for parks now. I support increased taxes for parks just as long as we don't go into debt for them. I would like to see a commitment from the political leadership for the City of Dunwoody to be a debt free city.

     
  • Colonel W posted at 4:29 pm on Thu, Nov 10, 2011.

    Posts: 2

    Parks taxes voted down! Finally, some sanity prevails during bad economic times. Wonder what the vote would have been if we wanted to pay our police officers enough to enable them afford to live in the city they protect without depending on a second income?

     
  • The Man posted at 10:21 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.

    Posts: 1

    New slogans for branding the City of Dunwoody in light of parks bonds crash and burn:
    City of No!
    Cheapskate City, USA
    Proud to Be (Park) Free
    Our Kids Actually Prefer Playing Under Our High Tension Power Lines
    Parks are for Peasants (Join a Country Club)

     
  • Bubba posted at 2:21 pm on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.

    Posts: 1

    No tax money on new parks[smile]

     
  • Chip Bagman posted at 11:38 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.

    Posts: 15

    You'll have to read Rob Augustine's congratulations under the news item: Two Candidates Dominate City Election Fundraising. He did not post under the most recent article concerning the election results.

    Below are my thoughts in response to Rob's half-hearted congratulations.

    ******************************************************************************
    Rob:

    The "opponents" are not a minority, they're the majority. You were very high on "majority will" versus the fate of the minority apartment dwellers before this vote. I should have thought you'd be in support of the majority will here, too.

    You persist in trying to demean those who had legitimate concerns and objections to the parks bonds as some sort of cabal or anti-progressives. You should admit that the referenda were seriously flawed, and that the will of the people (at the local level) was expressed by rejecting them outright and soundly.

    Perhaps it is you who should attempt to conform your thinking to be more in-line with the community, as you are clearly on the "outside looking in" on this issue.

    That's the rub with democracy, Rob. You win some, and you lose some.

    If the City wants to buy the Shallowford property, they can make that happen through planning, short-term financing, and open and transparent negotiations. I hope the new mayor and the new council will do a better job than the incumbents in understanding that Dunwoody wants parks, but they want them at a reasonable cost and at a reasonable time frame.

    Chip

     
  • DunwoodyDrew posted at 8:05 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.

    Posts: 1

    Run off elections...ugh [sad]

     
  • Chip Bagman posted at 7:01 am on Wed, Nov 9, 2011.

    Posts: 15

    To Rob Augustine:

    You go first with your "spin" on what happened. I'm sure it will be entertaining.

    As Abe Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people....."

    Chip

    "Smart people, ????? Council"

     
  • Rob Augustine posted at 11:19 pm on Tue, Nov 8, 2011.

    Posts: 12

    Congratulations to the Parks Bond opponents. You now have your opportunity to revise the parks plans more to your liking. Let's hope that the old Shallowford Hospital property might still be purchased by the city so it's not developed for commercial use.