Monthly Archives: October 2011

Public Servant on a Power Trip: Councilman Attempts to Bully Constituent

1 Reply

The thing I love most about politicians is if you hand them a microphone and ask them for a statement, in a matter of seconds, they will probably make themselves look worse than any posed question could. Last night, just this happened.

Alpharetta High School hosted a debate for the Alpharetta Mayoral candidates. With the election in less than two weeks, it’s no doubt that tensions are running high. Candidates look exhausted and stressed. But all of these things are normal with an election.

What is not normal?….Watch this video. This is the closing statement from Candidate Doug DeRito.

It’s true that Candidate Belle Isle had to leave early to attend another event. Mr. DeRito harped on this in almost every response of the evening – in between making unsubstantiated digs at his former Co-Councilmember- so much so that it took away from his responses to the questions asked. It’s distracting when he says things like “…and our missing candidate who’s not here no longer”.

And how about the moment at which he points to me in the front row and says, “And I know you’re filming this, so you can tell him I said that”. I’m sorry Councilman DeRito, do you have an issue with the First Amendment? Or are you worried you may have said something inappropriate throughout the evening? And why are you calling out a young girl, sitting alone in the front row with a video camera? The press attended the debate, as did a number of constituents, all whom brought cameras and video. Was that REALLY necessary or were you just on a power trip, looking for someone to take your campaign trail frustrations out on?

I also think it’s shameful that Mr. DeRito stated he has abilities that he could “bless the City with” if he is elected, followed by “I’ve done it for 1o years”. Really, sir? You believe you have been BLESSING the City of Alpharetta for the 10 years? Well bless your heart. THANK YOU!

You can also see Doug DeRito flip-flop on the ACVB ticket scandal with these three videos:
Video 1 is the DeRito response, Video 2 is Paine’s response with DeRito interjecting and Video 3 is the moderator questioning DeRito’s lack of consistency. Maybe this is why he called me out during his closing…cause his flip-flop was documented?

1.

2.

3.

There’s an app for that.

Leave a reply

You’re going to love this.

Ricardo Dominguez, an activist and hacker from the University of California San Diego, has created an iPhone app to assist undocumented migrant workers “safely cross the border”. The free application, the Transborder Immigrant Tool, would help migrants find water in the deserts
near the border and otherwise avoid getting lost in their treacherous trek north, according to USA Today. This has been in the making for a few years now and the ‘designers’ (read: accessories to crossing the border illegally) are still tweaking the semantics.

Enrique Morones, President of Border Angels, said, “It’s going to be some sort of device that would let people know where is the nearest road, where the nearest church, nearest border patrol station, possibly even some water.”

What is there to even say about this one? Thanks Apple? Or maybe, hopefully these illegals can’t afford the iPhone? Or maybe their service won’t work? Oh here’s an idea….You won’t need an app if you come here LEGALLY.

A little comedy for the road ❤

Is Everything Political These Days?

2 Replies

It seems you can’t read, watch or talk about anything anymore without some aspect turning political. One of my Facebook friends posted that they were watching the MLK Memorial today…until it turned political. 9/11 Memorial services have turned political. News, of course, is political.

Today, on CBS Sunday Morning, David Edelstein’s review of “Margin Call” made this ridiculously clear. Here is the segment:


Edelstein uses ‘Occupy Wall Street” as a lead in, as well as a homemade puppet to voice his own personal opinion on this issue while claiming he’s not a political pundit. “They deserve some R&R”, Edelstein says as he encourages protesters to go see this movie. Margin Call is about large corporations on Wall Street and how their plight for success hurts hundreds of millions of people, Edelstein tells us. The movie is from the successful Wall Streeters perspective in an effort to show what goes on ‘behind closed doors’. (Interesting timing, don’t you think?) It has an emphasis on whats it’s like to ‘look out for your own wealth’ at the cost of others. While the movie seems to replicate some of the events of the 2008 financial crisis, Edelstein applauds the Occupy Wall Street protesters through a MOVIE REVIEW by sympathizing with the uphill battle they are facing against “scary” Wall Street and “scary” America. (The same “scary” America that offers welfare benefits, housing assistance and free college tuition around the country.)

Beyond the not-so-coincidental timing of the Occupy Wall Street protests, the ensuing election, the leaking and then annihilation of corporation missteps and movies such as Margin Call simultaneously released, one must consider the greater issues. IS EVERYTHING POLITICAL? Come on, people. Why are Sunday morning coffee shows so skewed? Where has the objectivity gone? What happened to allowing a reader/viewer to develop an opinion?

Yes, the introduction is supposed to be satirical but why does a movie review have to turn political? Why do children’s books have to be political? Why does The Game of Life have to be political? Can’t we just learn and analyze for ourselves?

A Letter to the Citizens of Roswell

Leave a reply

Guest Blog: From Roswell City Council Candidate Lee Fleck (Post 2)

Citizens,
Please see the above photo of the Financial History of Roswell. This was provided to me by the Current City Budget Director, Keith Lee  during the FY2011 budget hearings.
  • There is absolutely no way to frame this in a positive light and for the incumbent to state  that the council has been “preserving a balanced budget” is the height of deception.
  • To further state in the Georgia Voters Guide on the AJC Website (http://www.thevoterguide.org/v/ajc11/race-detail.do?id=221392494)  that Roswell continues with “sound spending practices and maintenance of healthy reserves” is untruthful.
  • The truth of the matter is that by the end of next year all your savings will be gone (Red Arrow) .
To quote Mayor Jere Wood from a publicized interview in Late June 2010:
“We’re not covering our current costs with current revenues. We’re covering them with savings. That’s not sustainable.  I’m looking a few years down the road. I see a deficit coming. At the current rate, the Council will have spent all of our available reserves by 2012. After that they will either have to raise taxes or make drastic cuts in the City budget.”
  • And prior to using “Reserves by Policy” (purple bar graph) which BY CITY POLICY is only to be used in the event of a catastrophic natural event (i.e. tornado, flood, etc)  this current Council will be forced to rack up debt to the maximum of the carrying capacity of the current bond millage rate. 
  • The city’s AAA bond rating is dependent on these reserves by policy.   But once the city is leveraged to the hilt  this administration & council will be able to spend this safety net of money.  To facilitate this objective these funds have conveniently been renamed, just this year,  as “sustainability reserves” so that any reference to the fact these savings are specifically earmarked has been eliminated.
  • When the dust settles after the election the current council will call for a General Obligation Bond in the amount of $40,000,000.  The reason they will do this is because the current Council is morally incapable of reducing expenses.   So they will rack up debt for younger citizens of Roswell to pay.
Please vote Tuesday November 8th.
Lee Fleck
Candidate for Roswell City Council, Post 2

Why the Amana Academy Has the Right to Expand

3 Replies

**This blog is written a little different. Based on a memo written for a graduate school class, the memo is apolitical and analyzes the Amana Academy controversy from an administrative standpoint.

The Alpharetta City Council is currently faced with a decision on whether Amana Academy, a Fulton County Charter school in Alpharetta, should be granted a zoning permit to expand in the Windward Business Center.  The proposed building is not technically zoned for a school, but could easily accommodate the desired expansion.  A great deal of opposition exists with the expansion of the school, mainly by influential members of the community adjacent to the Windward Business Center. City officials, however, risk legal, political and managerial implications based on the way they vote.

Amana Academy is a Fulton County Charter School established in 2004 that operates in Alpharetta, Georgia. Founded by a group of parents wanting more out of public school for their children, Amana Academy uses Outward Bound learning programs and encourages stewardship. The Academy also requires every student learn Arabic in order to “enhance cognitive skills, broaden students’ perspectives and bridge cultural gaps” (Amana 1). Although Amana Academy is the only public school to teach Arabic in the state of Georgia, a similar program at Mimosa Elementary Charter in Roswell requires students to learn Japanese.  The program at Mimosa is also part of the Fulton County school system but has received no opposition.

Operating out of a building in downtown Alpharetta, the Amana Academy is restricted in the number of students that are allowed to enroll. In an effort to expand, the Academy scouted a larger property in the Windward Business Center Association (WBCA) on the corner of Windward Parkway and Edison Drive. Having been vacant for four years, the property would allow the Academy to accommodate 721 students, the maximum allowed by their charter contract.  In terms of property use, Amana would add green space by adding a playground, garden and recreational field (Pepalis 1).

The building that Amana Academy is requesting use of is zoned as “Office-Institution, research and development, office-professional, light industrial and hotel conference center zoning categories” (Windward Master Plan 1). In May 2011, the Windward Business Center Association Board of Directors approved a variance for use of the building and land.  The Board does not have authority to deny the variance per the Windward Master Plan. Upon receipt of approval by the WBCA Board, Amana Academy moved forward with its’ rezoning request to the City of Alpharetta Planning Commission so the property could be used for a school.  The Planning Commission deadlocked on a vote, 3-3, and passed the vote to the City Council without a recommendation.

Prior to the Planning Commission meeting, members of the Windward Homeowners Association (WHA), the residential community that is adjacent to the Business Center, were unaware of the proposed expansion. Many homeowners attended the Planning Commission meeting and were angry to learn that Amana Academy was requesting expansion where the roadways were already heavily congested.  Upon learning of the potential expansion of Amana, the WHA coordinated a meeting with Amana Academy to gather more information and possibly come to a consensus. The two parties did not come to an accord and Amana moved ahead with its agenda for the August 22, 2011 City Council meeting.

In the interim, publicity surrounding the issue continued to increase in both amount and intensity. Flyers were circulated throughout Windward by unknown sources. Some were informative, others were derogatory in nature calling those affiliated with Amana Academy “camel jockeys” and “ragheads” and insisted that Amana was a “terrorist training camp” (Shan 1).

On August 18th, Amana Academy requested and was granted a deferral from the City Council meeting claiming they needed additional time to review traffic studies, consider other potential locations, as requested by the Planning Commission and continue negotiations with the Windward homeowners (Pepalis 1).

The City of Alpharetta has three options in this dilemma The Alpharetta City Council has the option to deny the request for a rezoning permit.  Recall in the Windward Master Plan that the current zoning specifications of the property permitted office-institution and research and development. Both specifications could easily be argued by Amana Academy. Therefore, the Alpharetta City Council, per the Windward Master Plan, could allow the school to occupy the building. The City Council would reinforce the verbiage “office institution” or “research and development” and allow the expansion.  This option, however, would leave room for appeal by the constituents since the wording is not explicit.

The Council also has the option to grant the rezoning permit and allow the expansion of Amana Academy in the Windward Business Center.  This option would protect Amana Academy by making the decision final with the wording being precise.

Both cases of approval could lead to some managerial implications.

Finally, the Council has the choice to deny Amana Academy a rezoning permit based on the premise that it will create a transportation issue for the residents in the surrounding areas.  This option leaves opens the door for many legal and political implications.

Legal Implications: The Alpharetta City Council risks a plethora of legal implications should they deny Amana Academy the right to expand within the Windward Business Center Association. The fact that members of the Windward Homeowners Association have expressed concern over Amana Academy beyond traffic and tax base concerns, the supposed opposition to the teachings of Arabic and the possible Islamic foundations, leaves the City in a precarious situation. Despite the justification based on traffic and the possible tax base loss, Amana Academy could file a lawsuit on the basis of discrimination.  In turn, the City will not be able to offer proof that the decision was made solely on economic and transportation bases. Although the City of Alpharetta denied the expansion of a Mosque on legal grounds, it would certainly justify probing from higher institutions if the City denied the permit.

Political Implications:  There are strong political implications for city council members who vote to either allow the school expansion under the current zoning specifications or who grant a rezoning permit to Amana Academy.  With the high level of political activeness in the Windward Homeowners Association and Windward voters making up 1/3 of the voting bloc in Alpharetta, members of the city council risk being replaced come election time.

There also may be political implications should the city council members continue to push the rezoning hearing back until after the 2011 election. Amana Academy was the petitioner for a deferral, however, rescheduling of the issue is now the responsibility of the Council.  Those members of council who have opposition in the November election could scathe by without having to confront the issue, therefore buying themselves more time.  Constituents may not think this is the most ethical sequence of addressing the issue, and members of the council could again face scrutiny.

Managerial Implications: Members of the Windward Homeowners Association argue that if Amana Academy takes over this new building in WBCA, the taxes will go to Fulton County and not Alpharetta.  While this could be detrimental for members of the Council come election time, the amount of tax dollars lost is minimal, as it is only one parcel of land and a relatively small building. Should the city deny Amana Academy use of the property, Amana could leave Alpharetta and operate in Roswell, Mountain Park, Johns Creek, or anywhere else inside the limits of Fulton County.  The City has an obligation to promote business that will produce revenue.  A nonprofit school that sends taxes to the county could be seen as a betrayal by the City. Constituents want to see their city flourish. 

Recommendation: The Alpharetta City Council should grant Amana Academy the zoning permit
based on the compliance of Amana with all other restrictions. Bob Pepalis made an interesting point in his article for the Alpharetta Patch, “If the Fulton County School System was buying the property it wouldn’t even come before the city’s Planning Commission…And City Council wouldn’t get the chance to make a zoning decision” (Pepalis 2). School systems are generally immune to zoning laws, but because Amana Academy is a charter, some restrictions apply.

Some members of the community have expressed sympathy for members of the city council due to the intense emotion and publicity surrounding this issue.  Unfortunately, politicians are not entitled to sympathy.  Members of the Alpharetta City Council were elected to serve the people by upholding the values of government granted by the Constitution.  While it may seem that serving the people means “playing by their rules”, it more importantly requires that core freedoms are protected. Those freedoms include freedom of speech, which is why Amana Academy should legally be granted the zoning permit.

The Hot Mess of the I85 ‘HOT’ Lanes

2 Replies

I have the pleasure of traveling on 85-N twice a week during evening rush hour. My route consists of roughly 7 miles on 285 and 14 miles on 85N for a complete one-way trip mileage of 25 miles (that’s including surface streets). Before the implementation of the HOT lanes, my trip time was 25-30 minutes. Since implementation, my trip time has doubled, I spend 30 minutes on the bridge at Spaghetti Junction and tension among drivers is immense. [And by that, I mean my horn may need replacing by the end of the year]

The HOT lanes are one of Georgia’s biggest mistakes yet. Channel 2 Action News set up their camera at I-85 and Jimmy Carter Boulevard during rush hour Tuesday (10/4) and watched five lanes of brake lights. There was one empty lane, which was the HOT lane. They also interviewed drivers and heard several complaints over the highest toll posted ($5.55) from Old Peachtree Road to Chamblee Tucker Road Tuesday morning. That price is $.30 cents more than Georgia’s minimum wage of $5.25 an hour

Any way you cut it, this cake tastes like crap. For those who either 1) had a hybrid/energy-efficient car or 2) carpooled with one other person, you can no longer be ‘green’ without paying for it. For those who drive the old-fashioned, not-so-green cars, your commute time has increased because of the digest of people who are now traveling in the ‘regular’ lanes. To use the lanes during rush hour is more expensive than using the lanes in the middle of the day or late at night.

Ms. Wilkins from the State Road and Tollway Authority said, “What the data said in the traffic and revenue study from about three years ago is that it would be no discernible impact to the general purpose lanes”. Well Ms. Wilkins, your study is outdated and wrong.

The system isn’t even effective. Users have to register online, (and currently, the processing time is SIX WEEKS to receive your ‘transponder’ for your dash). Then you must set up a prepaid account and “manage” that account monthly. Violations for driving in the lanes inappropriately (without a pass or without a valid account) are $75 + court fees.

You can visit the PeachPass website yourself and poke around. My favorite part is in the FAQ section. “Will the HOT lanes make my commute better or worse?” Answer: The I-85 Express Lanes will give you more choices for planning your commute. What? Ms. Wilkins also recommends contacting the Clean Air Campaign to be matched with carpool buddies, if you would like to be exempt from the toll.

So what are we going to do about it?

On Thursday, WSB-tv reported that Gov. Nathan Deal announced there will be a reduction in the toll rate along the Interstate 85 HOT lanes, starting with the Thursday rush hour night-time commute. Instead of $5.50, the cost would be $3.05 for the next two weeks. This is supposed to work as some sort of incentive to get drivers in the Express Lanes. Not sure how this will work, though. If the ‘sale’ is only for 2 weeks, and transponder receipt time is 6 weeks, newly registered users will not reap the benefits.

And, there has been speculation that the same system will be further imposed on 85, and spread to I-75 and I-575.

My suggestion? Boycott the HOT lanes! It has an effect. After one week, the prices were reduced. Besides, why should we support ANOTHER tax? We are taxed enough to travel as it is. Car sales tax, gas tax and now there is federal legislation to tax by mile driven. No thank you.

Georgia has attempted to implement traffic systems from other states many times before, but they JUST CAN’T GET IT RIGHT.

Goin’ Through It Like It’s Water…

4 Replies

A lot of things in Roswell are swept under the rug and citizens know nothing about it–until their taxes go up. In the blog “Roswell Isn’t “Wynning”, Vote for Lee Fleck!” I mentioned the Revenue bond the city would be proposing after the election in 2011 and without the vote of constituents. The bond would go towards a new water plant in the city.

Some have argued that the plant will bring jobs and industrialize Roswell, but there are some much bigger costs:

  • Last fiscal year (2011) the city bought over $1.0 million in water from Fulton County
  • In essence, every glass of water you, and everyone who gets their water from the City, drink contains 50% Fulton County water. There are two major valves on the city’s water grid located on Holcomb Bridge that are directly tied to Fulton County.
  • Currently, the city has a water plant on Dobbs street that is capable of producing 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD). It was built in 1937 and has been refurbished to 1960 standards.—-The engineers analysis indicated that this plant will be obsolete in 10 years.
  • On average the City’s demand is well over 2 MGD and Fulton County supplies the rest of the demanded water for the very limited number of homes and businesses (approx 5000) that get their water from the City of Roswell.
  • The current cost to produce 1000 gallons of water is slightly over $2.00, however what customers are actually charged is a higher rate which includes distribution costs, and administrative overhead.
  • Contained within the Master Plan (pg 18) is the long-term sustainability costs which project this $ 2 cost accelerating to as much as $15 per 1000 gallons by 2060.
  • The proposed revenue bond will be funded with an annual utility increase of between 2-3 % through 2060.
  • Fulton County water costs in 2060 are projected to be $8.04 / 1000 gallons, suggesting that the City should rely on Fulton County for 100% of its’ water.
  • The above information is from the “Master Water Plan, July 2010” submitted by an engineering firm that the City of Roswell hired.

What’s the disconnect, people?

As mentioned before, Becky Wynn needs to go. To insure that the limited number of citizens who receive their water from the City of Roswell (and not Fulton
County) will actually have the final say on the $17 million “revenue” bond that will be presented by Wynn to build a new water plant. Again, Lee Fleck would like government to become more transparent and would call for a referendum for the people affected.

The full DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT GROUNDWATER WELL AND TREATMENT FACILITY PROJECT plan is available here.

Below is page 19 of the 2010 Master Water plan and it gives a projection of the future costs of 1000 gallons of water from a new Water Plant the will be the subject of the forthcoming “Revenue” bond.

The entire plan is listed below.

Roswell Water System Master Plan text 7-2010

For more information on Lee Fleck, to request a Yard Sign, make a donation or volunteer, visit http://fleckforroswellga.com/Home.html