Champion FreePress 2-05-16

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C HA MP IO NN EW SPA PE R C HA MP IO NN EW S CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER CHAMPIONNEWS

thechampionnewspaper.com F REE P RESS FRIDaY, FEBRUaRY 5, 2016 • Vol. 18, No. 44 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

CHAMPION The

See More Pay on Page 15A

Police, fire rescue personnel pushing for more pay

Blasting concerns again haltwork at Snapfinger sewage plant

ire rescue personnel joined police ofcers Jan. 25 in demanding more pay. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

by Andrew [email protected]

Sgt. Marnie Mercer, a 13-year DeKalbPolice veteran, can no longer affordto work for DeKalb County.

That’s what she told county officialsJan. 25 when she and dozens of countypolice and fire rescue personnel attendeda Board of Commissioners meeting toagain urge county officials to increasetheir pay.

Mercer, who serves as an expert wit-ness on domestic violence cases, said, “I

have heard citizens call for better businessinvestment in DeKalb County and forbetter crime deterrent. Let me ask you,how will you attract businesses to DeKalbCounty if it is not safe to do business inDeKalb County?

“Who will build your parks and yourlibraries if it is not safe to walk on thestreets in DeKalb County? What goodis it to have your potholes filled in if it isnot safe to drive on the streets in DeKalbCounty?” she asked.

Mercer said her pay recently dropped2 percent “because of the increase in pen-sion contributions...which means thatsince 2006 I have netted about 1 percent


Construction work at theSnapfinger Wastewater Treat-ment Plant has been halted by

DeKalb County officials.The halt for the secondphase of the project comes afteroncerns about blasting in the

area.In a Jan. 29 statement to The

Champion, the DeKalb CountyDepartment of Watershed Man-agement (DWM) officials stated,The blasting at Snapfinger

Wastewater Treatment Plant has

been discontinued until furthernotice so that DWM can con-tinue to address the surround-ing community’s concerns as itrelates to unresolved damageclaims.

“The unintended conse-quence of discontinuing blast-ing results in a reduced volumeof work which can be accom-plished,” according to the state-ment.

After more questions aboutthe status of the project, water-shed officials released anotherstatement to The Champion,stating, “The Snapfinger project

is not being cancelled. Site prep-aration has been temporarilypostponed to ensure we provideadequate notice to surroundingresidents.

“Once proper notice has

been given, work will resume,”according to the statement.The Snapfinger project al-

ready has had its problems. In2012, Desmear Systems washired to grub and clear land,excavate rock and soil, andconstruct a retaining wall. Thecounty later terminated its $7.7million contract with Desmear,citing a structurally unsound

See Snapnger on Page 15A

Construction at the Snapnger Wastewater Treatment Plant,which county leaders broke ground on in Oct. 15, has beenhalted again. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

LOCAL, 2A LOCAL, 12A SPORTS, 21A

Business .................................17A

Classified ..............................20A

ducation............................... 16A

Opinion ......................................5A Sports ............................... 21-23A

QUICK FINDERSCHOOL DISTRICT’S

ACCREDITATION WOESOVER

DUNWOODY WINSFIRST DEKALB COUNTYWRESTLING TITLE

COUNTY PASSESMORATORIUM ONCERTAIN ZONING PERMITS


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The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 LOCAL Page 2A

DeKalb to test sewer systemby Andrew Cauthen

[email protected] four-year project to assess and

ehabilitate the worst of DeKalb’s ag-ng sewer pipes began in late January.

The county’s watershed depart-ment began its Priority Area SewerAssessment and Rehabilitation Pro-gram in compliance with a 2010 con-ent decree with the federal Environ-

mental Protection Agency (EPA) inwhich DeKalb County agreed to al-ocate approximately $20 million-$30

million to address the causes of ex-essive sewage spills.

The assessment is part of a$1.345 billion upgrade to DeKalb’s

water and sewer system. The countyalso agreed to pay a $453,000 penaltyas part of the consent decree.

In the assessment, county con-ractors will be “looking at those

areas that were identified by EPAas priority areas with a lot of repeatpills and having problems within

our collection system,” said MargaretTanner, the watershed department’sdeputy director for engineering andonstruction management services.

The county has identified 48

“sewer sheds” in three sewer groups,mostly in the western section of thecounty, which will be addressed bycontractors “looking at the conditionof our sanitary collection system,”Tanner said. “We are looking forthings like leaky joints, belly sags orpipes [that] are sagging [and] thatcreate problems in our sewer sys-tem…[such as] cracked pipes [and]places where water inflows when itrains.

“We are also looking at how wecan improve those whether it’s apoint repair or whether we have totake the pipe completely out and re-place it with a new pipe,” she said.

The sewer assessment “is thelargest part of our consent decreeprogram,” Tanner said. “It took us alittle while to get here but we’re herenow and we’re getting ready to moveforward with this as fast as possible.”

The county’s deadline to conductthe assessment tests is January 2018and the rehabilitation must be com-pleted by June 2020.

“We’re going to be moving fast,”Tanner said. “That’s not a lot of time

and it’s already 2016. So it gives us

four years to go over 700 miles ofpipe, figure out what’s wrong with it,if anything is wrong, if it has capac-ity issues…go in there and actuallydo all of the repairs that have to bedone.”

The sewer assessments will usea variety of tests including sonar,closed circuit television, pole-mount-ed zoom camera, manhole inspec-tion, acoustic wave, and smoke anddye.

The “smoke and dye test is prob-ably the biggest impact to residents,”Tanner said.

In this test, workers “inject aninert smoke material,” into the pipes,

Tanner said. “It’s not harmful topeople, it won’t harm pets, it won’thurt plants.

“But if folks see smoke in theneighborhood the thought is ‘thereis a fire,’” Tanner said. “That’s usuallythe biggest impact to residents.”

When smoke is injected into apipe “if there is a break in the pipethat smoke will come out throughthat break and we will be able to pin-point where…the break is,” Tanner

said.

The white-gray smoke “looksfrom a distance like the smoke youmight get from a fire,” Tanner said.“Fire departments often get called onsmoke testing.”

A technician with identificationand a marked vehicle will be in thearea of any smoke testing, she said.

The testing will be conductedMondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to5 p.m. Assessment contractors willdistribute door hangers notifyingresidents of the smoke testing 72hours prior to working in the neigh-borhood.

The watershed department willhold community informational

meetings about the assessment proj-ect on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. inthe Community Achievement Cen-ter, 4522 Flat Shoals Parkway, Deca-tur; and Thursday, Feb. 11, at 6:30p.m. at Tucker Recreation Center,4898 Lavista Road, Tucker.

For more information call 1 (800)968-1108, email [email protected], or visit www.dekalbcon-sentdecree.com.

SMOKING PIPES:


DeKalb County has is-ued a 45-day moratorium

on accepting, issuing ordenying special land use per-mits for certain businesses.

Those businesses includealcohol outlets, gas stations,car repair and maintenancehops, check cashing es-ablishments, conveniencetores, drive-thru restaurants

and pawn shops in commer-cial districts.

A resolution passed byhe Board of Commissionerstates that the county “needsime to review its current

ordinances to ensure that its

laws preserve the quality-of-life for citizens whileimposing limited and effec-tive regulations on certaincommercial uses that impactquality-of-life issues.”

The moratorium is “justa pause in the process,” Viv-ian Ernstes, deputy countyattorney, said Jan. 26 duringa Board of Commissionersmeeting. Commissionersunanimously approved themoratorium during thatmeeting.

“For the next 45 days, theplanning department is notgoing to accept special landuse permit applications forthe variety of expansions orestablishments” described

in the moratorium, Ernstessaid.

“It also puts a pause onyour granting or denying ap-plications that have currentlybeen filed with the planningdepartment,” Ernstes toldcommissioners.

Ernstes said the mora-torium is needed “so theplanning department andthe law department can draftnew regulations to clarify thestandards and criteria to beused when you grant thesespecial land use permits.”

During the moratoriumcounty officials will developa new ordinance to presentto commissioners.

“If during the course of

that time period we deter-mine...we’re going to need alittle bit longer to enact suchan ordinance and allow forfull vetting before the fullboard of commissioners,what will happen is we willadvertise a longer zoningmoratorium” and hold pub-lic hearings before planningcommission and board ofcommissioners before the45-day moratorium expires,”Ernstes said.

The moratorium endsMarch 11.

“This is a very short timeperiod and under state lawit’s not required to be a pub-lic hearing or to be adver-tised because it’s not a final

zoning decision, it’s simply apause in the process,” Ernstessaid.

Andrew Baker, DeKalb’splanning director, said thecounty will look at “theways other jurisdiction havehandled alcohol outlets andconvenience stores and soforth.”

Baker said the county’sadministration will be“hopefully coming back toyou with a suggested textamendment that you can ap-prove that will actually giveus more development stan-dards with which to makeour decisions.”

County passes moratorium on certain special land use permitsConvenience stores, car repair shops and drive-thru restaurants are among the businesses under a moratorium for special land use permits. Photos by Andrew Cauthen


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BROOKHAVENCity to host Valentine’s daddy/daughter dance

Brookhaven’s Parks and Rec-eation Department will host a

Daddy/Daughter Valentine’s DanceFeb. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. atLynwood Community Center. Theevent will include music, dancing,giveaways, pictures to take homeand light snacks. The price is $25per family. Online registration isencouraged, but walk-up payments

will also be accepted the night of thedance. For more information, call404) 637-0512.

City to host open house

The Peachtree Creek GreenwayOpen House will be held Feb. 16,from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brookhavencity hall. City hall is located at 4362Peachtree Road. For more informa-ion, visit www.brookhavenga.gov.

DECATUR

Commissioner to hostcommunity breakfast

DeKalb County CommissionerStan Watson will host his monthlycommunity breakfast on Saturday,Feb. 6.

The breakfast will be in the caf-eteria of Southwest DeKalb HighSchool, located at 2863 Kelley Cha-pel Road, Decatur, from 9 to 11 a.m.There is no charge and an RSVP isnot required.

Watson also will use this evento collect bottled water to send to

he Flint, Mich., community in re-ponse to the water crisis there.In recognition of National Teen

Dating Abuse and Violence Aware-ness, Solicitor General Sherry Bos-on will provide information andesources. Additional guest speakersnclude DeKalb County Sheriff Jeff

Mann and Maxine Daniels, direc-or of the DeKalb Voters Registra-ion and Elections.

Additionally, Eston Hood, whoecently retired from the YMCA of

Metro Atlanta, will be recognized.

Decatur Rotary Club acceptingapplications for communityproject grants

The Decatur Rotary Club iscurrently accepting applications for

2016 Decatur Rotary Club Com-munity Project Grants. Grant ap-plications may be submitted onlineat www.decatur-rotary.org and mustbe received by the club no later thanMarch 1.

The community project grantsfund projects focusing on eitherliteracy or at-risk youth that arebased in DeKalb County and serveDeKalb residents. The funds mustbe administered by a nonprofitagency currently maintaining a tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Codeand should be used between June 1,2016, and May 31, 2017.

Grant criteria and the onlineapplication can be found at www.decatur-rotary.org.

DORAVILLECity seeks input oncomprehensive plan update

Doraville residents are invitedto the Doraville Future Workshop,the first of several engagement op-

portunities for Design Doraville, theprocess of updating the city’s com-prehensive plan

The comprehensive plan isa policy document that outlinesthe long-range vision for the city’sfuture and helps shape rezoningdecisions and other strategic activi-ties. A Spanish interpreter will bepresent during the workshop to helpfacilitate discussion.

The workshop will help set theframework for the plan update bygathering input on communitygoals and will serve as an oppor-tunity to educate the communityabout the role of the comprehensive

plan in the city’s long-term planningand day-to-day activities. A primaryquestion for discussion will be:“What makes Doraville stand out?”

The workshop will be Tues-day, Feb. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at theSalvation Army’s Atlanta Interna-tional Corps, 3771 Central Avenue,Doraville.

Parking is available on the Sal- vation Army campus. This locationis less than a quarter mile from theDoraville MARTA Station and isserved by MARTA Bus Route 124(Pleasantdale Road). It is one blockfrom MARTA Bus Route 39 (Buford

Highway).For more information on theDesign Doraville ComprehensivePlan, contact Enrique Bascuñana,Doraville’s director of community

development, at (770) 451-8745, ext.234, or by email at [email protected].

LITHONIA Lambda Epsilon Omegapromotes heart health

Lambda Epsilon Omega Chap-ter of Alpha Kappa Alpha SororityInc. will host a “Pink Goes RedZumba Fitness Party” Friday, Feb. 5.

This is a free event open to thecommunity and will take place at

the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538Panola Road, Lithonia, from 6 to 8p.m.

Members of the community areencouraged to come out for enjoya free Zumba class, CPR Training,and receive nutritional informationduring the Pink Goes Red activity.

The event will help bring aware-ness to heart disease, promotephysical well being, encouragepositive health changes, and provideawareness and information on heartdisease, heart attack and stroke.

The event is sponsored byAmerican Heart Association, Zum-ba with Tanieka Wyatt and Empow-ered by Pink Foundation Inc.

TUCKER

Tucker Civic Association to hostcandidate forum

Tucker Civic Association willhost a candidate forum Feb. 9 formayoral and city council candidates.The forum will be held at TuckerMiddle School cafeteria, 2160 Idle-

wood Road, from 7 to 8:45 p.m.From 7 to 8 p.m., candidates willhave a table set up where they willbe able to meet voters in their dis-trict, answer questions, and provideany informational handouts. From8 to 8:45 p.m., the three mayoralcandidates will field questions fromthe audience and via a moderator.For more information, visit www.tucker2015.com.

Smoke Rise Community to hostcandidate forum

The Smoke Rise Community

Association will host a candidate fo-rum for candidates in District 1 andall mayoral candidates Feb. 8, from7 to 8:30 p.m. at Smoke Rise BaptistChurch, 5901 Hugh Howell Road in

Stone Mountain. For more informa-tion, visit www.tucker2015.com.

COUNTYWIDERecreation departmentregistering for adult softballleague

Registration for the adult softballleague continues until Feb. 26.

Participants have the opportuni-ty to sign up for adult co-ed or men’ssoftball leagues, Monday through

Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.The season begins in March

and includes 10 regular games. Theregistration fee is $420 per team anda $20 per person fee will be appliedfor non-DeKalb residents. To accessonline registration, visit the DeKalbCounty Parks webpage (apm.active-communities.com/dekalbcountyrec-reation) or register in person at anyDeKalb County recreation center.Registration is on a first come, firstserved basis.

For more information, pleasecall the Athletics Office at (770) 414-2113.

Commissioner to host budgetand bond meetings

DeKalb County CommissionerNancy Jester will host three county-wide town hall meetings for taxpay-ers to discuss and offer public inputto the 2016 DeKalb County budgetand the expected $21 million wind-fall from the refinancing of bonds atlow interest rates.

DeKalb County taxpayers willhave the opportunity to share theirobservations on the budget and of-fer specific issue recommendationsand suggestions for the budget andhow best to use the anticipated $21million in bond money.

“Every dollar DeKalb Countyreceives comes from, and belongsto, the taxpayers of DeKalb County,”Jester stated in a news release. “Itis important to me that DeKalbCounty taxpayers have the oppor-tunity to offer input into the budgetdevelopment process. I want to heardirectly from you about your priori-ties. Our budget demonstrates whatwe value.”

The meetings will be Feb. 9 atAll Saints Catholic Church’s socialhall, 2443 Mt. Vernon Road, Dun-

woody; and Feb. 23 at Tucker - ReidH. Cofer Library, 5234 LaVistaRoad, Tucker.

Both meetings will be from 7 to8:30 p.m.

AROUNDDEKALB


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Believe it or not, there arepeople who believe that rac-sm does not exist. It doesn’took the same as it did in the960s and before, but it stillxists.

A look at some recentlass action lawsuits showshat institutional, financialacism is alive and well in

America and must addressed.In September 2015, the

U.S. Department of Justicend the Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau announcedn $18 million settlement

with Fifth Third Bank. Theustice department allegedhat the bank “engaged inpattern or practice of dis-rimination against African-

American and Hispanicborrowers in its indirect autoending business,” accordingo a news release from the jus-ice department.

“The settlement resolvesclaims by the departmentand the Consumer FinancialProtection Bureau that FifthThird discriminated by charg-ing thousands of African-American and Hispanic bor-rowers higher interest ratesthan non-Hispanic whiteborrowers,” the release stated.

“The agencies claim that FifthThird charged borrowershigher interest rates becauseof their race or national originand not because of the bor-rowers’ creditworthiness orother objective criteria relatedto borrower risk.”

A few years ago, my wifeand I each received lettersfrom the U.S. Department ofJustice notifying us that ourbank, Wells Fargo had dis-criminated against us. We hadthe opportunity to partici-pate in a class-action lawsuitagainst the bank.

In February 2012, the jus-tice department announcedthat the federal governmentand 49 state attorneys had

reached a $25 billion agree-ment with the nation’s fivelargest mortgage servicers:Bank of America Corpora-tion, JPMorgan Chase & Co.,

Citigroup Inc. Ally FinancialInc. and our bank Wells Fargo& Company.

At the time, then-U.S. At-torney General Eric Holder stated, “This agreement–thelargest joint federal-statesettlement ever obtained–isthe result of unprecedentedcoordination among enforce-ment agencies throughout thegovernment. It holds mort-gage servicers accountable forabusive practices and requiresthem to commit more than$20 billion towards financialrelief for consumers. As a re-sult, struggling homeownersthroughout the country willbenefit from reduced princi-pals and refinancing of their

loans. The agreement alsorequires substantial changesin how servicers do business,which will help to ensure theabuses of the past are not re-

peated.”Although, my wife and

I received a nice settlementfrom that class-action lawsuit,we would have preferred tohave been treated fairly by ourbank just as all bank custom-ers would prefer and assumeis the case.

We would prefer to befairly treated when we get amortgage or refinance ourhome or buy a car. It is nicehaving the justice departmentlooking out for us, but wewould prefer lending institu-tions to eschew greed and notalter their lending practicesbased on the color of the skinof the potential customers.

Maybe one day, banks will

colorblind. In the meantime,my wife and I have receivednotification of another classaction lawsuit that affects us.

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 oPINIoN Page 4A

@AndrewChampNews

Andrew Cauthen

[email protected]

Managing Editor

Banks should be colorblind


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Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encour-ages opinions from its readers. Pleasewrite to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, t ypewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephonenumber for verification. All letters will beconsidered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send email

to [email protected] • FAX To: (404)370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for newsreleases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by colum-nists and contributing editors do not necessarilyreect the opinions of the editor or publishers. ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is notresponsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewitt Chief Financial Offi cer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew CauthenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hunt Photographer:Travis HudgonsStaff Reporter:Carla Parker

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F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sincerely appreciate thediscussion surrounding this and anyissue of interest to DeKalb County.The Champion was founded in 1991expressly to provide a forum fordiscourse for all community residentson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire to make the news only toreport news and opinions to effect

a more educated citizenry that willultimately move our communityforward. We are happy to presentideas for discussion; however,we make every effort to avoidprinting information submitted tous that is known to be false and/orassumptions penned as fact.

And then there were five...

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“Let me be clear. We wonhe first round, but this cam-

paign is far from over,” TexasU.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, in anovernight communicationo his donors and support-rs after handily winning theowa GOP Caucus.

After what already mayeem like years, especially

on the GOP side of thisace, the voting has finallytarted. The Iowa GOP se-ected from the farthest right

of its standard bearers, andon the Democratic side, itsmost liberal wing spurred toFeel the Bern” delivered a

dead heat. The Iowa Caucusmatters, primarily provid-

ng a healthy bump of cred-bility, financial support andmomentum heading towardNew Hampshire to its win-ners, or in this case, also to-ward the strong second- andhird-place finishers.

But, the field is about towinnow considerably. Beforeesults were finalized onhe Democratic side, for-

mer Maryland Gov. MartinO’Malley suspended hisampaign. The articulate,

attractive mayor of Balti-more and later governor,who looks like the actorswho portray presidents inmovies, acknowledged whathad already been apparentor several weeks—that the

Democratic contest is downo a two-person horse raceor the heart of their party.

Former Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton is pulling awagon full of party leader-ship, super delegates, superPAC donors and other con-

tributors as well as the fullset of Clinton, indestructibleSamsonite baggage. ThoughVermont Sen. Bernie Sand-ers is making this racemore competitive than ex-pected, he has yet to makesignificant inroads withlarge Democratic Party baseconstituencies, chief amongthem Black voters, who willcomprise a larger share of theparty’s primary electorate asthe calendar moves on andsouth to South Carolina andthe S.E.C. Primary.

On the GOP side, Cruzdemonstrated the continu-ing importance of a strongground game. In Iowa, TeamTrump was late out of thegate, learning last week thatthere was not a single 15-seatpassenger van available forrent in the entire state. Most

every available shuttle,school bus, and probablymore than a few limos, wascalled into service by bothparties for caucus night. An-other of Iowa’s long-standingand quirky traditions is thatcampaigns also frequentlyprovide door-to-door serviceto their committed sup-porters, neighbors and like-minded caucus goers. Same-day registration allowed formany a former Democratto participate in the GOPCaucus, which had a total ex-ceeding 180,000 participants,and increase of nearly 50percent over the prior caucusas well as an all-time GOP

record.And while Cruz compa-triots have much to celebrate,his chances are not as goodin the more practical/inde-pendent minded GraniteState, where the party es-tablishment and newspaperof record, The ManchesterUnion Leader, still matter,and the Evangelical and TeaParty segments of the GOPare much smaller.

The second biggest storyof this Iowa night may be thesurge by Florida’s junior U.S.Sen. Marco Rubio. Rubio,who could give the GOP ahead-start on a fall campaignwarming up to Hispanic voters (along with Cruz,Rubio is of Cuban heritage),was able to win a solid thirdplace, less than 2,000 votesbehind the no-longer-invin-

cible Trump and only threepoints from matching thecombined showings of theeight other GOP contenderson this ballot (a total of 26percent).

With the 2008 IowaCaucus winner, former Ar-kansas Gov. Mike Huckabee withdrawing on electionnight, the next expected shoeto drop is the 2012 winner,former Pennsylvania Sen.Rick Santorum. ThoughHuckabee is rumored to beendorsing Trump later thisweek in Little Rock, Arkan-sas, a strong argument canbe made that the majority offuture candidate consolida-

tion, possibly excluding Dr.Ben Carson, is most likely tobenefit Team Rubio.

Trump leads by a healthymargin in New Hampshire,but the smart money saysthat balloon now has apuncture wound and willlose some of its altitude andheight.

Clinton smiled andinsisted she is relieved byresults in Iowa, but Sandersenjoys a healthy margin inNew Hampshire, and recentheadlines about old emailshave the Clinton machine’seyes cutting sideways in thatforced smile in both direc-tions.

So, although many ofthese names will remainon ballots already printed,some mailed and headingoverseas, as well as on later

election days, the comingweek, perhaps two, will bringa significant winnowing ofthis field. Iowa again doesnot predict, but it still doesseparate wheat from chafe, orin this case, corn.

Bill Crane also serves asa political analyst and com-mentator for Channel 2’s Ac-tion News, WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now 95.5 FM,as well as a columnist for TheChampion, Champion Free

Press and Georgia Trend .Crane is a DeKalb nativeand business owner, living inScottdale. You can reach himor comment on a column at

[email protected].

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 oPINIoN Page 5A


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Sanjeev Anand is on amission.

The 12-year-old studentat Kittredge Magnet Schools trying to collect 10,000

books for the underprivi-eged before he reaches 12th

grade.“Right now I have [col-

ected] 5,500,” said Sanjeev,who started the project inDecember 2014.

Sanjeev is collecting thebooks for children of migrantworkers in the SoutheasternUnited States.

He developed the idea foran international baccalaure-ate school project, he said.

“I had to select a topicand write about it and pres-

ent an action plan to [ad-dress] it,” Sanjeev said.

“I was intrigued by themovie The Harvest ,” he said. “ It was a story about howkids have to work in thefields to help support theirparents. They get almost noeducation. Some kids drop

out [of school] before fifthgrade. Some of them die be-fore the age of 5 which is re-ally, really unfair.”

To collect the books, San- jeev has solicited donationsfrom various organizationsincluding Decatur First Unit-ed Methodist Church andCenters for Disease Controland Prevention where hismother, Priya Srinivasan,works. He also has purchasedbooks from consignmentshops.

The books are donatedto the Head Start programrun by Telamon Corpora-tion, a nonprofit organiza-tion, that provides assistanceto “Farmworkers and their

families, children born intopoverty, low-income andelderly residents of ruralAmerica, youth who strugglewith societal challenges, thedislocated and disenfran-chised comprise this universeof people in need,” accordingto Telamon’s website.

Telemon “has been host-ing some festivals wherethe…migrant children comein,” Sanjeev said. “Usuallythey can do only one fes-tival a year where the kidscan pick out books and takethem home with them andread.

“With my help and…all of the other donors, theyhave been able to [do] four

festivals [a year],” Sanjeevsaid.

The books make thechildren “really happy,” San- jeev said. “They’re excitedbecause…they have very fewbooks and this is a really bigthing for them.”

Additionally, Sanjeevis the vice president of hisschool’s national Beta Clubchapter and is a member ofthe chess club and RecyclingCougars, a club that pro-motes recycling at the school.

“Think big. Let yourdreams fly. Try to help othersas much as you can,” Sanjeevsaid about volunteering.

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

Sanjeev Anand

by Carla [email protected]

State Rep. Howard Mos-by (D-Atlanta) has proposedan annexation bill that mayhelp solve some of the prob-ems with 911 response times.

House Bill 706 wouldannex certain communitiesn southwest DeKalb intohe city of Atlanta. The areasnclude communities sur-ounding the former Hooper

Alexander School on Memo-ial Drive, the East Lake com-

munity in the McNair schoolcluster, parts of Gresham Parkand the area along MorelandAvenue near Eastland Road.

Mosby said his office haseceived reports that there is

a problem with 911 calls fromhose areas.

“With the boundaries

ssues between DeKalb andAtlanta sometimes there is adelay between the caller and911 getting the right location,”he said. “Once they do, thefirst responders respond [ina] timely [manner]. It’s justhat small delay between theime of the call and the 911

center, and the 911 center un-derstanding exactly where theperson is. We want to cleanhat up.”

Mosby said DeKalb Me-morial Park, off GlenwoodAvenue and Wilkerson Drive,

s in unincorporated DeKalb,but areas on both sides of thepark are in the city limits ofAtlanta.

“You could be sitting

there and something happensand you call 911, they willhave to determine whetherto send the DeKalb Policeor send the Atlanta Police,”Mosby said.

The Kroger building onMoreland Avenue by EastConfederate Avenue is inunincorporated DeKalb, but

parts of the parking lot are inAtlanta.

“Pieces of the parkinglot, depending on what spaceyou are in, [are] in the city of

Atlanta and the space next toit could be in unincorporatedDeKalb,” he said.

Along with fixing theboundaries, Mosby said thestate has to look at how theEMS lines are drawn.

“That is another fac-tor,” he said. “This is kind ofa two-stage process that we

want to look at—how thestate handles segregatingEMS zones, and how bound-aries between the city and thecounty can be cleaned up.”

The areas in the proposedannexation map are also in-cluded in the proposed cityof Greenhaven. Mosby saidhe introduced this bill forno reason other than publicsafety.

“I don’t have anotheragenda,” he said. “Nobodyfrom the city of Atlanta asked

me to do this.”The bill has been throughtwo House readings. Mosbysaid he is currently havingconversations with residents

in the proposed areas to see ifthis is the route they want totake.

“I’m trying to have meet-ings around the communityand if this is not the rightthing to do then I won’t moveforward with it,” he said. “Iwant the right answer to fix aproblem that makes sense for

the entire community.”

Annexation bill proposed to fix 911 response issues

State Rep. Howard Mosby has proposed an annexation bill to address issues of 911 responses between DeKalb and Atlanta. Map provided


7/24


Commissionercollecting water forFlint, Mich.’s crisisby Andrew [email protected]

A DeKalb County com-missioner is collectingbottled water for the Flint,Mich., water crisis.

On Oct. 1, 2015, theGenesee County Board ofCommissioners issued apublic health emergencydeclaration for residents us-ing the Flint city water sup-ply due to elevated levels oflead.

“I’m making a spiritedeffort to collect bottled wa-ter for the children of Flint,Mich.,” DeKalb CountyCommissioner Stan Watson said. “We all know the trag-edy that happened with thecontamination of drinkingwater.

Watson said he wantsto make sure Flint childrenhave “a necessity that theydon’t have right now andthat’s pure drinking water.”

Watson will be sendingthe donated water to Gen-

esee County CommissionerBrenda Clack , who willcoordinate its distribution.Flint is in Genesee County.

Clack and Watson servedin their respective statehouses at the same time.

“I was really, really happyand was gratified to knowthat he thought that muchof us in this community towant to send this water,”Clack said in a phone inter- view Jan. 28.

Clack said Flint’s water

problems are “beyond a cri-sis.”

“What is happening toour community is inhu-mane,” Clack said.

At one of many waterdistribution sites at a Flintfire station, Clack said sherecently witnessed “womengetting out of their cars at6:30 at night in the dark andputting water in their cars.”

“This is inhumane,”Clack said. “This should notbe happening in this state, inthis country, unless you’re in

a Third World [country].

“It’s becoming a panicbecause mothers are con-cerned about the future oftheir children,” Clack said.

Clack said many mothersare not bathing their chil-dren in the municipal water,and people have broken outin rashes.

“It’s becoming a psycho-

logical panic, also,” she said.

“You’d have to see it to be-

lieve what our people are ex-

periencing. Long lines—you

PUBLIC

NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALES AND USE TAX ELECTION

TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY OF ATLANTA

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Tuesday, March 1, 2016, the date chosen by the Secretary of

State of the State of Georgia for the presidential preference primary pursuant to Georgia law, a

[special] election will be held in all of the precincts of the City of Atlanta (the “City”). At this

election there will be submitted to the qualified voters of the City for their determination the

question of whether a special one percent sales and use tax should be reimposed within the

City, upon the termination of the special one percent sales and use tax presently in effect, for a

maximum period of time of 16 calendar quarters, for the purposes of funding water and sewer

projects and costs, at an aggregate maximum cost of Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and

Zero Cents

($750,000,000.00).

Voters desiring to vote for the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so by voting

“YES” and voters desiring to vote against the reimposition of such sales and use tax shall do so

by voting “NO,” as to the question propounded to‐wit:

"Shall a special 1 percent sales and use tax be reimposed in the City of

Atlanta for a period of time not to exceed 16 calendar quarters and for

the raising of not more than ‐ Seven Hundred Fifty Million Dollars and

Zero Cents ($750,000,000.00) for the purpose of funding water and sewer

projects and costs?"

The several places for holding the election shall be in the regular and established precincts of

the City, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the

election. Those qualified to vote at the election shall be determined in all respects in accordance

and in conformity with the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America and of the

State of Georgia.

This notice is given pursuant to joint action of the City Council of the City of Atlanta and the

Municipal Election

Superintendent

of

the

City.

Rhonda Dauphin Johnson

Municipal Clerk/Election Superintendent

City of Atlanta

MOVE IN/OUT CLEANNG

CleaningByMarines.com

(404) 975-9002

See WATER on Page 12A


8/24


Avondale Estate ‘erectorset’ to be demolished

CITY OF CHAMBLEE, DEKALB, GA

ADVERTISEMENT FOR INVITATION TO BID

Sealed bids for the PEACHTREE STREETSCAPE PROJECT NUMBER: P.I. 0009024 will be received by the City

of Chamblee at Chamblee City Hall, 5468 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA, until 3:00 pm on Friday,

February 19, 2016, and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud. Bids received after the

designated time will not be accepted. (The bid deadline and opening have been changed from Feb. 5th to

Feb 19th)

The project generally includes furnishing all labor, materials and equipment for the construction and

related improvements for the PEACHTREE STREETSCAPE. This project will provide two travel lanes 11 feet

wide and 5ft to 6ft wide sidewalks on the east side, with two foot grass strip. Coordination with utilities

will be required.

The project is located between Pierce Drive and 700 ft North‐East of Chamblee Dunwoody Road along

Peachtree Road in the City of Chamblee, DeKalb County. The Georgia Department of Transportation

Standard Specifications, 2013 Edition, applicable Supplemental Specifications and Special Provisions apply

to this project.

Bid documents may be obtained from the State of Georgia/DOAS website at

https://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/ and the Procurement Page on the City’s website at

www.chambleega.gov.

If you have any questions regarding this project please contact Marc Johnson, Chamblee City Manager,

at 770‐986‐5026. Chamblee reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to waive

technicalities.

A Lithonia man receivedhe maximum sentence for

killing a 16-year-old andhooting two other teenagers.

On Jan. 27, DeKalbCounty Judge Tangela Bar-rie sentenced David FrankMoore to life plus 55 years inprison.

In December 2015, aury convicted Moore of two

counts of felony murder,hree counts of aggravated

assault, three counts of pos-ession of a firearm duringhe commission of a felony

and one count of possessionof a firearm by a convictedfelon.

Moore opened fire on acar containing three teen-agers outside his home on

Brown’s Mill Ferry Drive inLithonia in July 2014, ac-cording to a news releasefrom the DeKalb CountyDistrict Attorney’s Office.

Delray Crittenden, 16, whowas in the backseat of thecar, died after being struckseveral times. The 19-year-old driver and 14-year-oldpassenger were both struckseveral times and testified atthe trial.

The DeKalb County Dis-trict Attorney’s Office, alongwith Crittenden’s mother andsisters, asked the judge tosentence Moore to the maxi-mum penalty.

“This was a convictedfelon who was carrying a gunand selling drugs,” DeKalbCounty District AttorneyRobert James stated. “The jury found that he shot andkilled a teenage boy, as wellas wounded two others.

These are the type of casesthat hurt all levels of ourcommunity and deserve themaximum punishment as al-lowed by law.”


The unfinished steeltructure, known by some

as the “erector set” on EastCollege Avenue in AvondaleEstates, will soon be demol-shed.

The Avondale EstatesBoard of Mayor and Com-missioners requested thatEuramex ManagementGroup, current owner of thetructure, have it demol-shed. City Manager Clai

Brown said Euramex filedfor a demolition permit onan. 22 and the Board of

Mayor and Commissionersapproved it Jan. 25.

In 2008, a permit was is-ued for construction of thebuilding at the corner of EastCollege Avenue and MapleStreet (2786 East CollegeAve.), according to the city.After construction began, theeconomy began plummetingand the previous developerwas not able to complete theproject.

In late 2014 Euramexpurchased the property aftera multi-year foreclosure, ac-cording to the city.

Mayor Jonathan Elmore aid he is happy that Eura-

mex agreed to demolish it.“Hopefully, we’ll plan

on doing something with it,

but they don’t have any plansas far as I know,” Elmoresaid. “They’re just going totake that partially finishedbuilding down, and we’ll see

what’s next.”Euramex also purchased

the 13-acre Fenner Dunlopproperty in 2014. The mayorand commissioners havebeen in talks with Euramexabout what they would liketo see on the property.

During a work sessionin August 2015 the Board ofMayor and Commissioners,discussed the latest planspresented by Euramex to theboard privately for the prop-erty. Elmore said at the Eura-mex proposed townhouses

and apartments, a parkingdeck, greenspace, a grocerystore, retail spaces and a pub-lic space for the property.

No definite plans havebeen presented publicly byEuramex, but Elmore said hehopes plans will be availablesoon.

“We’ve been talking withthem a little bit more lately,going back and forth [onideas],” he said. “We’ve hadsome really good conversa-tions and they’ve alwaysbeen very professional andpositive. We’re very hopeful

about it.”

Lithonia man gets maximum

sentence for murder


9/24


by Kathy Mitchell

Those who operate shel-ters and group homes makesure the children in theircare have food, clothing anda safe place to sleep. Usuallythey are unable to provideextras that children living athome may take for grantedsuch as one-on-one attentionand help with school work.

“Living in a group homeor shelter can be very dif-ficult, especially for home-ess children trying to keep

up academically with theirpeers,” said Nolan Byrnes,program coordinator forProject One on One, aschoolwork assistance pro-gram of Children’s Restora-

tion Network, a nonprofitorganization created to helphomeless children and theirmothers.

Started in 2003, the pro-gram operates in eight met-ropolitan Atlanta counties.Byrnes said with more than30 shelters and group homesin DeKalb there is an acuteneed for DeKalb volunteers.

“There is a huge need inDeKalb,” said Cliff Kinsey ,cofounder and CEO of Chil-dren’s Restoration Network.“In DeKalb alone, we have

several hundred children liv-ing in group homes—whichis just a fancy term for or-phanages. Typically, there are10 children in each home. It’s

all the staff can do to makesure each child is fed andother basic needs are beingmet.”

“Last year we were ableto help approximately 350young people. There are ap-proximately 3,000 who needhelp. Through no fault oftheir own, these childrenhave been abused, neglected

or not taken care of properlyin the past. Once they have asafe place to live, Children’sRestoration Network wantsmake sure these children do

not fail academically,” Byrnessaid.

He said while the pro-gram seeks to put childrenwho are unable to live athome on the path at aca-demic achievement, it alsoseeks to see that they receive“encouragement and atten-tion that is crucial to healthysocial development.”

“Sometimes the volunteer can be theonly adult in the child’slife who isn’t paid to bethere,” Byrnes said. “We

have had some volunteersthat have worked with thesame child for many yearsand lifelong friendships andbonds have been formed.One child who worked withone of our volunteers told ushis tutor was the only personwho came to see him gradu-ate from high school.”

Byrnes said volunteers

don’t need to be academicstars themselves—just caringcommitted people. “No priorteaching experience is re-quired; we just need compas-sionate individuals willingto take some time to make apositive difference in the lifeof a child.”

He said most of the chil-dren in the program are per-forming at grade level. “Wetry to match children with volunteers who can meettheir needs; however, if the volunteer doesn’t grasp thechild’s school assignment, wehave resources to help withthat.

“Most of all we needcaring volunteers who canencourage and support these

children, showing them thateducation is important andlearning can be fun. We wantthese deserving children tofeel normal and supported asthey try to achieve academicsuccess.”

Byrnes said Children’sRestoration Network asksthat volunteers commit toone to two hours a weektutoring and mentoring thechild with whom they havebeen matched. “We reallywant the volunteer to remainwith the child at least one

See TUTORING on Page 10A

Nonprofit seeks volunteers for tutoring program

DeKalb County Department of Watershed ManagementPublic Advisory

SNAPFINGER WOODS SANITARY SEWER CROSSINGS

January 29, 2016 February 29, 2016Advisory Issue Date Advisory Close Date

This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt of an applicaon for a variancesubmied pursuant to a State Environmental Law. The Public is invited to comment during a 30

day period on the proposed acvity. Since the Georgia Environmental Protecon Division (EPD)has no authority to zone property or determine land use, only those comments addressingenvironmental issues related to air, water and land protecon will be considered in theapplicaon review process. Wrien comments should be submied to: Program Manager,Non-Point Source Program, Erosion and Sedimentaon Control, 4220 Internaonal Parkway,Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

Type of Permit Applicaon: Variance to encroach within the 25-foot State Waters Buer.Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimentaon Act O.C.G.A. 12-7-6 ET seq.Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimentaon Control Chapter 391-3-7.Basis under which variance shall be considered: {391-3-7.05(2) (A-J)}: E

Project Locaon: This project is located on the secon of Snapnger Woods Drive that isbounded by Rayburn Road to the west and Shell Bark Rd to the east near the city of Lithonia,GA. Specically, the site is located in land lots 8 & 9 of the 16th district & land lots 128 &129 of the 15th district, in DeKalb, Georgia. The site is approximately 800 linear feet north ofSnapnger Creek’s intersecon with Snapnger Woods Drive. The proposed construcon willinclude the installaon of 132 linear feet of 15 inch sanitary sewer across Snapnger Creek.

Project Descripon: The proposed site condions will include the installaon of 132 linear feetof 15 inch sanitary sewer aerial stream crossing to replace an exisng inverted siphon sanitarysewer under Snapnger Creek which in a constant maintenance problem. This work is a repairthe exisng system that runs along Snapnger Creek.

PET

WEEKOF THE

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Cleopatra qualifies for our January "Ring in the New Year

with a New Pet" promotion, where all cats and all dogs over25 lbs. are only $16! Adoption includes spay/neuter, vaccina-tions, microchip and more! If you would like more info about

Cleopatra please email [email protected] call (404) 294-2165. All potential adopters will be screenedto ensure Cleopatra goes to a good home.


10/24


TUTORING Continued From Page 10A WATER Continued From Page 12A


Lakeside High Schoolprincipal Jason Clyne hasbeen removed from the

chool and is under investi-gation for possible violationof policy, according to theDeKalb County School Dis-rict.

In a letter sent to Lake-ide parents, students andtaff Jan. 27, Superintendent

Stephen Green, stated thedistrict was made aware oflyers posted at the school

and on social media of al-egations made against the

principal.The flyer, which The

Champion found on Twitter,tated, “Last week our prin-

ipal had a meeting with theanitors and the security staff.n the meeting he got mad

at them and told them “Youdon’t want to mess with me.

I’m a redneck master with adegree. I run these 40!”

The flyer went on to ex-plain the meaning behindthe phase “forty acres and amule.” The flyer also said thatClyne “was implying thatLakeside is a plantation, heis the master, the custodialstaff are ignorant slaves, the

teachers are house slaves andthus the students are fieldslaves.”

In the letter Green saidthe district takes the allega-tions seriously.

“The district has re-moved the principal from theschool and is conducting aninvestigation into the matter,”Green stated. “Any violationsof district policy or law willbe prosecuted to the fullestextent.”

Green said an adminis-trative team will handle man-agement of the school whilethe district seeks a substituteprincipal.

“The outstanding staffof Lakeside High Schoolwill continue to provide ahigh quality education, and

the students will continueto learn in a manner thatprepares them for collegeand career readiness,” Greensaid. “The district appreci-

ates your continued supportof Lakeside High School andthe DeKalb County SchoolDistrict.”

Students have either ex-pressed disdain or support

for Clyne, and a hash tag—#TeamClyne—was createdon Twitter.

One student, a Lakesidebaseball player, became thecenter of attention on Twitterfrom the Lakeside commu-nity after someone posted aprivate message between himand someone else where bothmade racial comments aboutanother person.

In the message, the un-known person asked thebaseball player why Clynewas removed. The baseballplayer responded, “Being

‘racist’ and making ‘racistcomments.’ There’s no proofbut the n*ggers are freakingout.”

The unknown person

went on to say the N-wordmultiple times, once refer-ring to another person whoreads the unknown person’smessage.

The baseball player re-sponded saying, “She cantake her long neck *ss backto her giraffe tribe in Nige-ria.” Once the messages weremade public, the baseballplayer later apologized inmultiple tweets.

“I have realized that Imessed up,” one tweet read.“I am sorry. Not because Igot caught but because I saidstuff that should never besaid by anybody.”

Calls made by TheChampion to Lakeside base-ball coach Donnie Hayesabout the player and possible

punishment have not beenreturned.

Lakeside principal under investigation for alleged racial comments

semester—and preferablya full school year to ensuresome stability for the child.When a volunteer leaves theprogram after a few sessions,

the child may be left feelingthat adults have once againfailed him.

“We understand thatsometimes people’s situationschange and some people de-cide the program is simplynot right for them, but we doask volunteers to stick it outif possible. These childrenhave been through a lot. Itmay take a little time to build

trust with them, but onceyou do the relationship hasgreat value in their lives,” hesaid.

Volunteers must be at

least 18 years old and willingto submit to a backgroundcheck. The program is ongo-ing so volunteers may signon at any point. Project Oneon One has orientationsscheduled throughout Febru-ary and March. For orienta-tion dates and informationon registration, visit www.ChildRN.org.

PUBLIC

NOTICE

EARLY VOTING FOR THE CITY OF ATLANTA

MARCH 01, 2016 SPECIAL ELECTION

The City of Atlanta will hold a Special Election on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 in conjunction

with the Presidential Preference Primary Election. Voters will be presented with a question of

whether or not to reimpose a special one percent (1%) sales and use tax, presently in effect, to

fund water and sewer projects. Those desiring to vote for the reimposition of such sales and

use tax shall do so by voting “YES” and voters desiring to vote against the reimposition of such

sales and use tax shall do so by voting “NO.”

Polls will be open on March 1, 2016 from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. at all of the

designated precincts/polling places in the City of Atlanta.

Early voting for the March 1, 2016 Election(s) will occur February 8, 2016 through

February 26, 2016 at various locations throughout Fulton and DeKalb Counties. Please contact

[email protected] or

(404)

330

‐6500

for

specific

locations,

dates

and

times.

Rhonda Dauphin Johnson

Municipal Clerk/Election Superintendent

City of Atlanta

can go to so many sites inour city and you’ll see longines of people coming to get

water.”Clack said, “It’s gratify-

ing to know that people…allaround the country peopleare concerned about us,”Clack said. “I know they putthemselves in our positionto say ‘if that were me, whatwould I want someone todo?’

“Thank you to all whoare concerned about us inthis community, who havereached out to us, becauseit is important that people

reach out to us at this pointand show us that they reallycare,” she said.

Watson said Flint’s watercrisis reminds “us in DeKalbCounty, as we undergo ourwatershed capital improve-ment project, that water isan important element of oureveryday lives.”

“We need to make sureour water is pure and peopledon’t have to boil water andthey don’t have zinc and leadin our water,” he said aboutthe county’s billion-dollarwatershed capital improve-ment project under way to

address its sewer system.Watson said he is work-

ing to have the water dona-tion transported to Michi-gan on Feb. 6.

Bottled water will becollected at Watson’s freemonthly community break-fast on Saturday, Feb. 6, inthe cafeteria of SouthwestDeKalb High School, locatedat 2863 Kelley Chapel Road,Decatur, from 9 to 11 a.m.

To arrange a pickup of adonation, call Watson’s officeat (404) 371-3681.

Clyne

DeKalb graduates two police academies

DeKalb County’s police academy recently announced 14of its newest officers.

DeKalb officials, police department, family and friendsoined together recently to celebrate the most recent graduat-ng class.

“I am thankful for your sacrifice and your commitment,”aid interim CEO Lee May . “Your willingness to protect anderve our county is more than admirable.”


11/24


NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND REVISION OF DATE

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners will hold Public Hearings on the2016 Proposed Budget at the times and places listed below, the second ofwhich reflects a revised date:

Tuesday February 9, 2016 10:00AM Maloof Center Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur

Thursday February 25, 2016 10:00AM Maloof Center Auditorium1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur

All interested citizens are invited to attend these hearings and have the right topresent comments pertaining to the proposed budget.

The recommended budget is available for public inspection in the Office ofManagement & Budgeting, 6th Floor, Maloof Center, at all DeKalb CountyLibraries during normal business hours, and electronically atwww.dekalbcountyga.gov.


Leading up to the March special election, The Cham-

pion will publish a Q&A withach candidate in the city of

Tucker elections. This Q&Aegment features candidatesor City Council District 2

Post 1: Katherine Atteberry ,Frank Nix Jr., Matt Robbins and Thomas Walker.

) Why did you decide torun for a city councilseat?

Atteberry: “As a volun-eer with Tucker 2015, I lis-ened to the community andalked about Tucker’s future.

So, when we became a city,thought about how I couldontinue my service and re-

alized that city council wouldbe a great way to put our col-ective vision into action.”

Nix: “To run for cityouncil did not come as a

great epiphany or suddenurge. Rather, as a gentle urgehat ‘snuck up’ on me and

began to grow. [My familyand I] have lived in Tuckerince 1971, and I want to do

all I can to see that we get the

new city off to a great start.”Robbins: “Serving as

ouncilperson would be aontinuation of my decades

of community involvementand engagement in Tuckerand DeKalb County. I willhelp lay the groundwork fora high functioning city thats a model of responsive and

good government. I have theime and energy to make this

happen.”

Walker: “I wanted tomake sure Tucker places fis-

al responsibility first. If fis-al responsibility is not theop priority, Tucker could

have a deficit as much as $4million and that would beatal to our city. However, if

Tucker operates efficiently,

we will have a surplus andsuccess.”

2) What are your top threepriorities if elected tocity council?

Atteberry: “No. 1)Bringing in highly qualifiedand enthusiastic city staff toprovide services; No. 2) ne-gotiating the agreements andtransitioning services fromDeKalb County to the city ofTucker; No. 3) establishingan infrastructure (physicaland digital) that supportsstrong service delivery.”

Nix: “First—get the bestpersons for city manager and

other city offices. Second—improve the city by assistingTucker CID to meet theirgoals for our area. Third—fa-cilitate planning, zoning, andcode enforcement that [the]county has been so lax in.”

Robbins: “Residents havetold me what’s important. Iwill focus on these priorities:establish a formal govern-ment with highly skilled staffrepresentative and respon-sive to all residents, frombusinesses and civic asso-

ciations, to schools and ournonprofit partners; build ef-fective working relationships;and make Tucker a model forrobust, sustainable growth.”

Walker: “No. 1) Set upour city to operate in a fiscal-

ly responsible manner whichmeans, in part, hiring theright people. No. 2) Negoti-ate intergovernmental agree-ments with DeKalb Countythat protect Tucker taxpay-ers. No. 3) Draft zoning anda code that is constitutionaland enforceable as intended.”

3) What qualities do youhave that will help yoube a good city councilmember for Tucker?

Atteberry: “I grew up inTucker and have lived herefor 20 years. My master ofpublic administration taughtme effective governmentmanagement strategies, and I

have worked in local govern-ment. I will take my knowl-edge of Tucker, apply my realworld experience, and getTucker off to a smart start.”

Nix: “I believe everyonewho knows me would say,‘He is honest, ethical, truth-ful, trustworthy, financiallyresponsible, law abiding(except for speed laws), tem-

perate, sense of humor, hard-working and fair.’”

Robbins: “As a councilp-erson I would bring years ofexperience creating policies,procedures, best practices,and models that work ingovernment. I am committedto listening to all residentsand developing relationshipsnecessary to move the cityforward. I work well understress and bring a calminginfluence to partnerships.”

Walker: “Having prac-ticed law for 24 years, I listento my clients and place theirconcerns first; this will carryover to constituents. In ad-

dition, I am experienced instatutory interpretation andhave negotiated, reviewed,drafted and litigated con-tracts. Moreover, I work wellwith others. Finally, I am atireless worker.”

4) What do you believesome of the challenges will be for Tucker?

Atteberry: “Tucker hasso many amazing volunteersand volunteer organizationsthat have kept the commu-nity strong for over a cen-tury. It may be a challenge tocoordinate and integrate allof these organizations so thatwe are all providing valuewithout overlapping, but it isa nice challenge to have.”

Nix: “Getting the threeareas we are responsible foroff to the best start possible.Working with the countyto assure our revenue isreceived as outlined in thefeasibility study. [And,] toprovide for growth while stillmaintaining the small townsense of community.”

Robbins: “Any and ev-ery challenge Tucker facesis also an opportunity. Fromeconomic development tosustainability and smartgrowth, we can develop a citythat works for everyone. I amcommitted to a responsivegovernment relying less onbureaucracy and more onstrategies and best practices.Tucker will meet the chal-lenges!”

Walker: “Negotiat-ing our intergovernmentalagreements and purchasingour park land from DeKalbCounty could be difficult. Inaddition, hiring a city man-ager with the right experi-ence for the right contractmay be a challenge. Finally,we will not know the exactamount of our revenue andexpenditures until operat-ing.”

Tucker city council District 2, Post 1 candidates

REDUCEREUSERECYCLE

Atteberry Robbins Walker


12/24



Two Southwest DeKalbHigh School seniors areecipients of a $250 scholar-hip after winning an essay

contest.Alida Brown and Tyler

Sylvester wrote the best es-ays on what the first amend-

ment means to them andhow it applies to their lives.Both students were excitedabout winning the award.

“I feel special,” Sylvesteraid.

“I am actually very sur-prised,” Brown said. “I’mhappy that I won and I feelproud that I won because Iwas honestly talking abouthe importance of everythingn my life and how the first

amendment makes me feelike I’m important.”

Students of Dr. KenyattaArnette’s business and com-puter science classes weregiven the assignment bySouthwest DeKalb alumsndia Ali and Omari Craw-

ford.

Ali and Crawford, whoare both now attorneys, re-urned to their alma mater in

September to form the Proj-ect L.I.F.E (Learning Is ForEveryone) program with thepurpose of exposing studentso various professions.

The two, who haveknown each other since theywere 8 years old, graduatedfrom Southwest DeKalb in2004. After both receivedheir juris doctorade and

M.B.A degrees from NorthCarolina Central School ofLaw in 2013, they returnedo Atlanta to begin their law

careers and to find a wayo give back to their highchool.

“One of the things we

talked about is the fact thatmany students from certainneighborhoods don’t havethe same exposure to profes-sionals as other neighbor-hoods,” said Crawford, whoworks at The Cochran Firm.“I came from a home withtwo working parents, whowere college-educated, butI didn’t have access to an at-torney—someone I couldcall on the phone or sit downwith and call a mentor until Igot to college—undergrad atFlorida A&M. That’s the firsttime I really had the oppor-tunity to sit and talk with anattorney.”

Crawford said he andAli, who works for TheLaw Offices of Stephen H.Robinson, thought it wouldbe beneficial if they cameback to the school that theywere involved in and teachthe students about the legalworld.

“It’s about coming back,giving back and teaching andmaking sure the studentshave the opportunity to learnsomething that might be a

field they would like to getinto,” Crawford said.“From what we’ve been

told, from whenever we just come up to the schoolto watch a basketball game,we’re always being told that[the student body] is differ-ent now,” Ali said. “The stu-dents are different and theyneed more people who havegraduated and have gone onto do successful things, tocome back and talk to thekids because it’s a differentgeneration. They are moreexposed to things that weweren’t exposed to as far associal media and all of theseother things that we didn’thave to grow up dealingwith.”

Although there are men-tors in the community, Alisaid students would benefitmore from those who havewalked the same halls as theyare walking at SouthwestDeKalb.

“I think [the students]can get ‘lost in the sauce’because they’re paying moreattention to what’s on thetelevision or social media—the things that are popular,”Ali added. “And maybe theydon’t have direct access tosomebody who went to thisschool, who understandswhat they’re going throughand someone they can relateto. We’re not that far re-moved from the school.”

Arnette, who taughtCrawford during his senioryear, said having the formerstudents come back to men-tor current students is thehighlight of a teacher’s ca-reer.

“They’ve become suc-cess stories and to see themcome back is a great honor,”Arnette said.

Brown said having Ali

and Crawford around hasfurther expanded her hori-zon about potential futureopportunities.

“They’ve also helpedme further understand thethings that I can do,” Brownsaid. “Seeing a person in aposition that you want to bein is inspirational and givesyou a higher belief that youcan do something,”

“I loved it,” Sylvestersaid. “The L.I.F.E Programis amazing. Every time theycame it was very live. Theywere hands on and made itfun, made the class better.”

Ali and Crawford hopeto expand the program toother schools.

SWD alums give backthrough mentorship

Alida Brown (second left) and Tyler Sylvester (center) were winners of an essay contest formed by SouthwestDeKalb alums India Ali (second right) and Omari Crawford (far right).

Accreditation woesover for school districtby Andrew Cauthen

The DeKalb County School District is fully accreditedagain.

In a Jan. 28 letter, AdvancED, parent company ofSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), theagency that accredits the school district, announced thatthe school district has taken the final three action stepsnecessary to move from “accredited under review” to “ac-credited.”

“I am proud of the hard work and diligent effort onthe part of the teachers, staff, and the board of educationto return the district to full accreditation,” said Super-intendent Stephen Green in a statement. “The DeKalbCounty School District will be relentless in sustainingthe work completed and remain focused on the quality ofinstruction in the classroom and thereby raise the bar forteaching and learning. Our students will rise to the levelof expectation that we set. We are locked in on this mis-sion.”

In December 2012, the DeKalb school district wasplaced on accreditation probation by SACS. The schoolboard hired former Georgia Labor Commissioner MikeThurmond as an interim superintendent.

The accreditation probation triggered a state lawgranting the governor the authority to remove schoolboard members. Acting on the recommendation of theGeorgia Board of Education, Gov. Nathan Deal suspend-ed six of the nine members of the DeKalb school board inFebruary 2013 and later replaced them.

The DeKalb school district had 14 required actions tocomplete to retain its accreditation.

“We could not have done this without the collabora-tion and cooperation of the board and community work-ing together to select Dr. Green as the leader of this dis-trict,” said school board chairman Melvin Johnson, in astatement. “Now, we can continue our number one focus

on student achievement.”In December 2015 the school district submitted a

progress report addressing final three actions steps thatneeded to be completed. The report was reviewed by anevaluation team.

“In recognition of the progress made to date and ac-knowledgement of the continued work needed to sustainthe required actions,…the DeKalb County School Dis-trict’s accreditation status will be changed from ‘accred-ited under review’ to ‘accredited,’” AdvancED stated in theletter to the school district.

Although progress has been made, “it is incumbentupon the school system to continue to sustain the prog-ress accomplished by engaging in the AdvancED continu-ous improvement process,” the letter added.

The school district’s SACS accreditation expires June

30, 2017. To maintain accreditation, the DeKalb districtmust “conduct a thorough internal review in preparationfor an onsite external review to be held during the 2016-17 school year,” the letter stated.


13/24


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WEEK inPICTURES

Members of the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company held a free educational performance at the Clarkston Library Jan. 30. The performance was presented in celebration of theupcoming Lunar New Year. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Decatur High School inducted six member to the City Schools of Decatur Wall of Honor during a ceremony Jan. 29. The inductees were: Bob Reinhart, Michael Maddox,Richard Wilson, Jack Williams, Tom Jones and Frank Jones. Photos by Travis Hudgons

Bob Reinhart Michael Maddox

Elizabeth Wilson received

the honor for her deceased

son Richard WilsonJack Williams Tom Jones Coach Frank Jones


14/24


NEWSBRIEFSDeKalb ofcials team up for fooddrive

Five DeKalb County officialsare sponsoring a food drive to helpeplenish the shelves at the Atlanta

Community Food Bank.DeKalb County Commissioner

Kathie Gannon, Solicitor GeneralSherry Boston, Clerk of SuperiorCourt Debra DeBerry , Tax Com-missioner Irvin Johnson and Clerkof State Court Melanie Wilson areponsoring a food drive that runshrough Feb. 19.

“After the holidays the pantryhelves at the Atlanta Community

Food Bank are looking bare,” Gan-non said in a statement. “This year

we have enlisted the help of theDeKalb public libraries and we hopeDeKalb citizens will help restock thehelves of the Atlanta Community

Food Bank.”“We are asking DeKalb citizens

and employees to donate food forDeKalb families in need,” Boston.

The news release stated thathunger is a problem in metro At-anta with approximately 17 percent

of the households and 28 percent ofhildren in the area served by the At-anta Community Food Bank, whichncludes DeKalb, not always know-ng where their next meal is coming

from.“In this day and age, no one in

DeKalb County should go hungry,”DeBerry said.

The most needed items includecanned tuna, peanut butter, fruit juices, canned vegetables and paperproducts. Residents can bring fooddonations to any of the libraries orthree tax commissioners’ offices.

“In the past our Food Drive hasrelied upon DeKalb County employ-ees and they have responded gen-erously,” Boston said. “I know thisyear we will exceed past donationsbecause the citizens of DeKalb caneasily donate at libraries.”

Last year the county food drivecollected more than one ton of foodfor the Atlanta Community Food

Bank.Local child advocates to attendCASA Day at the Capitol

Approximately 10 child advo-cates from DeKalb County CourtAppointed Special Advocates(CASA) plan to attend CASA Day atthe Capitol on Feb. 9.

An annual event hosted by Geor-gia Court Appointed Special Advo-cates Inc., the day centers on CASA volunteers, board members and stafffrom across the state meeting withmembers of the Georgia Legislature

to share their concerns about theabused and neglected children infoster care that their CASA programsserve.

This year’s event includes re-marks and a legislative briefing,meeting with legislators, and a lun-cheon to thank the legislators fortheir support of the CASA organiza-tion and child welfare issues.

The CASA organization in Geor-gia is embarking on a three-yeargrowth plan with a goal of serving 75percent of the children in foster careat the end of three years. This year’slegislative strategy includes a fundingincrease request to support the state-wide growth plan.

Last year, more than 2,100 CASA volunteers in Georgia served more

than 9,700 abused and neglectedchildren. Locally, 137 CASA volun-teers served 315 children in DeKalbCounty during fiscal year 2014.

For more information aboutCASA, contact DeKalb CountyCASA at (404) 378-0038 or [email protected].

State representative introducesPursuing Justice for Rape Victims Act

Rep. Scott Holcomb (D-Atlanta)has introduced House Bill 827, thePursuing Justice for Rape Victims

Act, which would require hospitalsand law enforcement to inventoryand deliver all untested sexual assaultkits to the Georgia Bureau of Investi-

gation (GBI).This would allow the GBI to au-

dit the number of untested kits andpave the way for their forensic ex-amination.

“There are currently an unknownnumber of untested sexual assaultkits in the state of Georgia, placing aroadblock in the way of law enforce-ment’s ability to prosecute offendersand prevent future sex crimes,” statesa news release about the proposedbill.

This bipartisan bill, which cur-rently has 78 cosponsors, would alsorequire that hospitals notify local

law enforcement when they receivea sexual assault kit, and require thatlaw enforcement to deliver the kit toGBI within 30 days.

“We need to do everything wecan to bring perpetrators of sexualassault to justice,” Holcomb said in astatement.

“Although this bill is a modestfirst step toward helping us solve previous crimes and prevent future of-fenses, it is a necessary one that willbring us closer to advancing justicefor victims who are too often over-looked,” he said.


The Lithonia Police Department has identified sixsuspects and arrested five in the May 3, 2015, murderof 26-year-old Leevon Daniels.

Police arrested 18-year-old Mohamed Kamara,17-year-old Christay Eady , 17-year-old Dawson Phil-lip Brown, and two 16-year-olds.

Police are still looking for another 16. Lithonia Po-lice Chief Roosevelt Smith said he believes Chaney ishiding somewhere in Decatur.

Daniels was shot and killed outside the Red HillsClub on Main Street, where police believed he at-tempted to attend a party. A passerby saw Daniels’body lying on the side of the road and notified an off-duty officer working part-time at the club.

The officer discovered Daniels had multiple gun-shot wounds to his body.

Smith said police received a tip from someone

who had information on a suspect. They were able tofind that suspect, who later identified the other sus-pects, according to Smith.

The three older suspects have been charged withfelony murder and felony armed robbery. Smith saidhe will try to get all suspects tried as adults.

Five arrests made in2015 Lithonia murder

Lithonia officials approves budgetby Carla [email protected]

The Lithonia City Council approved a $1.2 million budget for fiscalyear 2016 on Feb. 1.

The council passed the budget on a 4-1 vote with Councilman Wil-liam Ric Dodd voting nay.

In December, the city projected the 2016 budget to be $1,062,618,which would have been .52 percent or $5,528 more than the projected2015 budget of $1,057,090.

The increase to $1,210,588 was due in part to salary adjustments inthe police department, according to City Administrator Eddie Moody .Two officers went from parttime to fulltime, bringing the total personalservice salaries amount to $442,300 from the project $428,694.

Stormwater expenses also increased from $4,200 to $36,000 in thebudget.

“Towards the end of the year we had a $25,000 payout for stormwaterexpenses,” Moody said. “That kind of elevated the amended budget side.”

The budget also includes installation of a swipe card machine at thecity clerk’s window to increase the methods of payments for permits; developing an Indigent Defense Policy for court services to determine theneeds of defendants; and relocating the public works department to anexisting city structure and demolition of the current facility.

The budget also will cover a license plate reader for one additionalpolice car through a nationwide program. Although the program calls fora 50 percent sharing of revenue, it saves the city $25,000 on the purchaseof new equipment, according to the city.

Eady

Brown

Kamara


15/24

The Champion FREE PRESS, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 local Page 15A

overall but lost that to decreases in our pay-checks.

“I want to be able to stay in DeKalbCounty, but $40 a paycheck is a lot of grocer-es and I have four children,” she said. “I can’t

afford to stay with DeKalb County.”Interim CEO Lee May said in a recent

nterview with The Champion that as hepromised in 2013, all sworn public safety

personnel received a 3-percent incentiveand in 2014 all county employees received a3-percent cost-of-living adjustment.

Erik Heimer, a DeKalb Police sergeant,aid Blue DeKalb, a group of police officers

and residents seeking to improve officers’pay, wants three things: “an 8 percent payraise for officers to equal one percent peryear that police did not receive a raise; rein-tatement of the 10 percent pay raise for pro-

motions to sergeant and lieutenant that wasaken away from us;” and the establishment

of “a merit and raise system based on officerdevelopment and community commitment.”

Blue DeKalb wants to “fix the problemof officer retention and officer recruiting, to

provide a safer environment for the citizensand an appealing place for commerce, and areturn to professionalism of our law enforce-ment agency,” said Heimer, adding that eachof these goals can be achieved through payncreases for police.

“DeKalb County officers have not re-ceived a raise solely for police officers since2006,” Heimer said. “As a result, this onceproud police department has lost veteran,alented officers to occupations with better

financial opportunities.”Decatur resident David Light spoke

about the state of the fire department.“As an appraiser I look at things in terms

of value and costs associated with that value,”Light said. “Last year DeKalb County hired

100 new fire recruits. The cost to train thesendividuals was $60,000 each. That means we

put in $6 million as in investment.“Last year we also lost 61 firefighters

resigning and going to other departments—

Sandy Springs, Dawson County, CobbCounty,” he said. “That’s an investment thatwe lost. We won’t see a return on that value.That’s $3,600,000 that left last year.

“When we lose 61 trained individuals toother departments, they take that knowledgeand experience,” Light said. “That is not areturn on investment. That is a cost to us thatwe don’t get back.”

Light said, “These brave men and womenhaven’t had raises in over seven years. Theyhaven’t had merit increases, no cost-of-livingadjustment and, at the same time, their in-surance and pension contributions have in-creased each year.

“Every day when they go to work, they goto work prepared to make the ultimate sacri-fice—laying down their lives if asked to,” hesaid. “I think it’s time to sacrifice... in returnto give the salary and compensation they de-serve.”

Community activist Joe Arrington saidthere are none “more deserving” than publicsafety personnel for a pay increase.

Arrington urged county officials to put

DeKalb’s first responders “on an equal basiswith the city of Atlanta’s police departmentand other jurisdictions which are takingaway our good officers as fast as we can trainthem.

“We’ve become an excellent trainingschool...to make good police officers andthen we don’t have the resources to keepthem,” Arrington said.

“Consider what your priorities for thiscounty are and I can think of none higherthan the police department and after themthe fire department and after them potholes,”Arrington added.

Capt. Alex Mears, a DeKalb Police of-ficer of more than 20 years, said, “Today thetime has come to invest in the police depart-

ment.“Now is the time to say ‘I am willing

to give raises and give public safety officerswhat they deserve to help us retain the bestand brightest among them,’” Mears said.

MORE PAY Continued From Page 1A

SNAPFINGER Continued From Page 1A

DeKalb police and re rescue personnel stand in solidarity to ask the DeKalb County Board of Commissionersor more pay. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

retaining wall, numerouswater violations and acci-dents at the construction site.Residents near the site com-plained also complained atthat time of damage causedby blasting.

In October 2015, DeKalbCounty officials ceremoni-ally broke ground on Phase 2construction of the Snapfin-ger Advanced WastewaterTreatment Plant, which isbeing touted as the larg-est watershed project in thecounty’s history.

County officials said theSnapfinger plant expansionis designed to improve thewastewater treatment processand return clean, high-qual-ity water to the South River.Additionally, the new facilitywill help reduce noise levels,odor and light produced bythe plant in the surroundingcommunity.

The current Snapfingerfacility processes up to 36million gallons per day ofwastewater. The facility isbeing expanded to treat anaverage of 54 million gallonsper day.

The project is a partof the county’s $1.3 billioncapital improvement project(CIP) and is expected to becompleted in late 2017.

Margaret Tanner, the

watershed department’s dep-uty director for engineeringand construction manage-ment services, said duringa Jan. 27 news conferencethat the county is “movingforward with quite a few”watershed capital improve-ment projects,” but is in the“process of reprioritizing”others.

“The CIP was originallydeveloped during the hous-

ing boom,” Tanner said.“Of course we had a

bust,” she said. “While [development] is picking backup, it’s focusing more towardthe urban areas, so we reallyneed to reprioritize what our

needs are. We are in the pro-cess of reevaluating that, butwe still have priority needsand problematic areas thatwe are moving forward withas fast as we can.”

Tanner said the countyis “rebalancing” the projects“based on where the currentgrowth is happening andnot where it was supposedto happen five years ago anddidn’t.”

The county is redevel-oping its watershed masterplans by “looking at our ca-pacity issues,” she said.

“We’ve got hydraulicmodels for both our collec-tion system and our distribu-tion systems that are underdevelopment,” Tanner said.“They’re going to let us knowwhere we have capacity con-straints and where we needto be focusing our work.

“We’re hoping to havethat completed before theend of the year,” she said.

“That doesn’t mean we’renot working because we’removing forward with prior-ity projects,” she added. “We

have problematic water linesthat we’re going to go aheadand move forward with.”

When asked whether thereprioritization of projectswould delay the CIP, Tannersaid, “No. Not really.

“We’re going to be mov-ing forward with what’s al-ready been planned, whichare the areas which have therepeated breaks,” she said.


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