Dunwoody firsts

Who will be the first mayor?
First City Council?
First police officers?
First to answer the phone, "Hello, Dunwoody City Hall"?
First to get a speeding ticket issued by a Dunwoody officer?
First office staff?
First zoning inspector?
First city manager?

It's fun to speculate.

T and I were having our weekly Friday morning breakfast at Olde Hickory House and joined the buzz about the election, the coming campaign, who we think will run for mayor, council, etc., etc., etc. It was a tasty conversation, reminiscent of our early married days when we were regularly engaged in campaigning and civic roles in T's home town. I like the feeling of anticipation, framed by a very pragmatic understanding of just how challenging the next few years will be. Great choices will be made. So will great mistakes. Ultimately, it's up to us, the new citizens of Dunwoody, Georgia, to play an active role in shaping our new city.

Everyone is playing "what if" . . .

• What if Dunwoody could become a truly walkable city, with sidewalks on every major road, adequate pedestrian crosswalks, and bike lanes?
• What if Dunwoody became one of the first truly wireless communities, with every residence and business connected with City Hall, public services, schools, and each other?
• What if Dunwoody created our own school district? Maybe then we could have a Labor Day to June schedule (okay, that's my pet peeve).
  
• What if our recycling and regular garbage was picked up by an automated truck? We had this in Greensboro and it was fabulous. We paid a fee for two gigantic garbage bins, one for recycling and one for regular stuff. You rolled them out to the curb, recyling one day and regular stuff another, one guy in a garbage truck drove by, a robot arm swung out and picked up the can, dumped it, and returned it. Awesome.
• What if we had a streetcleaning truck and crew that drove regularly through the city, keeping curbs and drains clear of debris? Maybe then our sewers wouldn't back up so regularly. On snow days, it would turn into our own snow mover.
  
• What if our town meetings had the lively air of those in New England, where every speaks up on every issue?
• What if the city office maintained a website and blog that functioned as an EFFECTIVE, interactive communications tool? (That means someone is maintaining it and the council is actually consulting it.)
  

There's more. So much more. Because wishes can become policy. It'll be fun to see our city grow over the next decade.

What if Dunwoody became so desirable a place to live that "for sale" signs never stayed up more than a few days?

Oh, yeah.

Dunwoody YES!

I LOVE early voting! I stopped in at Brook Run Park to cast my vote for Dunwoody cityhood. So easy. So important.

The sky-is-falling crowd is out in force, trying at the last minute to turn the tide. Eek! Taxes might go up! Forecasts might be off! Change is scary!

Hello. Self-determination. That's really what it's all about.

When an elected official wants to file a lawsuit because the election is racist (Dunwoody isn't diverse enough for his taste? Walk the halls of Peachtree Charter Middle School. We have the most diverse public school in the county, bar none, and superlative academic achievements.), I just sigh.

When business groups say DeKalb County takes better care of them than Dunwoody would, I have to wonder at their naivete.

When writers to our local Dunwoody Crier fret about increased taxes, I shrug. Ten years from now, either we'll be paying DeKalb County or the City of Dunwoody. At least now there will be a direct correlation between taxes paid and services rendered.

I'm not wearing rose-colored glasses. I expect there will be challenges ahead. But they'll be OUR challenges.

Dunwoody? Yes!

Self-determination

When we were first married, T and I volunteered with many political campaigns in his hometown, Greensboro, North Carolina. We had several friends running for City Council and Mayor and, at any given time, were working on behalf of bond referendums, reelections, new candidates, and more. It was fun, exhausting, and illuminating work.

One of my least favorite jobs was placing political yard signs in voters' yards and businesses. We'd have a scribbled list of addresses and a trunk full of signs, stakes, and a mallet. Off we'd go, to plant upwards of 50 signs at a time.

All would go well, until, inevitably, we'd get to one particular yard. The address was different each campaign, but it ALWAYS HAPPENED. The residents did not agree on the candidate. We'd plant a sign, and the spouse opposing the election would run out, yell at us, and demand that we pull it up. Very unpleasant. We'd apologize "for the confusion" as gracefully as possible, but drove away with our ears ringing.

The campaign's response to complaints about yard signs was, inevitably, to blame it on "overzealous volunteer workers."

Yesterday, our DUNWOODY YES! yard sign appeared in the front yard. I was thinking about the volunteer who showed up just two days after I emailed a request. Volunteering after work, putting in the kind of sweat equity that can't be compensated, showing a commitment to self-determination that's fundamentally American: you are wonderful!

Thank you, "overzealous volunteer." Your zeal for volunteering on behalf of cityhood is much appreciated. You can count on my vote for Dunwoody!

Just when you think you've seen everything knitted . . .

Click http://sternlab.org/index.php?project=BodyTechnologyInterfaces. TangleGirl sent me this link and it's proof that some knitters have way too much time to play with yarn. Absolutely hysterical.

It's been a busy week in my corner of the universe.

• The DeKalb County School System decided to turn a planned elementary school into a 4th and 5th grade academy - maybe good in the long run, but horrible in the short run as the schools turn into trailered parking lots. This just delays construction, allows even more multi-family housing to flood Austin Elementary School, and turns us all into ping-pong balls.
• The City of Dunwoody iniative is rolling towards voting day July 15.
• The new girls' softball fields at Murphy Candler are tantalizingly close to completion, except for grass. We're watching it grow. It has to be green before the girls can play on it. Funny thing is that we've never had grass to play on, so the girls think a grassy outfield is a novelty.
• I've begun marketing seminars to preschool directors so I can teach their teachers how to teach Preschool Phonics to preschoolers. Try to say that out loud without stammering.
• I just finished registration for next fall's Preschool Phonics classes. All the spots were filled in 24 hours.
• I have several private knitting lessons scheduled in the next week or so.

Hmmm . . .

Somewhere in all that overachievement, I finished all the pieces of the White Hot Cardigan and have cast on a lacy edge treatment for the bottom. I don't like the rolled edge of the stockinette field, so I'm laying it down with edging. I'll let the sleeves roll - that looks fine. I'd like to wear it this weekend, so I'm on a mission. AG has softball practice Friday evening and a game Saturday, so I'm sure I'll be sewing together all the pieces by Saturday afternoon.

Good news, bad news

The good news: yesterday, the Georgia House passed the city of Dunwoody bill! Today, the Senate passed it, too! Now it's in Governor Perdue's hands, who is purportedly in favor of the bill. If all goes well, we'll actually get to vote on our own destiny some time later this year. Fran Millar and Dan Weber did an awesome job of representing us. (I loved the photo of Fran hollering down to the representatives idling in the halls with U. S. Senator Saxby Chambless. "Time to vote, people!") It wasn't easy. And it isn't a done deal. But it sure feels good.

Weird moment during the 90-minute discussion on the House floor:

"Republican Rep. Jill Chambers, who lives in Dunwoody, opposes the referendum. She said from the House podium that critics have accused her of having an affair with Jones, who also opposes the referendum. Chambers denied their accusations.

"Vernon Jones, whom I have not slept with, will tell you that I oppose many of the things he wants to do down here," Chambers said." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Ooookay, then.

The bad news: the hinky Honda Odyssey transmission continues its shenanigans. It's trying really hard to go bad - the van is just zooming along, then suddenly drops out of gear into neutral. That's really fun when you're on a highway, or in rush hour traffic. (No one can understand why I'm suddenly stopping IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD so the engine can go back to first gear. It's the only way to get going again. Let's just say that I'm not real popular.)

I've taken the blasted thing for multiple visits to Curry Honda, and they've driven it all over kingdom come. Because it DOESN'T DO IT WITH THEM. Yes, indeedy. It's the same old schtick - vehicle is bad at home, then on its best behavior at the garage. Sigh.

Now I can't drive a mile without resorting to the stop, let the engine go back to first, start again business at least once. T is taking it to Curry tomorrow for another round of "we can't duplicate that, ma'am/sir." I know Honda transmissions are bad, so I've already set up a case through Honda USA. Because I'm not paying 100% for a new transmission on a van with just 77,000 miles on it and that was SOLD on the basis that it would go on and on and on.

Or not.

Here we go again

The Georgia Legislature is teasing Dunwoody once again with the prospect of letting us vote whether or not to form a city. Not too long ago, the motion died in committee. Now the motion is back, this time in a larger arena (way to go, Dan Weber and Fran Millar!).

I've listened to varying opinions among friends and neighbors, responding with a noncommittal "mmm-hmmm." I've followed the news coverage and letters to the editor of the AJC and the Dunwoody Crier. (This particular letter- http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/printedition/2008/03/09/myviewno0309ns.html - just makes me sigh.)

I respect the diverse viewpoints. No one knows if cityhood would prevail with a majority vote, but it would sure be nice to have the opportunity to choose.

My vote? Yes! Let's call ourselves a city and have a greater voice in the quality of life and future of our community.