Several months after forming an organization to explore incorporating a portion of East Cobb, representatives of the Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb are formally taking their case to the public.
They are scheduled to speak Thursday at a town hall meeting of Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.
At the same time, legislation calling for a local referendum on cityhood is expected to be filed in the final days of the Georgia General Assembly session.
Ron Eble and David Birdwell are among those who will be speaking at the town hall meeting. They’re part of the cityhood committee whose membership is being revealed only now.
Eble is a management consultant with Slalom Consulting, a business and technology firm. David Birdwell is a real estate entrepreneur who lives in the Atlanta Country Club area.
Ever since the cityhood group was formed last fall, only Joe Gavalis, a resident of the Atlanta Country Club, and Owen Brown, the founder of Retail Planning Corp., have been publicly identified with the group.
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The committee has commissioned a City of East Cobb feasibility study and has hired a public relations representative and a lobbyist in the legislature.
That study concluded that the city, with boundaries proposed by the committee, is financially feasible and that additional tax rates wouldn’t be needed. In fact, the study, conducted by the Georgia State University Center for State and Local Finance, suggested that a City of East Cobb would start out with a surplus of a few million dollars.
The boundaries include only unincorporated east Cobb that is in Ott’s District 2, and cover a population of 97,000. The committee has not explained why it’s not including what is generally regarded as most or all of East Cobb in its proposed city map.
Among the reasons cited for pursuing cityhood are enhancing local control of services, especially public safety, roads and zoning. The group is calling for a city government that would have an elected mayor and council and an appointed city manager, with city hall possibly being located at an expanded East Cobb Government Service Center on Lower Roswell Road.
A citizens group in Mableton, which also is pursuing cityhood and has had legislation filed for a referendum in 2020, is citing similar reasons for its cityhood drive.
State Rep. Matt Dollar, a Republican who represents part of the proposed City of East Cobb, told East Cobb News last week that he will be sponsoring a bill shortly calling for a referendum in 2020; as of Friday, that bill has not been introduced.
Cityhood is a two-year process in Georgia. Local legislation must at least be introduced a year before any referendum can be scheduled.
Cityhood legislation also must be sponsored by at least one state senator whose district includes a proposed new city. Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, the only lawmaker in the upper chamber who could do that, told East Cobb News last week that she doesn’t have a position on cityhood for now, “but the bill will get the conversation started.”
By contrast, those in Mableton leading the cityhood effort there have held a series of public meetings over the last couple years before having legislation filed. The group still must have a feasibility study conducted.
Who else is involved?
Joining Birdwell and Eble on the committee, along with Gavalis and Brown, are Dee Gay, Karen Hallacy, Sharon McGehee, Chip Patterson, Carolyn Roddy, Jerry Quan, Kevin Taitz and John Woods, according to the group’s revamped website, which is now subtitled “Good neighbors make for good government.”
Gavalis is an appointee of Ott’s, serving on the Cobb Neighborhood Safety Commission. He’s also served on the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force.
The group also is being advised by Riley Lowery, a political consultant who has long advised Ott, and who has been sparring with some citizens in recent days on social media about the cityhood effort and his role in it.
East Cobb News asked Phil Kent, the cityhood group’s P.R. representative, to provide basic biographical information about the rest of the committee. He replied that he doesn’t know “most of the East Cobbers” with the expanded group and “suggest you perform old-fashioned journalism research” by attending the town hall meeting.
When East Cobb News followed up that reply with a request to get the information before the town hall, and to explain how these individuals were selected and what their roles will be, Kent did not respond. Here’s a bit more about them:
- Dee Gay: A commercial real estate broker who is active with the Cobb County Republican Women’s Club, and who lives in the Atlanta Country Club area;
- Karen Hallacy: Longtime East Cobb civic activist, president of Georgia PTA and Ott’s appointee to the Development Authority of Cobb County;
- Sharon McGehee: Associate director of advancement at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy;
- Chip Patterson: Atlanta Country Club area resident and a partner in Three P Partners, an Atlanta real estate development firm, as well as a former head of the Walton Touchdown Club;
- Jerry Quan: The former commander of the Cobb Police Precinct 4 station in East Cobb, now serving with the Cobb County School District police department. He’s a former East Cobb Citizen of the Year;
- Carolyn Roddy: An administrative law attorney in Marietta;
- Kevin Taitz: Technology consultant at Slalom Consulting;
- John Woods: CEO of Southport Capital, based in the Cobb Galleria, and a chairman of the Walton Touchdown Club. Three sons played football at Walton, most recently Dominick Blaylock, an all-state wide receiver and University of Georgia signee. Woods also is the owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league baseball team.
The town hall meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday in Nolan Hall at the Catholic Church of St. Ann, 4905 Roswell Road (at Bishop Lake Road).
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We’re not going to raise new taxes, we’ll just use our new police force to find anyone that has violated the law in any way, as a major source of revenue.
Oh, and by the way, my wife’s brothers’ son owns a great little piece of real estate off of Lower Roswell that would make a great new police station. Just sayin.
All y’all are invited to my retirement/pension party, so you vote yes now, hear?
There is absolutely no reason for doing this. What we do not need is more government.
I am against forming a “City of East Cobb”. When I moved here in 1978 I purposely chose an area outside of any city. You say no new taxes but that is an outright lie. Police cars don’t come free and neither do policemen. The staff at city hall has to be paid. Like any bureaucracy everything will expand and become more expensive. It requires taxes to pay for these things. I believe we have some greedy people looking to enrich themselves at our expense. My vote will be NO!!!
So people who are not elected officials, have been planning for my neighborhood and my taxes secretly! What is wrong with this picture. Lots of people will be affected. And they will pocket from their previous investment done in absolute secrecy and they expect us to vote for their ventures!!!!!
The city will function similarity to Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Stockbridge, Alpharetta, Milton, McDonough and others who have had the courage to step up and decide to have a voice in their own community and it’s future. Currently we have one county commissioner and one vote as to what happens in our area, East Cobb can have 5 city Councelpeople representing them. Our commissioner voted to keep taxes the same while the other voted for a 11 mill tax increase. As a city we could have opted out. The pockets can petition to join the city once formed. Current boundary lines are district 2 already delineated. EastCobb would be able to have its own police force which is understaffed and underserved by the county. No new taxes, no new buildings. The east Cobb government building serves as home base. It’s a no brainer. The schools remain as is. They are controlled by a totally different entity and are not a part of the city government. Dig in and know the details. This is a good move for the area. Your community, where you live, have a say. It’s in our best interest.
How this will impact the school zone boundaries? I see that Pope high school is outside the city limit, But homes in Pope district are put inside city limits! It seems like some homes currently in Walton district will be pushed into Wheeler to open room in Walton for people coming from Pope high school! I wonder how much Investment this group has made in those areas!!!
If this cityhood group is so sure that an incorporated city is the right way to move forward, why doesn’t their PR hack know “most of the East Cobbers” with the expanded group, and why is he so combative/rude with a remark like “[I] suggest you perform old-fashioned journalism research” by attending the town hall meeting?
Shady, shady, shady.
The plan leaves a pocket or “no man’s land” between the city of Marietta and the proposed new city to the west of East Piedmont and north of Roswell Road, This plan also cuts neighborhoods in half. If you are planning a city you shouldn’t create pockets in between. Shows poor or rushed planning,
“The committee has not explained why it’s not including what is generally regarded as most or all of East Cobb in its proposed city map.” -I bet if you look at the racial makeup of the portions left out the answer would become very clear. Ive lived in East Cobb almost 20 years and don’t know any of the backers personally but guaranteed they are all one color and belong to the same political party.
I am against a new city ,just to please some power hungry folk and pay more wages and taxes
I for 1 am against the new city ,more worries about briberies ,more building and more taxes for the enrichment of a few more power seekers
Sunday, March 24th? Is this correct?
Thank you.