Newspaper Page Text
Brookhaven
Reporter
www. Reporter Newspapers, net
DEC. 11 - DEC. 24,2015 • VOL. 7 - NO. 25
Inside
Earlier last call
Council discusses bar hours
COMMUNITY 3
AAARTA matters
Station town center planned
COMMUNITY 6
Lighting up the skies
COMMUNITY 21
Capturing holiday spirits
PHIL MOSIER
Wearing matching antlers, Jenni Muserallo and her daughters, Dara, right, and Ellia,
donning a Rudolph nose, shows off some photos she captured during the annual “Light Up
Brookhaven” event held Dec. 3 at Blackburn Park. See more photos on page 30.
Lawyer: OK for
city councilman
to hold school
director job
Br JOHN MICH
johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
Brookhaven City Councilman Bates
Mattison’s other job as executive director
of the Brookhaven Innovation Academy
creates no ethical conflicts as long as he
stays out of any BIA-related council dis
cussions and votes, according to a legal
opinion ordered by Mayor Rebecca Chase
Williams.
Matti-
Read more about
son
said he
pleased
Brookhaven
Innovation Academy in
Commentary, page 8
is
the
opin-
ion
shows
that
“one, I did
nothing wrong, and, two,
there’s no conflict going forward.”
The Nov. 25 opinion from Marietta at
torney R. Randall Bentley Sr. also “strong
ly” recommends that Mattison not re
ceive any fundraising bonus from BIA—a
change the school’s board already made
shortly after the legal review was an
nounced—and that he comply with finan
cial disclosure laws.
“Now, as an employee of the BIA, Mr.
Mattison should recuse himself from all
matters, including discussions and votes,
brought before the mayor and coun
cil and the Development Authority re
garding BIA,” Bentley writes. “The best
SEE LAWYER, PAGE 7
Trails show where walkers really want to go
BH JOHN MICH
johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
Dunwoody resident Rashaud Stockdale walks to work on
Cotillion Drive in a rut worn in the roadside grass. The road
is a major connector to 1-285 and the Georgetown commer
cial district, but for pedestrians, it’s like rural pastureland.
“I’d say it feels dangerous,” Stockdale says of the off-road
hike he sometimes has to make in the dark.
Meanwhile, in Sandy Springs, Cedron Tigner escorts his
visually impaired relative Hershell Horton along Hammond
Drive. Instead of a sidewalk, there’s a muddy trail, studded
with exposed tree roots and stones, which looks imported
from a backwoods park. “Taking a chance every time,” Hor
ton says of his walk to a convenience store.
These trails blazed by pedestrians are known as “de
sire paths” or “desire lines”—or, more picturesquely, “goat
trails.” For decades, Atlanta’s car-centric suburbs left pedes
trians to fend for themselves. But that’s changing.
Sidewalks are now replacing desire paths on such routes
as Buford Highway in Atlanta and Brookhaven. But find
ing the money can be tough, and public accessibility can
still spark debates over keeping desire paths in such places as
Buckhead’s Atlanta Memorial Park.
Desire paths are “especially common in areas where peo
ple have no choice except to walk or use public transit” be
cause they don’t own cars, said Sally Flocks, president and
CEO of the Atlanta-based pedestrian advocacy group PEDS.
“I think attitudes nationwide are changing. I do think a
lot more people want the sidewalks,” Flocks said.
SEE ROADSIDE, PAGE 10
JOHN RUCH
A trail on Buford Highway, south of
Clairmont Terrace, in Brookhaven.
