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COMMENTARY
Our million it to provide our reader t
with fresh and engaging information
about life in their communities.
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Brookhaven Reporter I Buckhead Reporter
Dunwoody Reporter I Sandy Springs Reporter
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What’s next? Looking ahead to 2016
As 2015 slips past, it’s time to take a moment to look
forward. What’s coming in 2016? We asked newsmak
ers from Reporter Newspapers communities what they
thought would be the biggest issues or trends facing our lo
cal areas in the coming year.
Here’s what they see heading our way in 2016.
I think the most important is
sues that the General Assembly will
address during the upcoming 2016
session include passing of educa
tion reforms, including changing
the way state funds are distribut
ed to local districts, and consider
ing teacher merit pay. I think the
General Assembly will significant
ly revise the $5-per-night hotel/
motel fee that was part of last ses
sion’s transportation funding bill.
The General Assembly also will consider important Ful
ton County reforms. I will propose tax relief for Atlanta’s
seniors.
— Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Atlanta)
2016 will be another transfor
mative year in Fulton County. I’m
expecting a balanced budget which
will hopefully result in a further
decrease in our millage rate. The
BOC is working on several signif
icant initiatives in a number of ar
eas including public health, safe
ty and economic development. We
are having great collaboration with
the Fulton mayors around tack
ling our transportation challenges.
Also, the potential sale of Turner Field and unveiling of dy
namic opportunities for the redevelopment of the area will
be something to watch.
— Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis
The groundbreaking on
Brookhaven’s park improve
ments will be the biggest event for
Brookhaven, which I hope leads to
more resident-led projects through
2016 and beyond. The new trend
for our city government will be
monthly town hall meetings. I’m
very excited to work for — and with
— every Brookhaven resident to
make our city better.
- Brookhaven Mayor-elect John Ernst
I foresee a trend toward more ac
tive recreation opportunities with
in the Dunwoody Park system and
specifically more programming at
Brook Run Park. The hospital in
the back of the park was torn down
in 2007, leaving a rocky, open field
and the city has been slowly filling
it in with clean fill dirt to level it
out. The city just settled a $4 mil
lion lawsuit with DeKalb Coun
ty where the Parks Master Plan
update may direct money toward improving Brook Run’s
playing fields. I hope to see permanently installed, flat
multi-use playable fields in the back of Brook Run Park, so
that new recreation opportunities can be available to our
community.
— Dunwoody City Councilman John Heneghan
For a number of years, Buck-
head’s leadership has recognized
the growing need for replacements
from the younger generation. Be
fore our Buckhead Coalition was
formed, the Buckhead Business
Association started just such a
group (called YoungBucks, by my
son Steve). More recently, the co
alition started an organization of
new leaders nominated by neigh
borhood associations. Named the
Diplomatic Leadership Corps, it consists of 25 men and
women around the age of 25 (to commemorate the 25th
anniversary of the coalition).
Imagine our excitement when David Cummings devel
oped Atlanta Tech Village as an incubator for young tech
startups. Add to this the wisdom of 36 different develop
ers announcing 44 apartment complexes with 13,974 units
to meet the desire for mobility by the estimated population
expansion, with 38 percent made up by millennials.
Young leadership is what’s trending in Buckhead for
2016!
— Sam Massell, president of the Buckhead Coalition
I believe the most significant lo
cal event in 2016 is: Will the GM
project move forward or stall due
to bureaucratic infighting and/or
ignorance? Also, will DeKalb’s leg
islative delegation finally embrace
the Republican initiative to elimi
nate the CEO position and go to
a county manager system? In Ful
ton County, will the Fulton Coun
ty Commission continue to make
progress in relations with its cities?
— Sen. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody)
I expect resolution on at least
these two definitive key items for
Dunwoody in 2016:
1. Begin Brook Run Park im
provements using the $4 million
settlement from DeKalb County
due to the parks bond litigation.
This should include turning the
undeveloped back field into recre
ational fields, developing the Great
Lawn, adding vehicle entry to the
park from Barclay Drive and oth
er amenities in the Parks Master Plan. The $4 million for
these improvements is already in the bank.
2. Finalize a timeline, location and action plan for fu
ture Dunwoody City Hall arrangements, as the current
lease expires in 2019.
I have asked for discussion during our annual retreat in
February around these two issues that I hope will result in
a policy consensus: a different policy approach to our pav
ing plan in order to accelerate paving of the city’s lowest-
ranked roads; and how council will address an increasing
tax digest in order to achieve residential property tax relief.
— Dunwoody City Councilman Terry Nall
8 | DF)C. 25, 2015 — JAN. 7,2016 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net