Monday, June 30, 2008

CFD negotiating with CH2MHill as early as 2006?

If creating a city of Dunwoody is really about local control and self determination, why would CH2MHill be so interested so early in the process? Could it be that the RFP written by Oliver Porter, consultant for Citizens for Dunwoody, is really for CH2MHill?

http://www.citizensfordunwoody.org/documents/RFP20080601.pdf

Hey Mr. Porter, just who are you planning to give our $10 million to?

Check out this old email from 2006. Notice howTWO corporate officers from CH2MHill are copied on the email?


Subject: FW: Citizens for Dunwoody community meeting on Nov 12
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2006 09:15:30 -0500
From: danweber@andersondailey.com

To: ecent@mindspring.com; janjones38@bellsouth.net; spruett@gmanet.com; TBAGGETT@gmanet.com; lnorton@gmanet.com; kbrannon@chambleega.com; j.anavitarte@worldnet.att.net; cityhall@doravillega.us; OliverPorter1@Comcast.net; jgalambos@comcast.net; dgreenspan@exchangeblvd.com; ashley_disque_jenkins@hotmail.com; wkwillard@hotmail.com; Fran_Millar@palmercay.com; jillchambers@msn.com; jacobs@KrevolinHorst.com; hcg@charter.net; Rick.Hirsekorn@CH2M.com; pcorleto@ch2m.com; danmoody@bellsouth.net; david@davidshafer.co

CC: kwright@ehealthcareit.com; joe@linuxgeneral.com; tetsujin@bellsouth.net; jdlifsey@bellsouth.net; rwittenstein@fcg.com; Brian_Anderson@ivivity.com

This community meeting will include a detailed presentation by Ken Wright, followed by a Q & A session. A small panel from the Citizens for Dunwoody group will help to answer questions.

Each of you has an expertise or particular interest in the incorporation issues facing Dunwoody, and it is my hope that you will attend to add to the discussion.

Please reply to this Email to indicate if you will or will not be able to attend.

Thank you.

Dan Weber


From: Citizens for Dunwoody [mailto:mailer.program@purereach.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 5:07 PM
To: Dan Weber
Subject: Citizens for Dunwoody community meeting on Nov 12

This is a reminder that the community meeting will be at:Dunwoody Baptist Church1445 Mount Vernon RoadSunday, November 12 at 4:30 PMWhere looking for to seeing everyone there.Joe DeVita

This message was sent by: Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc - 2526 Mount Vernon Road, Suite B-206 - Dunwoody, GA 30338 using Pure Reach Opt-in E-mail Marketing.danweber@andersondailey.com - This message was sent to you because you requested to be on the Citizens for Dunwoody, Inc member list.


And just who is Mr Hirsekorn with CH2MHill?

from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/27/08
"...Rick Hirsekorn, vice president of municipal services for CH2M Hill, declined to disclose the private company's profits running city services in North Georgia...

CH2M Hill sees running city governments as a "growth area in the industry," Hirsekorn said....
Hirsekorn said CH2M Hill is interested in doing work for Dunwoody should its residents vote for cityhood in a July 15 referendum and then decide to contract out their services.


CH2M Hill recently contributed $2,500 to the Citizens for Dunwoody Inc., a nonprofit group that pushed for the cityhood referendum, to sponsor a "Dunwoody Right to Vote Celebration" on May 12."


Coincidence? one can only speculate......

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Victory at League Debate

The first and only true debate on cityhood caused a peculiar response from the proponents - refusing to debate issues, Rob Augustine and Denny Shortall acted like children when they personally attacked Rep. Jill Chambers. Their utter disregard for the concerns of citizens and their silly behaviour show that perhaps Rep. Chambers is correct in her examination of the Dunwoody issue.

The following week, at the Dunwoody rah-rah rally at the church, the city proponents finally spoke openly about the potential litigation and admitted that there will have to be a tax increase to support the city. If the League of Women Voters had not hosted a successful debate, I doubt the rally organizers would have been so forthcoming in their final public meeting.

Two important questions came at the end of the rally:

Do any of the proponents have a financial interest in cityhood?
Which companies were approached with the potential $10 million contract to run the city?

here is the link to the citizens for dunwoody proposed contract: http://www.citizensfordunwoody.org/documents/RFP20080601.pdf

Those questions were not answered to the satisfaction of many attendees.

Will all city activists will pledge to not run for office and not take any payments for any services for Dunwoody (including city attorney and legal organ advertising!)?

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Jill Chambers to speak on Dunwoody!


The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters will host a forum on the city of Dunwoody finances.

Thursday, Georgia Perimeter College, building C, 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

State Rep. Jill Chambers has been nominated by the public to speak!

This will be the first time she has been asked to make a formal presentation within the community regarding cityhood.  For some reason, Rep. Fran Millar, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association and DunwoodyYes do NOT want her to have a microphone....  (see post below).

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Chambers responds to Crier letter from Millar

From: jillchambers@msn.com
To: ccobbs@criernewspapers.com ; thecrier@mindspring.com

Subject: response to Crier letter to the editor
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:15:17 -0400

My response follows the letter from Rep. Millar: http://www.thecrier.net/articles/2008/06/10/letters/letters.txt

Letter To The Editor: Chambers
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 1:57 PM EDT

As many of you know, Representative Jill Chambers continues to raise the same old questions about a City of Dunwoody. This week she will try to rehash the legislative session at Perimeter College since the League of Women Voters and 'neutral' DeKalb Chamber of Commerce will give her a microphone for her re-election campaign.I agree that DeKalb County could always bring a lawsuit against the State of Georgia on HB264 (HOST Bill that Chambers voted for).

However, why would DeKalb County want to prevent the Perimeter CID (business community) from receiving $1 million to $1.5 million for transportation improvements which is one of the primary purposes of the bill? A large portion of the Perimeter CID will remain in unincorporated DeKalb (inside I-285 where major expansion is planned). Finally, DeKalb County will continue to receive all of the sales tax revenue and at least 90 percent of the property tax revenue from business properties located within the city of Dunwoody. If the commissioners have any sense, they will not take any legal action and to date they have not.

After two years, I have some questions that Representative Chambers needs to answer:Why did you sponsor legislation allowing people in unincorporated DeKalb to become part of the city of Doraville ($200,000 anticipated deficit) and yet you are opposed to people in Dunwoody voting to become a city with a possible surplus? UGA did both fiscal studies. We both know Representative Watson (DeKalb delegation chair) kept his word to me and let the Doraville bill go forward.

Why didn’t you draft the annexation bill for all of Huntley Hills to become part of the city of Chamblee when you said you would?Since you represent Doraville and Chamblee and both cities passed resolutions supporting the Dunwoody incorporation, why are you opposed?

Isn’t it true that you and your seatmate are the only Republicans to vote against the legislation which allowed people to vote on incorporation in Dunwoody (98-2)?

How did you know Roy Barnes was hired by Vernon Jones for a potential lawsuit and yet none of the Commissioners were aware of this action?

Isn’t it true that over the years your campaign donors include CEO Vernon Jones, Richard Stogner (Vernon’s Executive Assistant), former MARTA head Ed Wall (Vernon Senate supporter) and HJ Russell & Company (big Vernon supporter)? I was also one of the donors, but never again.

Anyone can vote for or against the creation of the City of Dunwoody. I have no problem with opposing viewpoints. When I see an elected official trying to create a re-election issue or carrying someone else’s water, then it needs to be exposed. This is particularly true when this elected official cloaks him or herself in the mantle of transparency and open government.

Further, factual information can be obtained June at the next forum at Dunwoody Methodist. I urge everyone to get informed and vote July 15.

State Rep. Fran Millar
404-487-7329
fran.millar@wachovia.com



June 10, 2008
To: Mr. Dick Williams and Rep. Fran Millar:

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to the letter in this weeks Crier newspaper; the answers requested from me by Rep. Millar are below. The Crier has my permission to reprint the unedited answers in next weeks issue.

"After two years, I have some questions that Representative Chambers needs to answer:

''Why did you sponsor legislation allowing people in unincorporated DeKalb to become part of the city of Doraville ($200,000 anticipated deficit) and yet you are opposed to people in Dunwoody voting to become a city with a possible surplus? UGA did both fiscal studies. We both know Representative Watson (DeKalb delegation chair) kept his word to me and let the Doraville bill go forward.'

When Senator Dan Weber was unable to get the required ten House signatures on his 2007 annexation bill, SB 32, you asked me to drop a House version so that the other DeKalb Reps would sign it. When you and Senator Weber supplied the wrong boundary description for Doraville for HB 1367, I had to redrop a corrected bill several days later, HB 1378.

'Why didn’t you draft the annexation bill for all of Huntley Hills to become part of the city of Chamblee when you said you would?'

The only part of the Huntley Hills subdivision that I represent is already in the city limits of Chamblee. Since the citizens in the unincorporated area are not in District 81, it would be inappropriate for me to introduce legislation that affects them. That is the responsibility of the Rep. or Senator who represents those neighborhoods. As I have stated before, I would be happy to co-sponsor a Chamblee annexation bill whenever you are ready to introduce it in the legislature.

'Since you represent Doraville and Chamblee and both cities passed resolutions supporting the Dunwoody incorporation, why are you opposed?'

As a Republican, I stand for less government and lower taxes. I am not convinced that a city of Dunwoody can provide similar or greater levels of service without a tax increase.

'Isn’t it true that you and your seatmate are the only Republicans to vote against the legislation which allowed people to vote on incorporation in Dunwoody (98-2)?'

Yes. I hope you noticed that several fiscally conservative Republicans walked out on the vote this year rather than support a tax increase.

'How did you know Roy Barnes was hired by Vernon Jones for a potential lawsuit and yet none of the Commissioners were aware of this action?'

DeKalb testified at the House Governemental Affairs committee that the county intends to sue regarding HOST if Dunwoody incorporates. This was also confirmed and discussed during DeKalb delegation meetings - these weekly meetings held during the legislative session are open to the public and all DeKalb Reps and Senators are invited. I do not know why the commissioners were unaware of this - you will have to ask them.

'Isn’t it true that over the years your campaign donors include CEO Vernon Jones, Richard Stogner (Vernon’s Executive Assistant), former MARTA head Ed Wall (Vernon Senate supporter) and HJ Russell & Company (big Vernon supporter)? I was also one of the donors, but never again.'

All of my campaign donors are disclosed on my campaign finance reports submitted to the Ethics Commission. In addition to those listed above, I have received contributions from former Congressman Bob Barr, State Senator Eric Johnson, Congressman Jack Kingston's PAC, and US Senator Bill Frist's PAC. I appreciate your past support from your own campaign account.

I hope this answers your questions and I now have additional questions:

Why are you so worried and afraid of my speaking to the citizens in the Dunwoody community? Why won't you welcome a public debate on both pros and cons of incorporation?

Thanks,
Jill Chambers
State Representative