Talk of the Town

By jcr

January 26, 2007 10:10 AM | Link to this

No, absolutely not. The areas of Fulco. that incorporated in the last year did so just to have better control of tax spending in order to get services.

By JK

January 26, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this

I live in North Fulton, and don’t have any complaints about my government services. The property taxes I pay are based on an assessment that I feel is above what I could get for my house if I sold it today. Is that fair? The county is notoriously corrupt and ineffective on many levels.

BUT… What would be the advantage to being Milton County? Would my taxes go down? (Not holding my breath.) Would my services improve? (I have no problem with them now!) Would I really have “more” by withholding taxes from my neighbors to the south, thus giving them “less” than they already have? What’s the advantage, and is it worth is?

By L.D.

January 26, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this

“Racism” is too easy an excuse for those who oppose the move. It would be just as easy to say they oppose Milton county because they’re greedy and would lose their ‘cash cow’.

It makes little sense that Fulton, which holds the bulk of the city of Atlanta, has to have the northern suburbs to survive. Can this modern city not generate the revenue the county needs? Really? Or is it more the case the county can do things on its own and is so mismanaged by the same people crying ‘racism’ that their resources get squandered?

Perhaps if anyone wants to get past the race issue and start analyzing how business is being done, you might find your answers.

By the stopper

January 26, 2007 11:43 AM | Link to this

Better question: Does it matter? Those looking to secede could have the purest of hearts (which, of course, they don’t) and they’d still have to deal with the issue of race. You can’t separate the two in this part of the world, nor should you.

My $.02 — this is another fanciful quest on the part of relatively recent arrivals who’ve benefited from their association with Fulton County, who now seem to think there’s nothing indecent about screwing their less-well off residents.

As for their oft-stated complaint that they generate 42% of taxes but “only” receive 29% of services—that is not a ridiculous imbalance from a wealthier area of one county. You can find similar situations throughout the state. What are we to do after this break-off—wall off every posh subdivision into its own tax-generating fiefdom? Ridiculous.

Put short, any “Democrat” in the legislature who votes to approve this nonsense and give the secessionists their 2/3 majority should be keelhauled. I can only hope there’s some party discipline; God knows in this state you can’t count on ethics.

But I hope that it won’t come to that, I hope it’ll be the residents of north Fulton who come to their senses and put a stop to this.

By Jason

January 26, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this

So many poor assumptions being made in this thread but since most of metro Atlanta make them too, it is understandable.

The funny thing is if you look at demographic trends, the City of Atlanta (which occupies the central third of the county and some of neighboring DeKalb County) is changing rapidly. In less than five years and perhaps as soon as the 2010 census, blacks will no longer be the majority in the city. Crime in the city is the lowest it has been since the 1960s while it is skyrocketing in many of the suburbs. In just the past decade the average income of a city dweller has done from well below the regional average to well above it. Gentrification isn’t just a theory here, it is a fact each and every day.

The tax base for the city is growing rapidly and the biggest source of property tax liability, the public school system, is seeing a large decline in enrollment, not because of white flight to the suburbs (that happened long ago) but because low income families, who tend to have large families, can no longer afford to live in the city that is increasingly populated by singles, gays, empty nesters, and DINKs.

The irony here is that if North Fulton is able to break away, the may do so at their apogee. More and more people are getting sick of the traffic nightmares of the suburbs, the cheap housing of decades past are becoming low income rental housing and the older suburbs are dealing with decaying infrastructure that use to only be a problem for the inner city.

The two biggest things that the public in the northern half of the county are being led to believe is that they would no longer have any liability for MARTA or Grady Hospital. Both are false and if you listen to the politicians closely, you’ll notice that they never directly promise to rid the new county of either, they just make implications that those with wishful thinking fill in the blanks.

Of course there is a racial component to this but probably more so than that there is a us-versus-them mentality that politicians have been using for decades here. Your average suburbanite voter has no clue as to the changing demographics in the city just as they have no clue to the fact that the Georgia gas tax covers only about 1/5th of the cost to the state for roads. The populous is very poorly informed and are more qualified to vote for the next American Idol than they are to decide which representatives understand the complexities of a major metropolitan region. It is pretty much acknowledged that while the next mayor of Atlanta is likely to be black the one after that will almost certainly be white. That will put an end to the “black city” issue but certainly not to the city versus suburb issues. It will be more an issue of economic that determines where one lives rather than race. The city will be diverse racially but economically, it will be quite segregated with a high admission price. According to this month’s issue of Atlanta Magazine, even the middle class is starting to get pushed out of the city by gentrification.

When it comes down to it, I don’t think the politicians pushing this really want it to happen. They know it will be a huge mess to sort out. They know the bond holders will sue to stop the split if they think it changes the chances of them getting paid. They know the justice department is going to jump in with voting rights act concerns. What they want is for it to get voted down so they can go to the public and say “See, I tried but those criminals downtown stopped me.” If they got what they claim they want, they couldn’t use it as a wedge issue and would be stuck with the huge headache of dealing with the actual complexities of how to manage the split of such a huge county. This is probably why the new measure mentioned above came out of nowhere to slow down the process. The seperation movement gained too much momentum and was in danger of becoming unstoppable. Since all of North Fulton has recently been municipalized and there is a law in place to prohibits any county money gathered in the northern part of the county from being spent in the southrn part, what is left for them to gain? The new cities are taking over most of the county functions, with the exception of a very few mandated by the state constitution such as the courts. They will have control over zoning, police, fire, and just about everything else. It is political game, pure and simple, and Joe Average is going to fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

Probably the funniest thing in all of this is that they keep using numbers based on residential property taxes, completely ignoring the fact that residential property taxes rarely cover the costs associated with providing services to that property. North Fulton has very little in the way of industrial property, which is a huge revenue generator. They do have a decent amount of commerical property but nothing compared to the city of Atlanta. You’ll notice that they never ever make mention of county sales tax income, because most of that comes in from the city.

The wildcard here is South Fulton County. For a very long time it has been rural and had not seen much development but in the past few years it has really taken off and is growing faster than the northern end of the county. So once again, you could end up with a situation where an area that previously had very little going for it becomes economically strong just as the northern section of the county disengages itself from that new strength.

By Politics as Usual

January 26, 2007 1:07 PM | Link to this

The racists are the ones opposing the split. And Vincent Fort as a representative of moderation? Please. He only sees life through his prism of blackness.

By DEX

January 26, 2007 1:51 PM | Link to this

Jason please share whatever your smoking…Do a little homework and see how many companies have their home offices and manufacturing plants in North Fulton (i.e. Seimens as an example)…if it weren’t for city, county, and state workers downtown atlanta would be a ghost town…the North Point Mall area alone has more going on than all of downtown Atlanta….and please even Mayor Franklin knows crime is not decreasing in downtown Atlanta. ..as for South Fulton the only people moving there are the interest only crowd.

By Jason

January 26, 2007 4:06 PM | Link to this

No need to smoke anything, just research on FACTS rather than neighborhood gossip.

You can start at http://www.census.gov/ and go from there.

P.S. I’m all for the Milton split. The trends are clear and I’d be very happy to see Milton hang itself with its own rope. So if you’re for Milton, even if you disagree with my reasons, we are allies in this battle. If you don’t care to research the facts and want to continue to believe the north Fulton neighborhood gossip, then think of me as a “useful idiot” who is going to help you get what you want even if it does not benefit me because my reasoning was wrong (at least wrong in your head).

By James

January 27, 2007 5:10 AM | Link to this

Jason it was nice to read a rational response to what certainly is madness.

Everyone in this debate keeps forgetting the schools system that is involved. N Fulton has always had the most representatives on that body. Therefore, they have taken tax dollars from S Fulton to put more money into building schools in N Fulton. Did you know they have built six or seven new high schools in N Fulton over the last 15 years and none in S Fulton? SPLOST is up for renewal in March 2007 for the third time. What have I received for my money? Little.

S Fulton is growing and not with interest only dollars. That’s the line of someone who doesn’t bother to do research. If he would he’d understand the true transient nature of N Fulton.

S Fulton’s Fulton Industrial Blvd built N Fulton. FIB was once the largest and most profitable industrial area east of the Mississippi. Tax dollars from that area built the infrastructure for what is now Sandy Springs and N Fulton. It laid the ground work for Fortune 500 companies to move in while leaving S Fulton completely rural. Once SF started slowly growing it had the need for road and services but the dollars on FIB had dried up.

In my heart of hearts I want them to form Milton County so they will shut up and go away. My fear is it won’t stop there. With control of the General Assembly they’ll keep pocking at Fulton County creating laws to hamper it even more.

Schools are the real issue here. How they have created a separate and unequal system is a shame. Some will tell you FC Schools is spending more per student in SF. The truth is they are spending that money because they have neglected the area for far too long, so they are playing catch up.

By WFC

January 27, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this

I favor creation of a new Milton County in the hope that there willl be more responsive police service. Last Febuary, I had checks stolen fom my home. There were only two suspects (two cable technicians were the only people in my home during the theft period and one had behaved suspiciously.) I sent a handwriting sample from the work order that seemed to match the writing on the forged checks. I sent info tying my case to a man already in custody in DeKalb County. I provided an analysis of where the forged checks were cashed that indicated an inside job at certain stores. Almost a year later and NOTHING has been done! The detective’s office is out near Charley Brown airport. It is obvious to me that crimes in North Fulton are NOT a priority for the Fulton County police. Let’s give a new Milton County a chance!

By Jeff

January 27, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this

I really enjoyed reading Jason’s comments. Atlanta will certainly be a different city in 2010. Those still crying ‘racism’ will vanish into another geographical political landscape.

IMHO, It would definitely be worth the legislations time and efforts to invest in a feasibility study the implications of Milton County. I have grown tired of hearing the neighborhood gossip from one of the most contentious homeowners associations in Fulton County.

By jcr

January 27, 2007 2:17 PM | Link to this

north fulton transient? in case you’ve not noticed, the year is 2007, not 1993. fulco. has always played catch up regarding the growth explosion. blame this ridiculous catch up game on poor planning by those in charge of spending the tax dollars, be it the boc or the boe. they’re the one who approved the new construction mega subdivisions without requiring the building of schools, not to mention the lack of foresight to set aside land for these schools, and absolutely no road repairs or improvements to handle the increased traffic loads. do not blame the residents to the north for being fed up and wanting out, thank your representatives.

By J Collins

January 27, 2007 2:44 PM | Link to this

Racism is way too easy an excuse for for sure. Just take a look at any statistic.. number of library’s, parks, road projects, etc per capita in N vs S Fulton and it will make you sick. It is the voting block of democrates in the FC Commission that stop anything but a couple of drops of funding going north. Hopefully this will force things like Marta to be fixed by State funding. Fulton county’s government is very inefficient and this will force the government to stop wasting tax dollars and get their act togther!! Race is an excuse to keep the status quo and keep the dollars coming from N of the county and sending them south.

By J

January 28, 2007 1:41 PM | Link to this

James - you’ve got to be kidding.

North Fulton has gotten new high schools because that’s where the growth has been for the last 20 years. Should we have built new high schools in South Fulton and bussed them 50 miles?

SPLOST 3 actually includes money for a new high school in South Fulton. Dang I hate how facts get in the way, don’t you?

Why are North Fulton schools more successful than South Fulton? One word - parents. There is far more parental involvement directly in the schools and with their children than there has ever been in South Fulton. Another fact that gets in the way - darn.

The school board and county commission have long been majority Democrat and Atlanta/South Fulton oriented. Studies done during the legislation establishing John’s Creek, Milton, and Sandy Springs clearly proved that money moved OUT of North Fulton and into South Fulton. THAT is why the folks in North Fulton want to see Milton County again.

By Jason

January 29, 2007 1:38 PM | Link to this

Why don’t you all form your own state while your at it. Or better yet how about the People’s Republic of Milton. That’s using the same logic you would be using to form your own county. You see North Fulton and the wealthy Atlanta suburbs in general basically subsidize the rest of the states school systems and public works. That’s why I can’t figure out why you all insist on supporting redneck boobs like Sonny Perdue, Kathy Cox, and Casey Cagle for state office. North Fulton also pays far more in federal taxes than it recieves in services. Why not form your own nation? I think The People’s Republic of Milton sounds pretty catchy. What makes you so much more important than everyone else that the legislation that would give Milton County the right to form doesn’t grant that right to any other county. Who the F!*! do you all think you are? Every county in Georgia has a more affluent and a less affluent area. Should every county be allowed to do what your doing? I don’t think this is racism per say, but a lot of mostly minority people in south Fulton are going to suffer because of this, whereas the quality of life in North Fulton will be largely unchanged if Milton County is formed. The last time I checked the county government didn’t subsidize the BMW’s and 700,000 homes you all live in or pay your six figure salaries. South Fulton’s quality of life will decline dramatically if Milton County is formed. It could also hurt the Atlanta brand name and could ultimately effect you all in a negative way. When Sandy Springs broke off from Atlanta it hurt the Atlanta brand name. Do you want Atlanta’s rapidly developing inner city that is attracting the best and brightest 25-34 year olds from across the country to continue to prosper or do you want Atlanta to be like Detroit or Cleveland. Milton County would be a big step in that direction.

By jcr

January 29, 2007 4:35 PM | Link to this

jason…life will change in milton…we will finally get the services for which we’ve been paying, but haven’t gotten. that is the whole point.

By anthony m duncan

January 29, 2007 4:48 PM | Link to this

are we going to use all the surplus this year for the jail? staffing is not efficient and half the staff is in supervision. this should be about 15 to 1 not 2 to one.

By mg

January 29, 2007 9:47 PM | Link to this

Jason why should north fulton foot the bill for south fultons “lifestyle”? .. if people in nfulton have good jobs and nice homes its b/c they earned them. God forbid people make a good living and dont want it redistributed to the “less fortunate.”

By KA

January 30, 2007 9:05 AM | Link to this

Fulton and Milton were combined because of economics, and now Milton wants to be reestablished because of economics. People naturally want to pay taxes that govern their local area, not an area 50-100 miles away. Fulton Co. residents need to elect some commissioners who will do a better job bringing industry into the low income areas to provide jobs and a tax revenue stream to support their local services.

By H

January 30, 2007 1:27 PM | Link to this

J,

Check YOUR facts. The Fulton School Board has not long been predominantly Democratic, but Republican. Ooops another inconvenient truth.

By Greg

January 30, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this

Grady Hospital is a massive calamity of �brother� politics. The tax payers of Fulton and Dekab counties should demand transparency in all actions relating to the hospital authority and Grandy Hospital. The citizens must demand a board of directors who want to improve Health Care for Atlanta�s poor before the State of Georgia adds one more dollar of funding for level three traumas care to Grady. Too many of the current board�s primary interest is to enrich themselves and damn the poor and needy.

By WD

January 30, 2007 3:37 PM | Link to this

Jason, as a S Fulton AFFLUENT (imagine that) resident, I agree with you. Let Milton become a reality for the same reasons you posted earlier. It disturbs me that the S Fulton residents are being deemed low-income, uneducated, and other terms I’ve seen used. And yes, MG, God does forbid inequality! In my opinion, that is the point. I chose to live in S Fulton because I want to contribute to this community even though I can live wherever I want.

And if S Fulton Commissioners are to blame—so are the N Fulton ones! The door certainly swings both ways. Mismanagement can be seen all across the board. N Fulton—why aren’t you more disenchanted with your own leadership?

By Charles A. Hammonds

January 30, 2007 3:52 PM | Link to this

I think there is a racial and economic element involved in the drive to create Milton County, given the history of the Atlanta area. If the issue is ineffective government, then government reform is the answer, not the breaking up of Fulton County into two counties - one mostly white and wealthy and the other mostly black and poor.

By WD

January 30, 2007 5:33 PM | Link to this

Mr. Hammonds—FINALLY—a voice of reason. Ineffective government is the issue & government reform is the answer. However, the issue has taken on an UGLY life of it’s own. I find it disheartening at best that the two sides are so decisively split. Here we (N & S Fulton residents) are bickering and calling each other names when the people who put us in these predicaments are safe from the backlash. The black vs. white & rich vs. poor argument are as old as the come. Crafty politicians know the intense emotion they can evoke by steering our attention away from thier inadequecies as public servants.

By Craig

January 31, 2007 1:02 AM | Link to this

The citizens of North Fulton should be able to establish a seperate county that can work on the needs of the population of North Fulton.

I am tired of hearing the race issue come up every time one ethnic group thinks the world is out to get them. I am not originally from Georgia and I have enjoyed the diversity of the metro Atlanta area. The only people that complain about race being an issue are those that have lived in Georgia all there life and hate change. Wake up…metro Atlanta is a very diverse region of the state, including North Fulton. Travel to any of the local malls and even the outlet center in Dawsonville and count how many different languages you hear. It is not just white versus black…that was Atlanta 20 years ago. North Fulton is made up of a growing number of ethnic groups today and will continue to grow in diversity as each year passes. The idea of a “Milton” county makes since for this growth. A good example for this is jury duty selection. Is if fair to send someone from Alpharetta to downtown Atlanta to serve on a jury? Think of the distance and traffic during the weekday. Services need to be more centrally located to serve the population. It’s not about race, it’s about logistics and service to the community at large.

I am tired about hearing about race issues every day on the local media stations and in the blogs. I am sure it exists in the small rural communities and in select areas and neighborhoods, but that is a problem that can trace it roots back to your basic family structure. Society is moving to a individual based reality and focuses on what the individual wants. A Growing number of the majority could care less about the issue of race…simply because the population of Georgia ( and the rest of the US) is changing. Diversity is great, and its hard for some to understand this. Basically, if you do not adapt to the changing diversity of society, you will fall behind and be forgotten.

The simple truth is that North Fulton needs to seperate from the rest of the county. This will help centralize services and make it easier for the citizens to utilize county resources more so than some are able to do now based upon location. Take a look at the design of Fulton county…it does not even look efficient. Time to move into the 21st century!

By jcr

January 31, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this

wd—-is anyone out there paying attention? commissioners who represent n.fulton have always been in the minority, vote-wise, and are consistently out-voted by the same four commissioners. plain and simple, n. fulton is under-represented when it comes to the boc.

it’s not about race, it’s about bad politics, and n. fulton residents are fed up. the negative campaigning that this is a coming from a racial perspective is clouding judgment.

By Charlie

January 31, 2007 11:54 AM | Link to this

Any time anyone wants to decouple from Fulton county it is made into a race issue. But the issue is not black and white, it’s green.

Fact is the money from N.Fulton is the issue. The “commission” doesn’t want to lose the cash coming in from the North. But the people of N.Fulton should be entitled to spend their money how they see fit. They earned it.

If SF wants new infrastructure, let them figure out a way to pay for it.
Each municipality has enough population and enough money coming in to support itself if the money is budgeted and spent properly. But the days of improvements to the south with money coming in from the north should be put to an end. It simply is not fair to people who earned the money.

So the issue is really about green. There are lots of African Americans who live in N.Fulton in areas that would become Milton…just not as many there are in S.Fulton. Do you want deny these people as well? They moved there because they wanted a nicer life for themselves and their children. So if your trying to make it a race issue, hipocracy is your thing.

By fed up w/ Fulton Co. mgm't

January 31, 2007 1:00 PM | Link to this

Its not about race; its simply about facts—that’s why we need Milton. Look at what Fulton leadership has brought us: 1. The Jail—a money and liability pit—who’s responsible? Well, it is the COUNTY jail—thanks, Fulton County. 2. Schools: am amazed people don’t face facts—north Fulton has been inequitably treated for years—that’s why it has a HIGHER OVERCROWDING RATE overall in its schools than the County overall. Overall, South Fulton schools are less crowded than compared to North, based on the School District’s own data—just get it, look at it, do the math. Then, look at the budget and per capita spend, per school. Fulton has the highest per capita spend in the metro counties (and lagging academic performance in comparison to the same other counties), yet multiple elementary schools with trailers numbering in the tens and twenties in the North. Look at the overall per capita spend and break it out by school—interesting—more money is spent per child in South Fulton than North—that’s not equitable. The facts really tell us where the resources are flowing. 3. The Library system—just how many libraries currently service north Fulton in comparison to the population base of Atlanta and south Fulton? Once again, incredibly inequitable treatment—a real shortfall in library services to the north, and oh by the way—don;t forget the $20 Million payout due to the reverse discrimination suit. Yeah, really good management… 4. Taxes: The buffoonery of an incompetent Assessors office? Couple that to a tax surplus surprise—why a surprise since we pay the highest taxes of any metro county. And for what—the Taj Mahal on Pryor Street and a dysfunctional gov’t structure? 5. Existing County gov’t leadership with its intentional insertion of race-baiting in the last election and the imperious and confrontational behavior of Commissioners. They can’t even cooperate internally, much less work w/ other local gov’t agencies and municipalities. 6. Inefficient service provision by the County—see how service is provided. Go ahead and enjoy the fun of standing in line while trying to get a permit for X, or Y, or Z, while County employees walk around you to go to the cafeteria after punching in to start their workday downtown. Have had it; would normally want to work w/ local government to make things better, but this local government has made it clear—North Fulton doesn’t matter to us; we just want your money. Long past time to end the divisiveness.

By Jeff

January 31, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this

Atlanta and South Fulton have seen explosive growth in the last several years. If you watch FCTV, you’ll see the numbers of rezonings happening in South Fulton for new commercial and residential development. These areas will continue to prosper without revenues generated by North Fulton. The comment about Atlanta being similar to Detroit when Milton County forms is simply not true.

Grandstanding county commissioners seem to just want to have residents in North Fulton pay because of punitive reasons alone. I see Atlanta and South Fulton doing quite well without the need for anything from Milton county (with the exception of Grady and Marta…).

By AJ

January 31, 2007 2:12 PM | Link to this

What is alarming here is that somewhere along the way, some in N. Fulton decided that their hard-earned dough was different than the hard-earned dough of those in S. Fulton, bringing with it a sense of entitlement and concern for only N. Fulton. How was the decision made as to where the lines should be drawn? Why did John’s Creek decide that it’s dough should be put in the same pot as the Sandy Springs dough in forming Milton County? Why not just draw the line according to housing value? After all, there ARE some of us with good old fashioned “earned” dough in South Fulton. Why would the decision be made that there is no shared sense of community or responsibility for certain portions of Fulton County but there is for others? As a resident of “Fulton County”, I do not want to see any part of “our” community suffer. The floodgates have been opened though, hearkening back to the “white flight” in the 60s when my hardworking parents moved here and this mecca of metropolitan Atlanta drew its lines. After years of progress and lines being erased, here we are drawing lines again and scrambling to decide whose team we are going to join to make sure that we have the same thing we are all looking for — a nice place to live and good schools for our kids. Wouldnt it be nice if we could work together to figure this out for everyone?

By Jeff

January 31, 2007 7:00 PM | Link to this

Based on the rapid redevelopment going on, Atlanta and South Fulton will do just fine without the aid of Milton County.

The people crying racism just need to focus on how much they will gain in the coming years instead of figure out ways to punish North Fulton.

By Bruce

February 1, 2007 4:18 AM | Link to this

The problem is lack of respect. As a long time resident, I have watched our representatives treated like dirt by their peers on the Fulton County Commission (i.e. Bob Fulton both before and after his death). We are underrepresented on the commission, and the current commission has made it clear they like it that way. Fulton County Government is dysfunctional (e.g. Library Board, Tax Office, County Jail). Until recently, Fulton County Police were absent “above the river” on weekends. We’re tired of it. When you look at the issue objectively, you begin to understand it’s about power politics and has nothing to do with racial issues. Look at the most recent demographics and you’ll find North fulton is more diverse than you might think. We’ll continue to fund Grady, SPLOST and Marta, because it’s the right thing to do. But we’ll build our own libraries, tend to our own roads, collect our own taxes, fund our own projects, lobby Marta on our own behalf, and set up a high quality government without the overhead of the current Fulton County government. It’s time for change, and the Fulton County commissioners have no one to blame but themselves.

By KA

February 1, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this

N. Fulton v. S. Fulton. What about Middle Fulton??? M. Fulton would still be connected to S. Fulton, and I think there is a lot of wealth in the middle of the County. This is more about self serving politicians, who can’t run Fulton county.

By DE

February 1, 2007 2:34 PM | Link to this

jcr makes very good points.

If the county commissioners that were not from North Fulton (who have always been in the majority) had not continually screwed Sandy Springs there would not have been such a big push for cityhood. If the same county commissioners had not done the same thing to the rest of North Fulton, Milton would not be an issue.

The brazen, unapologetic attitudes of the county commissioners in the majority has caused these issues. Go back and look at the archives of the county committee meetings - listen to their words. Go back and look at the votes regarding how services have been allocated. Go back and look how zoning was handled in Sandy Springs.

Truth (especially in this case) is self-evident, and Charlie is partially right - it is about the green. Without the windfall to take and play with how they want, the commissioners not from North Fulton are going to actually have to make tough decisions that actually effect their constituents. If there is someone to blame - blame them.

Blame the old guard, those that only know how to play the race card, and only let things happen if they are controlling the issues. There are those that for years have tried to move forward, while the old guard has kept things from happening.

By D.Landry

February 2, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this

I agree with most that decision has NOTHING to do with race, it’s all about economics and services. Why should my tax dollars fund an area other than my own community? We already break out Fulton into North and South when mentioning the county, why not just make the split official by changing the North to Milton County. I’m all for the split!!!

By Jeff

February 2, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this

The issue of bringing back Milton and Campbell counties IS all about figuring this out for everyone.

Like, I’ve indicated before, people need to quit focusing on what is going to be lost and emphasize what is to be gained. Fulton county is prosperous (see this years commission budget), but very diverse in the demographics. You always hear about the ITP, OTP division (with the impression of ITP being the preferred status). So you ITP’ers will finally have your own county - what’s the argument against that?

By Akagi

February 2, 2007 4:25 PM | Link to this

It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with the fact that Fulton County and Atlanta have for years viewed old Milton as a cash cow. And the residents rightfully resent being ruled by a corrupt, inefficient government that gives them poor services and high taxes.

Don’t expect the secession move to go anywhere though. Those that need old Milton’s cash to buy votes, will scream racism until the end of time to keep old Milton and its money in their pockets.

So if you are an old Milton resident you have two choices—accept your lot in life or move to a county whose government actually considers you to be constituents and not simply targets of redistributive vote-buying schemes.

By Wil

February 3, 2007 10:20 AM | Link to this

It is amazing to me that in 2007 we still live in a society where its “Each man for himself, God Bless us all”. Where is your sense of community, Milton County Supporters?? S. Fulton is NOT full of non-working people sucking the money out of N. Fulton to survive. They work as executives at Fortune 500 companies and are entrepreneurs just like the working residents of N. Fulton. The difference is that Commercial Development in Atlanta usually only goes where a “white” majority live. That is just fact. To have Perimeter Center AND Northpoint Center within 15-20 minutes of each other, while the rest of the county has few corporate HQs, none of the same restaurants, no Bloomingdales, No Nordstroms, etc., etc. proves that commerical development flocked to where the white dollars are at instead of the majority black dollars of S. Fulton. Its purely racial and no matter how many people come on this blog and deny it, it does not take away from the facts. We can’t change Georgia’s historic segregation and discriminatory practices, so when a wealthy county wants to break away and form their own government its just another example of Georgia’s history of race and class politics. You should want to be connected to S. Fulton, you should want to be a part of growing THE ENTIRE METRO ATLANTA AREA!!! Don’t let me remind you that there would be NO North Fulton or Milton if it was not for the explosive growth led by Maynard Jackson of attracting the business community to the city of Atlanta. And now you want to turn your back on the city and leave without care about growing the region?? Its sad that you leading an horrible example for our children by separating yourselves from anyone less fortunate. That is horrible. I pray for the day that people from all races understand the value of community and helping each other to build the ATLANTA AREA COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, instead of isolating ourselves from each other and keeping the historic legacy going of the haves and have nots.

By jcr

February 3, 2007 12:15 PM | Link to this

akagi…giving up is not the answer. if you’re not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

By GAinIRAQ

February 3, 2007 5:33 PM | Link to this

I find racism to be the most pathetic excuse ever. It’s like ending an argument by saying,”Yah, well your stupid.” I’m currently serving our country in Iraq with fellow men of every race and background you could think of. When we have discussions or arguments over issues the last thing anyone would use to win or defend an argument is race. I look forward to returning home this spring and can’t wait to be part of milton county.

People should realize that every community would benefit with smaller more localized governments that can focus more on specific issues that affect the immediate residents. Throw the race card out the window and bring a real argument to the table before you embarass yourself and turn this into an issue that finds it’s way into national news. Keep it civil and keep it amongst current fulton county.

By MC

February 3, 2007 9:11 PM | Link to this

“What is alarming here is that somewhere along the way, some in N. Fulton decided that their hard-earned dough was different than the hard-earned dough of those in S. Fulton, bringing with it a sense of entitlement and concern for only N. Fulton.”

Amen x 10. There’s nothing I can perceive being so wrong with north Fulton that they need to secede. As far as I’m concerned it’s an image thing—they would rather not be associated with the city for various reasons.

Hilarious thing is, when my dad moved to Georgia in ‘75 north Fulton was no cash cow by any measure, and indeed, the only reason it’s so well provided-for today is the continual influx of money over the last few decades from the evil, neglectful county government.

By Joe Dugger

February 5, 2007 6:36 PM | Link to this

Of Course not, this is the new south… Nothing in politics in or around atlanta is based on race!!!! Lets save that for those country bumpkins. Now that we have the wonderful New Republican party we are smart enough to base political decisions on taxation, wealth, distribution of wealth and most importantly, we must prevent the wealth of one area from assisting in the betterment of another area. If we just stick to these premises, we won’t have to be worried about the race card being thrown around against us. We know that is wrong, but class warfare, taking advantage of those that have the least, that’s American, lets leave that rascism to others that don’t believe in capitalism.

By D.Scott

February 7, 2007 1:09 PM | Link to this

I am a black resident of North Fulton, and I have to say I am taken back every time I read the Blogs. I have to think to myself and wonder �Is this the America I live in, Is this the country that I shed blood for.� I moved to North Fulton because it was the closest community to my place of employment and just like anyone who has lived in metro Atlanta for a week already knows, you want to live close to were you work. A large majority of people in South Fulton who have corporate jobs often commute to N.Fulton to work. These people buy gas in north Fulton, they buy food(lunch & dinner) in north Fulton restaurants, they shop in north Fulton, and they often use day care and child care facilities in north Fulton, so why not share taxes with them. Many of these people don�t live in N.Fulton because of the convenience price you pay living in N.Fulton. We pay 500,000 to 2million dollars for the exact same homes that are in S.fulton for 300,000 to 500,000 and in all actuality anyone can live anywhere that has half decent credit. Charlie stated and I quote �It simply is not fair to people who earned the money.� Grow up Charlie you sound like my ten year old daughter instead of an adult, anyone who lives in this country should have a clear understanding that life is not fair. Who are we? What have we become? If the citizens of south Fulton or any Georgia county need our help through tax dollars or anything else, let�s help them build until every county has the amenities of north Fulton. When much is given much is expected in return. Most of us came from different parts of the country a few born and raised here, but if it was not for the entire metro area we would not enjoy the lifestyle we have been blessed with in north Fulton. Do onto others as you would want others to do onto you. Have we thrown this out the window? North Fulton is one of the most affluent areas in the United States, so what if we don�t have a large amount of Fulton county police patrolling our streets on the weekend, we don�t have as much serious crime as the other parts of Fulton county and those resources should be used in other areas to bring down the overall crime rate, not just N.Fulton county. Most people in N.Fulton send their children to private schools, so if our neighbors want to use Georgia tax dollars to build better schools in Georgia, so be it. Better schools can only mean better education, and better prepared leaders to bolster the economy of Georgia even more in the future. I don�t see the big problem in services in North Fulton. I see clean streets, Great schools, Great neighborhoods, low crime, and one of the biggest job markets in America. I can go and get a tag, registration, or any permit I want at the North Fulton building on Roswell Road without a big delay. I can go and get my license from many different locations around North Fulton, plus every part of north Fulton has incorporated local towns with their own separate municipalities anyway, so I don�t see what all the complaining is about. Metro Atlanta is one of the most beautiful Metropolitan areas in the world, and sometimes we lose focus on just how fortunate we are to live here in North Fulton. Take a trip to Monroe, LA- Flint, Michigan- Toledo, Ohio and New Orleans, LA before Katrina, and countless other cities around America that look like third world countries, then I challenge you to come back to metro Atlanta and complain about petty things. We all are certain of two things in this life, and that is that we will pay taxes and die, so if I am already more fortunate than my fellow neighbor, why not let them have the tax money to better their community so they can intern help another county. Divided we can conquer nothing, but together we can change the world as we know it.