Would-be leaders for Dunwoody talk issues

As the Democrats continued to do Denver Tuesday night, another group of politicians took center stage in Dunwoody. There, candidates for the DeKalb County city’s first council talked about themselves and about the issues facing their new municipality at a public forum three weeks before the Sept. 16 election.

The personal side wasn’t especially revelatory: the candidates said they love their community, their families and their neighbors. The issues, however, showed there are differences between at least some of the 15 contenders for the six council seats, however.

Larry Pankey, in a three-way battle for the city’s District 2 seat, caught the attention of the large audience by saying he would want the city to seek new bids from multiple private companies to manage some municipal operations.

One company, CH2M Hill, of Colorado, recently was presented to candidates by a citizens group as the city’s only choice should council members and the mayor decide to contract out for services rather than provide them directly.

“What you don’t do is leave yourself with one option,” said Pankey, a lawyer, who noted that he opposed the deal, not private management.

His argument drew applause.

The question about private management was posed by two local media members, as were other questions about Dunwoody’s upcoming negotiations with DeKalb County, the future of the community’s schools, police staffing levels, zoning controls, traffic woes, a balanced budget and the amount of parkland.

Several candidates described themselves as fiscal conservatives, but some of those questioned about specifics also said there is a need for more school buildings, green space and police.

Controlled development through zoning and planning was cited by several candidates as essential to the city’s long-term health.