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Sunday, July 13, 2008
The personal side of the Dunwoody fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to his wife, Albert Chambers has come to realize the dangers of angry, late-night phone calls.
“It wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He knows that — now,” said state Rep. Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta).
The fight over the city of Dunwoody, which takes a significant step toward resolution on Tuesday, has sparked an epic feud among Republicans.
While never under wraps, the Hatfield-McCoy routine took a very public turn last week when two GOP lawmakers pushing the Dunwoody initiative, Rep. Fran Millar and Sen. Dan Weber, showed off lengthy voice-mails left by Albert Chambers — whose wife is the most outspoken Republican opponent of the city.
The spouse complained of slanders heaped on Jill Chambers that required revenge. “I am not responsible for what happens. But it will all be legal. Everything will be legal,” Albert Chambers promised.
The Dunwoody clash has built over three years, driven by ideology and personality.
The creation of a city of Sandy Springs in 2005 caused no such divide among Republicans. Democratic opposition over three decades had made it a cause celebre. Citihood became a priority of the GOP takeover.
Advocates of the city of Dunwoody insist the same formula applies. That Dunwoody, too, needs a government more answerable to residents.
But many Republicans in the state Capitol — of high rank — have had trouble squaring the numerous new cities that have followed Sandy Springs with their own calls for less government and lower property taxes.
Chambers is part of the latter group, and this is where personality comes in. She is a cheerfully caustic woman who thrives on confrontation. Dunwoody proponents accuse her of misleading statements, and an alliance with DeKalb County government.
She accuses Dunwoody organizers of being less than forthcoming about the costs of incorporation. Last month, Chambers paid for a round of robo-calls encouraging voters to attend a seminar to “hear the truth about Dunwoody.”
Chambers’ District 81 includes only a small slice of the city that might be. Most of the calls went to voters in Millar’s district. Millar, himself the owner of an acid-tipped tongue, took Chambers’ words as an accusation that he had been passing falsehoods.
Millar has complained to House leaders about Chambers’ “shenanigans” — and has expressed disappointment that the powers inside the state Capitol haven’t stepped in. They may yet get their chance. The general election season begins Wednesday.
Chambers’ north Atlanta district leans Democratic, and she’ll have opposition in November.
One of two Democrats on the District 81 ballot on Tuesday is a protege of Bobby Kahn, the former chairman of the Democratic party. Many Dunwoody advocates, who by-and-large are Republicans, talk of lending aid to Chambers’ opponent. Asked if he will be one of them, Millar said this:
“I’m not going to be donating funds to her opposition, okay? But if she doesn’t make it back, I’m not going to shed any tears.”
Dunwoody may or may not become Georgia’s 536th city on Tuesday. But it’s clear the fight will continue. Possibly in a courtroom. More certainly in a next-door House district.
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On Atlanta’s role in Barack Obama’s Southern strategy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Interesting opinion piece in today’s Washington Post on Atlanta’s role as a mecca for African-Americans:
It’s no coincidence that Obama has visited Atlanta at least three times in the past year. The capital of the New South, Atlanta is a small town trapped inside a big city, a place firmly committed to putting the past behind it and a place where history shows through like paint under primer.
To understand how — and whether — the Illinois senator’s “Southern strategy” might have a chance, take a look at this Bible Belt city where the visibility and political clout of gays rivals that of New York or San Francisco. This is the place where King’s vision has been most fully realized. In these early days of the 21st century, Atlanta has become a microcosm of black America.
And we have the contradictions to prove it….
Photo credit: Walter Stricklin/AJC
